All Saints Day

Let us celebrate those who have lived the Christian life to a heroic degree

Apoc 7.2-4, 9-14;
1Jn 3.1-3;
Mt 5.1-12

The Universal Calendar of the Catholic Church includes Solemnities, Feasts, and Memorials of Saints – apostles, martyrs, virgins, doctors of the Church, priests, religious, holy men and women. In addition, each Diocese, Province, or National Church has its proper celebrations for this different degree. There are Saints popular for their heroic virtues who by their spirituality, have progressed one stage further in the Church’s process of recognition. Understanding the process that leads to canonization can help us to understand this Solemnity.

Today’s Solemnity of All Saints is an opportunity to celebrate those Christian souls who have reached heaven and who aid us with their intercession within the Communion of Saints, but who have not yet been formally recognized by the Church as Santi or Beati. We may picture them as seen in the wonderful vision from the Book of the Revelation of those dressed in white robes worshipping the Lamb.

The first stage towards canonization occurs when, with approval from the Holy See, a diocesan bishop opens a cause on behalf of a person with a reputation for holiness. The person’s life and writings are investigated to ensure they are consistent with Catholic teaching. If the person is thought to have lived the Christian life “to a heroic degree” then they may be declared Venerable. In a sense, these Christian souls are those in whom the truth revealed in our second reading has taken root. Saint John says, “My people, we are already the children of God.” Those on the path to sanctity are not achieving it through human effort alone, but they are responding fully to God’s call and realizing it to the full life the Father calls us to live.

Those declared Venerable do not have a feast day ascribed to them, and the Church makes no pronouncement about them. Before Beatification or Canonisation, a miracle needs to be brought about at the intercession of the candidate, which the Church interprets as a sign that the person is indeed in heaven. The Pope does not decide; the Church waits for a sign from God which the Holy Father acts upon. Some candidates never proceed beyond being declared Venerable; others remain Beati if no further miracles are ascribed to them.

So today’s Solemnity, as well as being a general celebration of the Communion of Saints, is an opportunity to celebrate those unknown or formally unrecognized heroes of the faith. Pre-eminent among these will be those who have died as martyrs, as Catholic tradition has long believed that martyrs find an immediate place in heaven. It is a sobering thought that there were more Christian martyrs in the twentieth century than in any previous century. We also celebrate all who have lived fully the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity and the Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. Those, if you like, who are waiting in the wings to go on the heavenly stage.

It is sometimes said, mistakenly, that All Saints’ Day is a celebration of all Christian people. Indeed, Saint Paul occasionally refers to Christians in general as “saints”, but in reality, he means the followers of Christ on earth. Catholic teaching has it that saints are those who have arrived in heaven, known or unknown. If we were martyred in a few moments we would be among them. But for some of us, the journey to heaven has many backslidings and failures, and for many, they will need a cleansing stay in purgatory before we are ready to contemplate the vision of God.

However, we do have a pattern to live by on our journey in the Gospel for today’s Mass. In the Beatitudes, Our Lord sets out a picture of the life of a saint in the making. Those whose presence in heaven inspires us today began their journey just as we did in Baptism. They strove to live the life envisaged in the Beatitudes and achieved this on earth. They reassure us that with perseverance, faithfulness to the Church’s teaching, and participation in the sacramental life it can be done.

May the Saints in heaven, known and unknown, pray for us as we strive to follow their example and walk in their footsteps.

Happy New Month.

Fr Joseph Osho