Homily For Wednesday Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 1st November, 2023. Solemnity of All Saints. (HAPPY NEW MONTH)

Readings: Rev. 7:2-4.9-14, Ps.24, 1John 3:1-3, Matt. 5:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD

 

Every first November, the Holy Mother Church presents to us the Solemnity of All Saints. But, who are the saints and why are we celebrating them. The Church as we know is not just the physical structure we have all over the places, no, the Church is much more than that. The Church is the body of Christ which every one of us are member by virtue of our baptism.

 

This Church is divided into three groups, that is the militant Church, the suffering Church and the triumphant Church. The militant Church are all of us especially the baptized who are still inhabiting and struggling with the human flesh. But immediately after death, we belong either to the suffering Church or the triumphant Church. The suffering Church is the souls that belong to the body of Christ but are still in need of purification. While the triumphant Church are the souls of the saints which we are celebrating today. They are those who are pure in heart, they are the ones who shall see God because they have been washed clean from the stain of sin by the blood of Christ and sustained by their holiness of life.

 

So, today we celebrate the triumphant Church that is, all the saints known or unknown to us who have triumphed victorious to heavenly glory. By celebrating them we are reminded that we are called to grow in holiness and to become saints like them, for that is our primary goal in life.

 

This solemnity dates back to the 7th century, and the occasion of its introduction was the conversion of the ancient Roman Pantheon into a Christian Church. As emperor, Phocas gave the Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it into a Church and dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints in the year 608. But later in the year 731, Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter’s Church in honour of all the saints and since then the solemnity of All Saints has been celebrated all over the world.

 

Therefore, in this great event, we are called to imitate the heroic virtues of the saints by living a life of beatitudes as peacemakers, pure of heart, meek, humble and merciful as Jesus teaches us in our Gospel passage today. And in our first reading St. John in the book of Revelation tells that these saints are the people who have been through great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb, which in our second reading he made us to know that we are already the children of God but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; but when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is. And everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself and try to be as pure as Christ.

 

Dear friends, are you pure in heart? Are you merciful? Are you a peacemaker? Are you persecuted for righteousness' sake? Then you are a living saint. So, today’s  Solemnity reminds us of our universal vocation to holiness, it strengthens us in our struggles towards our goal which is to attain eternal life. It helps us to recall our communion with saints. It reminds us that we are pilgrims on this earth and also it strengthens our faith in the teachings of the Church. No doubt all of us want to become saints and oftentimes we really want to live a holy life but there are always obstacles on our way to holiness, these obstacles make us become aware of our sins, our weaknesses and our failures.

 

Yes, we are sinners, but so are the saints. They only relied on God’s mercy and grace and so we too. We cannot become holy through our efforts alone we need to cooperate with the grace of God. Remember, anything worth having is worth making sacrifices for, and the more it’s worth, the more significant sacrifices we should be willing to make for it. If holiness is necessary for one to attain heaven. Then it is worth all the sacrifices Jesus mentioned in the beatitudes. So, let us embrace these great virtues and so become the saints of God that we are called to be.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as a militant Church on earth, there are a lot of troubles and challenges we are struggling with, help us through the intercession of all the saints, to overcome them and so make it triumphantly to your heavenly kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy new month and a blessed All Saints celebration.