Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 / 1 John 3:1-3 / Mathew 5:1-12a

On this November 1st, the Church, our Mother, celebrates the solemnity of all the saints, especially the unknown and anonymous saints, since the saints canonized by the Church already have their own specific liturgical feasts.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of the universe. This is what we acclaim at Holy Mass.

Only God is holy, and no one else. In order to be holy, human beings need God's help. God wants human beings to share in his holiness.

To be holy is to be whole, to be happy, to love and be loved, to forgive and be forgiven, to be just, to be good, to be true, to be peaceful, to be humble, to be generous. In short, to be holy is to be blessed, as today's Gospel of Matthew says.

Without a doubt, Jesus is the blessed one par excellence. Jesus made his life a service to the needy of his time. They were the greatest beneficiaries of Jesus' redemptive action.

We, disciples of Jesus, on the one hand, must be holy, as God is holy, we must participate in God's holiness, we must live as Jesus lived, we must be blessed.

On the other hand, we must make our lives a service to the needy of our time. They must be the greatest beneficiaries of our evangelizing action.

The Book of Revelation - today's first reading - tells us that there is a multitude of women and men who lived in a way that pleased God, who endured difficulties and persecutions in earthly life with faith and trust and who are now in Heaven, in the presence of God.

Holiness is not for a few Christians, but for everyone. God calls all his sons and daughters, the entire Church, to holiness.

Christians have at their disposal all the resources necessary to achieve holiness. They have been redeemed by Jesus and covered with the Holy Spirit. They have the Word of God, the sacraments, and the intercession of angels and saints. Therefore, all Christians have the obligation to live in holiness and to inherit Heaven.

The first letter of Saint John - today's second reading - says that when our divine filiation is revealed, Christians shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. In the present time, we must wait on Jesus, making ourselves pure, as he is pure!

May all the saints in Heaven intercede for us, who are on earth and desire holiness so that we too may reach Heaven.

Local: Springfield, MA, EUA

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