It Can Be You

~~~ Solemnity of All Saints ~~~

~~~ Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ 1 John 3:1-3 ~~~

~~~ Matthew 5:1-12A ~~~

Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Do you want to be a saint?
Hopefully you did not hesitate to confidently answer 'yes'.
You are not required to be canonized
 by the church officials, the Pope, to become a saint.

The prayer of a saint is for God to mold their will into his will.
A saint desires for their union with God to be seamless.
A saint stumbles, falls, gets up and begins again.
A saint faces their shortcomings with humility and grace.

A saint perseveres in the face of discouragement.

Saints walk among us each and every day.
Saints interact with us in a personal way.
Saints inspire us to reach higher...love more...see with new eyes. 

Saints show us how to look for God in hidden places.
Saints teach us to listen for God's quiet
voice above the roar of life.

Being a saint is not something that happens to you after you die...
Being a saint is the creature you become as your soul
becomes more and more filled with grace.

Saints do not shy away from sacrifice or hardships.
Saints live with boldness, conviction, and passion
 for the mysteries of God.

Keep your resume up to date.
Heaven is always accepting new Saints...
It could be you...Hopefully it will be you, when the time comes.
Until then keep on loving God as completely as you are able.
Find ways to transmit that love to your family, friends. and neighbors.

Saints are not wimps.
Saints are strong in their commitment to  serving the Lord
with their whole mind, body, heart, and soul.

Do not worry Saints are also not perfect.
Saints stand before God trusting in his merciful love.

See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.

Jesus gave us the Beatitudes to guide us on our way to Sainthood.
It is good that we read them from time to time.
...Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

Saints are not opposed to living outside the preset margins.
Saints reach outside the box with their love.

Blessings in cooperation with the Saints
 who have gone before us and those who live among us every day.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Resume of a Saint

~~~ Solemnity of All Saints  ~~~

 

~~Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14~~Psalm 24~~1 John 3:1-3~~Matthew 5:1-12a~~

 

Today we are reminded of something we shy away from...

we are all called to become a saint.

 

Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.

 

We are all called to turn our frail humanity into a life pleasing to God. 

We are expected to use everything at our disposal

given to us by God to help us reach our sainthood goal.

It does not matter that we don't have our individual

feast day set aside by the church.

It does not matter if we don't have many miracles attributed to us;

we are still called to be saints.

 

I do find this a humbling proposition.

When I consider the various lives of the canonized saints

I am no where near.

I only hope there are varying levels or degrees of sainthood.

I would be blessed to be just a footnote in the book of saints.

 

To become a canonized saint a lengthy process must be undertaken.

There are ten steps which can take many years to complete

or in some cases are never completed.

 

“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

 

 

In order to became a saint your life first becomes an open book.

Those bringing forth your cause for canonization must present there reasons.

Physical miracles must be directly connected to this holy person.

Each miracle is thoroughly investigated to determine

if the cure was medically impossible.

 

I wonder if the canonized saints would be too happy

about us reading about the details of their lives hundreds of years later.

 

The beautiful part about being able to closely examine

the lives of the saints is that it gives us courage.

Courage and inspiration that we can also become a saint.

One thing all of the saints have in common is that they each lived their lives.

They lived their lives loving God and others to the best of their ability.

Some of them had impressive transformations after coming to Christ;

others were simply holy from an early age.

 

Whatever reasons we can give for not becoming a saint

there is already a saint who overcame

the very same obstacle during his or her life.

 

We are sometimes criticized for praying to the saints.

We believe in life after death.

We believe in the Body of Christ

which includes the communion of the saints.

We pray to the saints because we believe they are in heaven.

We ask for their intercession to God on our behalf.

We look to them as models of holiness.

We use their lives to imitate throughout our own lives.

 

The saints are wonderful examples of living the

Beatitudes as we hear in the Gospel today.

 

...Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.

 

Today we are blessed to have all of the saints

praying for us on our behalf to God.

Today we honor and acknowledge all of the saints in heaven

and those who still walk among us.

Today we reflect on our own life.

I invite you to ask yourself...

How am I living a saintly life?

Will my resume be able to inspire others?

It is between you and God.

 

Saints of God, pray for us.

Saints of God, Pray for us

Feast of All Saints

~~~ Revelation 7:2-4, 7-14 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ 1 John 3:1-3 ~~~ Matthew 5:1-12a ~~~

 

 

Today we remember and honor all those

who have gone before us in the presence of the Lord.

All those men and women who have been canonized by the church.

All those who are in heaven and not officially named

as a saint of the church.

 

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"
I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."
He said to me,
"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."

 

Today we honor all of those who lived a life

in testimony of what they believed.

All those fought the good fight.

All those who perseverance in the face of difficulties.

All of those who inspire us to live our lives in a better manner.

 

The saints sought the face of God until the end of their earthly life.

They loved the Lord with their whole heart, mind, body, and soul.

Young or old, rich or poor, man or woman, white, brown, black, or yellow

they loved God. They believed the words he promised of eternal life.

 

They are God's children now standing before his throne...

singing his praises of glory.

They have been made pure with the holy ones.

 

 

We cannot yet know what God has in store for us,

as his believers.

But I join the saints in believing that what the Lord has prepared

for us will be beyond comprehension.

The most glorious and luminous scene I can imagine

surely pales incomparison to the glory

surrounding our Lord and Father.

 

Heaven is populated with those who fully lived

the Beatitudes...

 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven."

 

Today we join all the Saints in heaven rejoicing with

gladness at the goodness of the Lord.

Jesus came to show us the way to heaven.

He secured our entrance into heaven with each drop of his blood.

 

Someday we too will seek entrance into his glorious presence.

Saints of God, pray for us.