OUR SUNDAY’S IN NOVEMBER 2009

This month we celebrate both all Saints Day and All Souls Day. The feast of All Saints began as a way to honor the martyrs, then it was extended to all those people who live with God in Heaven yet do not have a special “saint’s day” on the calendar. We celebrate all those who have accepted this great gift of being marked by God.

All Saints Day is a reminder that we are called to live like no one else so that one day we can live in a very special way. Our Christian goal is to attain something beyond the obvious. It is to live in such a way today that one day we might live like the saints, that is, live with God.

So many people that I have spoken with believe there is no way they can become a saint. They are not Mother Teresa nor do they want to be Mother Teresa. They do not want to spend a life of poverty caring for the destitute. Many admire St. Francis of Assisi, but at the same time they do not want renounce all their worldly goods in order to live a life of austerity. Most clearly do not want to become priests or religious men or women. Many despair of becoming a saint. This must be remembered however; sainthood is not ours to gain; it is ours to lose.

Not every saint lived a life of complete faithfulness and holiness. In fact, some did not acknowledge God until the moment of death, such as the prisoner who died on the cross with Jesus and simply asked that Jesus would remember him – though he was a sinner – he had probably taken lives – he still possessed a faith that recognized holiness when he saw it.

Christ has claimed all humanity. His gift of salvation was for all people living in all times. We have been sealed by the sign of the cross. We are God’s. Salvation is a gift, not something we can earn. Matthew’s Beatitudes teaches us the consequences of accepting this gift – these teach us how to live as God would have us live. We return God’s love by living the way He hopes we will live.

We should honor all of the saints not forgetting that within their number there are those who are so much like ourselves that they can show us how to accept the gift of salvation. We have this gift. Let’s not lose it!

The Most Rev. John P. Walzer, D.D.
Archbishop