Cycle C - Year II:  

1 November 2022: Solemnity of All Saints 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14

Second Reading:   1 John 3:1-3

Gospel:  Please Read  Matthew 5:1-12 

Glory to God through His saints!

Today is All Saints' Day in the Catholic world. The Church honors all the saints not only those celebrated in the Church's calendar of saints but all the heroic men and women who followed our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully  and who have now attained the beatific vision in heaven.

Trivia: Pope Gregory IV established the Commemoration of All the Saints of the Catholic Church in the year 835. 

The Solemnity of All Saints is a celebration of holiness made possible with the working of the Holy Spirit bearing fruit in human beings throughout the world and throughout time. So that the saints serve as our companions and models in the journey of faith and in the body of Christ.

On this special day we honor all the saints reigning together for these reasons: to thank God Almighty for the graces and crowns of all His saints; to excite ourselves to a fervent imitation of their virtues by considering and reflecting on their holy examples; to implore the divine mercy through this multitude of powerful intercessors; and to glorify God in the saints who are unknown to us or for whom no particular feast days are appointed.

On All Saints Day, and in other feast days of specific saints, we know and believe that the object of our supreme worship is God only. Thus, the whole of that inferior veneration which is paid to saints is in reality directed to give sovereign honor to God alone. Our addresses to saints are only petitions to holy fellow creatures for the purpose of assistance of their prayers to God Almighty on our behalf.

Commemoration of All Saints' Day in 2022: Our traditional observance of All Saints' Day includes visits to our departed loved one in cemeteries and in columbarium. Because of the pandemic during the past two years, civil authorities had forbidden visit to these places for the dead as precautionary measures against the spread of the CoVid-19 virus. For this year, however, because of the diminishing cases of infection, it is likely that civil authorities may now allow visit to cemeteries with certain basic health protocol. So listen to specific guidelines from your respective Local Government Units (LGUs).

Short Reflection on the Gospel:

St. Matthew is our evangelist on his writing on the Beatitudes. The word "beatitude" means literally "happiness" or "blessedness" in the context of our search for God's kingdom.

What is the significance of the Beatitudes and why are they so central in the teaching of our Lord Jesus?

The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness in every human heart. They teach us the final end to which God calls us to His kingdom.  But the Beatitudes also confront us with decisive choices concerning the life we pursue here on earth and the use we make of the good which God puts at our disposal. Because in reality God alone satisfies our longing for happiness, and not material possessions or wealth.

In reality, the Beatitudes are our guide to God's kingdom. The saints have trodden the path of the Beatitudes in their worldly journey. We, too, are called to be holy and happy, by working for the treasures which can afford us welcome into the heavenly home. At the conclusion of the Gospel proclamation, our Lord Jesus Christ promises us, when we follow the way of the Beatitudes: "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

The Solemnity of All Saints is the perfect time to pray for all the holy men and women of God, to ask for their intercession for the conversion of sinners, so that we may all become saints of God Almighty. Amen.

A blessed Solemnity of All Saints to all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!