Being who you are meant to be

 “…they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)

 

(Year A: All Saints, 1^st November, 2020)

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READINGS (COI & paired as between the Gospel and the Old Testament readings)

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Psalm 34:1-10

1 John 3:1-3  or Revelation 7:9-17

Matthew 5:1-12

See also Luke 6:20-23

 

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The feast of All Saints falls on a Sunday this year. I have chosen to go with the option of taking the readings from All Saints common more or less to many churches following the regular calendar of readings.  Gaudeamus omnes in Domino opens the solemn celebration of the Holy Mass in the introit to the ancient Roman rite.  Let us all rejoice in the Lord, whilst celebrating this feast in honour of all the Saints says the ancient Introit.  Taking its cue from Ephesians 4:16,  the Collect for the celebration of Holy Communion used among Anglican Churches contains these words, ‘Almighty God you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord’.

Why is All Saints so special? And why celebrate it when there are enough saints’ days spread across the year?  The answer is in the title. We celebrate All saints because there are more saints than we might ever imagine or have known in the heavenly courts.  Estimates of how many humans ever lived vary but it is thought that, so far, about 100 billion of us have walked this earth not counting those who never made it. It is a fair guess that the numbers who are among the cloud of witnesses as saints in heaven run to a mighty large magnitude indeed. In the Book of Revelation we read ‘and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands’ (Rev 7:9-10).

Last Sunday this blog considered the heavy use of the word ‘all’ in the sacred scriptures. Now, not everyone is to be considered a saint. It is by the grace and election of God that some are called, others are chosen and still others are declared or acknowledged to be saints.

Recently, in the Roman Catholic church a young 15 year old computer enthusiast who died as recently as 2006 was declared blessed (Carlos Acutis). A friend of mine asked me why would such a person be declared blessed or beatified?  How does anyone attain sainthood? It is a good question. Perhaps we think of saints as some sort of plaster figures who lived an austere life of penance and who never used a swear word or struggled with doubts about God. To reach that fulness of life and whole-ness that God in his infinite loving care for every human being (all 100 billion) it is only necessary to be completely the person that we are meant to be and can be according to the infinite mystery of God’s will. In plain words, a saint is someone who does the will of God. But, how can anyone know the ‘will of God’ or, indeed, if there is a God at all? Let’s listen, once again, to that most famous of sermons – the one given on a mountain by a prophet who declared himself in word and deed Son of God. There we hear the words of the Beatitudes or Blessings that never lose their attractiveness. There is something powerfully seductive about them: to live empty of oneself, focussed on the good of others, to spread peace and to put others first and not harbour resentment or revenge. Who could argue with any of this. It is the very essence of decent human living. We have all known and experienced the Beatitudes in people around us.  I have known many people who have been a blessing in my life and whose lives spoke of gentleness, mercy, kindness and peace.  Their very presence was a blessing and, therefore, a healing.

But, what if among us are some who feel that they have messed up their lives? What if someone feels that they have taken wrong turns, let other people down and cut themselves off through bad habits, addictions and acts that have harmed or hurt others? Is there any hope for them? Yes there is!  The feast of All Saints is for everyone because God writes straight on crooked lines. He knows how to blot out the past and transform our present into a new reality that God wants for us regardless of the past. If we turn, in our hearts, to the source of all Life we will find blessings after blessings. It is enough to embrace our present sufferings in the trust that God loves us immensely and unconditionally. The life that remains to us will offer many opportunities to love others and to be a blessing for them.  This is our ‘penance’ – to love and to patiently join our sufferings with those of Christ as we age, experience sickness and, eventually, death as we all must.

The path to holiness begins with an awareness of the goodness that has been given to us. God is love and that love has been shown us through others. The starting point is to acknowledge that love for each individual – even me and you.  ‘See what love the Father has given us’ (1 John 3:1).

We never walk alone. The path to whole-ness (holiness) is together where we can say ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together’ (Psalm 34:2).

‘‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’ (Rev 7:12)