A Homily – Feast of All Saints, a Holy Day of Obligation (Year B)

First Reading – Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 23(24):1-6 ©

Second Reading – 1 John 3;1-3 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 11:28 ©

The Gospel According to Matthew 5:1 – 12a ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

God, the creator of the universe, God is not a king. The divine is not the lord of dominions, God does not sit on a throne.

Know this.

The multitude John witnessed in his vision is a society without number, there is no upper limit to its measure, it is continually aborning and without end.

The multitude is comprised of every person who has experienced the tribulations of living, every single one of us who has come into being and suffered while they sojourned through time and space.

Every human being who is alive today, has ever been or will ever be, all of us belong to the multitude…all of us children of the living God gathered together in the continuum of being, none of us are lost. This is the good news, and in it lies the way, our good-shepherd has directed us toward this end.

Understand this.

We are not saved by the blood of the lamb, not the literal sense, this is a metaphor. There is no sanctification or justification through ritual sacrifice, but there is in the feast that follows, where we all come to the table to share in the communal gift.

We may experience something of salvation in the here and now, if we let go of our enmities, forgive those who have wronged us, as God has forgiven us, and when we have accepted the forgiveness of those we have wronged. 

Be mindful!

The reading from Genesis is powerful, but do not look for God to come draped in glory, power and honors. Remember the humility of Jesus, look for divine there, as if God’s own self were as gentle as a lamb.

Remember.

All things and persons have their being in God; the divine is the foundation of all that is, without God there is nothing, without God there is not even the possibility of something,  

 If you wish to climb the mountain, and you are going their to find God, that is fine, there is nothing wrong with that, but God is closer than that, you may simply turn to your neighbor and see God reflected in their face. Behold the face of God, and it God’s holy presence give thanks  

 Be mindful.

 Do not worry about your own relative state of holiness, knowing that God loved you before creation, when only the possibility of you existed, believe that you are a holy vessel, worthy of God’s adoration, simply because you are. All things and everyone is loved by God, there is no better measure of holiness.

 There is no vanity in emulating the love that God bears for all God’s children. Look for God’s blessing in the service you provide to your neighbor, to your mother and father, to your sister and brother. Be justified in the quality and extent of your mercy.

 If you go looking for the God of Jacob, instead of seeing God in Jacob you will staring at idols.

 Know this!

 God is not confined to the pages of a book or by the inked letters on a scroll, the divine is not bound by the history and mythology of a people. It is fine to see in those things glimpses of the divine, the records and remembrances of past encounters, but if you seek the living God you must look to living.

 Consider the work of the apostle:

 When you are preaching the faith you are always speaking to the children of God, and there is nothing you yourself can do to affect their salvation, their salvation has already been accomplished in God and through God’s grace.

 Be mindful.

The teachings of Jesus cannot be treated like a shell game, though they are, and have been since the beginning, as Matthew illustrates.

 The way of Jesus is not a long can, it is not a bait and switch, it is a simple teaching that cannot be controlled or owned by any one group of people.

 The wise and the powerful, the learned and the clever, the weak and the meek, everyone has access to the same truth, to the knowledge of God, of justice, of hope, and love.

 Just because a person may be wise and powerful, learned and clever, or a child of the church, does not mean they recognize the truth when they see it, or act upon when they do.

 It is not your station in society, it is not how other people regard you, it is not the titles you have earned, or the ways that you have been marginalized that give us the tell on how you will fulfill the calling to follow Jesus. What matters is what is in your heart, and your willingness to trust in the content of your hope.

 Consider the Gospel reading for the day:

 Much has been written about the sermon on the mount. It is hard for me to believe that I would have anything new to add to that discussion, but adding something new is not as important as sharing the story and how it has shaped my perspective on the Gospel. Adding something new  happens all by itself, and by sharing our perspective we keep the conversation moving…this is the living faith.

 In the reading for today Jesus shares a way of seeing the world, of living in society, of understanding our relationship to the creator; a way that reverses the expectations of what a person might expect from the social compact that were prevalent in his time.

 Jesus might have said that the providence of heaven belongs to all people, regardless of who they are, where they came, or how far they think they are from the love of the creator, no matter what creed they profess or what traditions bind them…no matter how little they may think about God.

 The gentle of heart do seek to possess things, they have nothing to guard they are themselves unguarded and free; by freeing themselves from their desires they have gained everything.

 Have hope, our woes are temporary, all sadness and all mourning come to an end.

 Strive for what is right and just, for what is universal, for what touches all people; give up your concerns for yourself and your tribe. The narrow path leads to loneliness and misery, while the broad road leads to joy, the multitude are walking along it, walk in the company of your friends.

 Mercy follows upon mercy, as the sun follows the rain…be sure of it.

 All people come to the vision of God; this is as certain as that in time they will come to know their true selves, at which moment they will see the fullness of God at the center of their being, dwelling within everyone and uniting us as one.

 Accept the parentage of the divine and the reality of your status as a child of God; take up the task set before you: love justice, be merciful, make peace.

 The providence of heaven belongs to all people, its possession only comes through sharing it without reservation, distributing it to all of those in need.

 If you are abused and persecuted for the sake of peace and mercy. Have no fear, the powers of sin and evil, and the pain they bring, the reality of sickness and death; these are temporary, and will come to an end.

 

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

I Saw a Huge Number, Impossible to Count, of People from Every Nation, Race, Tribe and Language

I, John, saw another angel rising where the sun rises, carrying the seal of the living God; he called in a powerful voice to the four angels whose duty was to devastate land and sea, ‘Wait before you do any damage on land or at sea or to the trees, until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.’ Then I heard how many were sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel.

  After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, ‘Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four animals, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words, ‘Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen.’

  One of the elders then spoke, and asked me, ‘Do you know who these people are, dressed in white robes, and where they have come from?’ I answered him, ‘You can tell me, my lord.’ Then he said, ‘These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb.’

 

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 23(24):1-6

The Lord Comes to His Temple

The man with clean hands and pure heart will climb the mountain of the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

  the world and all who live in it.

He himself founded it upon the seas

  and set it firm over the waters.

Who will climb the mountain of the Lord?

  Who will stand in his holy place?

The one who is innocent of wrongdoing and pure of heart,

  who has not given himself to vanities or sworn falsely.

He will receive the blessing of the Lord

  and be justified by God his saviour.

This is the way of those who seek him,

  seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,

  and let the king of glory enter.

Who is the king of glory?

The Lord of might and power.

  The Lord, strong in battle.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,

  and let the king of glory enter.

Who is the king of glory?

The Lord of hosts

 – he is the king of glory.

Amen.

The man with clean hands and pure heart will climb the mountain of the Lord.

Alleluia!

 

Second Reading - 1 John 3:1-3

We Shall be Like God Because We Shall See Him as He Really Is

Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.

Because the world refused to acknowledge him, therefore it does not acknowledge us.

My dear people, we are already the children of God but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is.

Surely everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 11:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 5:1-12a

How Happy are the Poor in Spirit

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

‘How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle:

  they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn:

  they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:

  they shall be satisfied.

Happy the merciful:

  they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart:

  they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers:

  they shall be called sons of God.

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:

  theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’

 

A Homily – Feast of All Saints, a Holy Day of Obligation (Year B)