We Are All Called To Be Saints
On this feast of All Saints Day, the Beatitudes presented in today’s Gospel offer a description of and an inspiration to sainthood. This is a day to recognize and remember saints. We remember those who have been officially recognized through the Church’s canonization process, and those who will never be universally recognized because they lived “ordinary” lives of saintliness and are counted among the “Communion of Saints." Pope Francis told pilgrims at the General Audience in St Peter's Square on Nov 19th, 2014, "We are all called to be saints.” But how do we live our lives as saints? The answer lies in the Beatitudes.
The word beatitude comes from the Latin word beatus, meaning both "happy" and "blessed." The Beatitudes are a series of eight blessings given to us by Jesus that we can consider as Christian ideals and rules for true happiness as well as a roadmap to sainthood.
One way to think of the Beatitudes is that there are four “positive” beatitudes and four “negative” beatitudes. Here are the positives:
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy- God is love and God is merciful. If we are filled with God’s love, then the more mercy that we give away, the more we will receive in return.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God- We will find true happiness if our heart is focused clearly and uniquely on God and his divine mercy.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied- If we hunger and thirst for doing God’s will, then we will find true happiness.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God- If we allow God’s mercy to flow through us, we will radiate peace and joy and be transformed into peacemakers.
Here are the “negative,” or more counter-intuitive beatitudes. Bishop Robert Barron states that these four are tightly related. He cites Thomas Aquinas as setting out that we typically find four substitutes for God: (1) money; (2) pleasure; (3) power; and (4) glory.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven- How blessed and happy we will be if we are detached from material things? We will have room in our heart for the mercy of God.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted- How blessed and happy are we if we are not attached to pleasure? If we are detached from pleasure the divine mercy can surge through us.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth- How blessed are those who are detached from power? If we are not consumed with the quest for power, we can focus on doing the will of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven- Are we willing to let go of the approval of others? If so, we can allow the tender mercy of God to take a central place in our hearts and we can then become a conduit of grace.
If we only think of saints as people in a distant time and place who lived with outstanding piety, we risk letting ourselves off the hook in recognizing and cultivating holiness in our own lives. The truth is, we are all called to be saints and to live out the Beatitudes in the particular time and circumstances in which we each live. The sainthood of a parent trying to work and homeschool a child during the time of COVID-19 will look different from the sainthood of a healthcare worker or a grocery store cashier, or a widow living alone during the pandemic. All of them will suffer their own shortcomings, maybe impatience, despair, or anger at times. Yet in still striving to live the Beatitudes, they will be living saintly lives.
The question I leave with you this week is, in your quest for sainthood, which of the Beatitudes might you commit to living out more faithfully in this upcoming week?
God bless you folks, Father Gerard
PS: Don't forget to pray for the souls in purgatory on All Souls Day (Monday, Nov 2nd)
