Sunday of All Saints 2024

Peter H. Davids

Byzantine Catholic Homilies • Sermon • Submitted 7 months ago • Presented 7 months ago

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Our readings tell us what it takes to become a saint, i.e. total allegiance to God, whether in the Old Testament or the New. They also tell us the rewards of such a total dedication, i.e. doing great things for the sake of God, receiving great consolations from God, and suffering great things for God in imitation of the sufferings of Jesus. Meanwhile the saints in heaven cheer us on in our race, are acknowledged by Jesus before his Father, and receive rewards they do not own in this life and eternal life in the next. The call is, then, for us to become saints and dedicate ourselves to Jesus, for the only tragedy in this life is not to become a saint.

Notes

Transcript

Ambon Prayer 44

The Holy Apostle Carpus, One of the Seventy. Our Holy Father Augustine of Canterbury, Enlightener of England.

Title

To Be a Saint

Outline

What does it take to be a saint?

It takes faith, i.e. trust in or allegiance to God/Jesus that results in obedience.

It takes acknowledging that Jesus is one’s Lord before people, whether they are asking about what explains one’s lifestyle or whether they have brought one to court accusing one of allegiance to Jesus.

It takes loving Jesus first of all, that is, seeking his good and glory first of all.

It takes self-denial in that one accepts the suffering that comes one’s way due to following Jesus (i.e. taking up one’s cross) and is willing to go to death for him.

We call those saints who do this in an extraordinarily clear and intense way, for even we can see that they are among the “last” in this life that will be “first” in the age to come. But all are called to be saints, even if others never realize one’s sanctity.

There was a tailor who mentored the youthful Karol Wojtyla who was a saint whom we never would have known about had not his mentoree become Pope. There are many more like him, men and women, in this world.

What are the results of living a saintly life?

They do great things for the sake of God and receive great consolations from God, as the first two verses of our first reading indicate. And/or they suffer great things for God, even imitating the sufferings of Jesus, as the next four verses indicate. The author knows that his readers can put names to many of the incidents both positive and negative. But it is all good, for all is done for the sake of God.

They witness our running of our race of sainthood and cheer us on as we “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us” encouraging us to look “to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” They do a lot of this through their prayers for us.

They are acknowledged before Jesus Father in heaven by Jesus himself.

They receive rewards in this life and the next, “every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” You just do not own the rewards in this life.

And some receive special positions before God, such as the Twelve who sit on twelve thrones judging or ruling the twelve tribes of Israel, i.e. the whole of the Old and New Testament people of God.

If this be the reality, let us get on with it.

Choose to follow and acknowledge Jesus in this world, leaving behind all that would hinder you or that he calls you to leave. Make him and his will your first love above all other loves, even the highest loves of this world.

Someone has said that the only tragedy in this life is not to become a saint. I pray that both you and I will become saints, whether we ourselves realize it or not.