Commentary
Friday, 11/1/2019, The Solemnity of All Saints
Let us rejoice in the Lord, as we celebrate the feast day in honor of all the Saints,
at whose festival the Angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.
Are You Sealed?
First Reading Commentary: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
On the last day, the angel from the East who holds the seal of God will stop the four angels who have the power to damage the land and the sea until the servants of God are marked with the seal. The servants of God are the saints who have listened to God’s Word and followed His commandments. Like the Israelites who spilled the blood of the lamb on their lentils and doorposts in Exodus 12:12-13, they will be passed over by the four angels who will damage the land and the sea, and, they will be among the first to be led into the Kingdom of Heaven.
John tells us in Revelation that the servants of God will come from every tribe of the children of Israel and that they will number one hundred and forty-four thousand. This number is not to be taken literally. It is a symbol which stands for all of God’s people who are in union with Him. They will come from every race and every nation and from every corner of the earth. These people are in union with God because of their faith in God, love for God and loyalty to God.
Then there will be a great multitude which no one can count and they will also come from every nation, race, people and tongue. They will stand before the throne of God and the Lamb wearing white robes and holding palm branches. They will cry out in a loud voice, “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.” All of the angels prostrated themselves before the throne and they also gave worship to God. In this vision, we are reminded of Palm Sunday as the people praised Jesus as He made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
One of the elders asked John; “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” John said, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” The elder said, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” What the elder told John is that these people in the white robes were the martyrs. They are the people who withstood all persecution to the point of giving their earthly lives for God’s glory. Also, among these people are the ones who confessed and repented so that their sins would also be washed away by the blood of the Lamb. This happens in the Sacrament of Reconciliation—Confession.
Catholics believe that anyone who is in heaven is a saint but it is the people who are described in today’s reading from Revelation who we celebrate today and will be the first to enter the Kingdom on the last day. Today, we are given the message that when the last day comes, the ones who will enter the Kingdom will be separated from those who will not. We are told that those who are marked with the seal will be the first to enter the Kingdom. Today’s message is a wake-up call for us to make sure that when the last day comes, we are ready to be sealed so that today’s Gospel can include us because we will be among the saints in heaven.
To Know God
Second Reading Commentary: 1 John 3:1-3
John continues the wake-up call in his first letter. He tells us that we are God’s children now but what we shall be has yet to be revealed. John makes the point that those who know God are the children of God. To appreciate this, we must understand what it means to know God.
In considering what it means to know God, we can think back to Moses and his encounter with Pharaoh during the plagues in the book of Exodus. Pharaoh said that he did not know the God of Moses and he spoke the truth. But even before the last plague, Pharaoh surely knew that God existed.
Knowing God means more than just accepting His existence. It means placing our faith in Him and following His Word and obeying His commandments. It means willingly and freely giving all of ourselves to God just as He has given all of Himself to us.
If we fail to do these things, we do not know God and on the last day, He will not know us and we will be denied entry into the Kingdom. But when we do place our faith in God, follow His Word and obey His commandments; then we do know God and He will accept us into His Kingdom. John says, “Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.”
We are all sinners so how can we ever be as pure as God? Those of us who confess and repent will be made pure by the blood of the Lamb as is promised in today’s reading from Revelation and that is the best reason of all for not turning our backs to the Sacrament of Confession. The absolution granted in Confession is like getting a “get out of jail free” card. It is more than that. It is more than an invitation to the Kingdom. It is a promise of entry into the Kingdom from the King who never breaks promises.
The Promise of the Kingdom
Gospel Commentary: Matthew 5:1-12a
Today's Gospel is one of the most important and significant of all of the Gospels because it comes from the Sermon on the Mount, the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven, where Jesus gives us the Beatitudes. This is the Third Luminous Mystery of the Rosary. But the Beatitudes do more than proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. It is with the Beatitudes that God, in the person of the Son, makes His New Covenant with His chosen people promising the Kingdom of Heaven. Refer to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1716-1726.
The Beatitudes are our pathway to the Kingdom of Heaven and go beyond the Commandments. As you meditate on the Beatitudes, notice how they relate to the two Greatest Commandments: Love your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:30-31. If you live by the Beatitudes, you will obey the two Greatest Commandments and if you obey them, you will obey all of the Ten Commandments.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
God, the Father, promised a land of milk and honey to the children of Israel. For them, it would be the Promised Land. But that is a land which is here on earth. God, the Son, promised the Kingdom of Heaven which is the Promised Land and the New Jerusalem for all people. The children of Israel made an exodus out of Egypt but all of mankind will make an exodus out of this life into the next. Just as some of the children of Israel did not reach the Promised Land, some of us will not reach the Kingdom. But each of the Beatitudes is a promise of the Kingdom for those of us who know God. Today we celebrate all who reach the Promised Land of the Kingdom of Heaven in the hope that we will join them and we ask them to intercede on our behalf.
