Solemnity of All Saints

God’s grace. The Beatitudes are the path to holiness, the map that leads us to the heavenly Jerusalem.

St. Augustine once said, ‘Let us rejoice and give thanks that we have become not only Christians, but Christ himself. Marvel and rejoice: we have become Christ.’ This is not to say that we are divine in ourselves, but that through grace, we are united to Him who is divine. The saints we honor today — both the canonized and the countless unknown — allowed Christ to live in them. They were not perfect, but they were faithful. They allowed grace to transform them, day by day, into the likeness of Christ.

As we honor them, we are reminded that we too are called to be saints. The path is not easy; it passes through the cross. But it is filled with grace, with joy, and with the sure hope of eternal life. Let us ask the intercession of all the saints, that we may walk courageously in their footsteps, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

May we, like them, one day join that great multitude, singing praise before the throne of God, clothed in white, and rejoicing in the victory of the Lamb.