THE CHRISTIANS VOCATION TO BE SAINTS
The feast of all Saints is a feast that invites and challenges us to become saints of God. Indeed, the Christian vocation to be saints is the basic and paramount Christian goal. Saints are sinners who strive through perfection or sanctity. Where sanctity is living the ordinary daily lives in extraordinary ways.
OUR THEMES
The readings of this great Solemnity of our faith: the celebration of all holy men women, youths, and children who are not among the canonized saints remind us that sainthood is our Christian vocation and goal. This sainthood is for all people. It is the vocation of the beatific vision of God. The blessedness of being a Christian with joy, bliss, and happiness in Christ Jesus.
FIRST READING – REVELATION 7:2-4, 9-14
The revelation of Evangelist John was a write up to console the persecuted Christians and Christian community of emperor Nero´s time. It is a divine testimony and a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. The Christian life is the fullness of life in Christ.
The psalm of today with its responsorial affirms: Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face. One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. Psalm. 24
SECOND READING – 1 JOHN 3:1-3
The Apostle John, the evangelist gives us an encouraging image of the beatific vision of seeing God face to face. “For we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.” There are hope and condition for this beatific vision.
St. John´s beatific vision is the fullness of God. It is also the plenitude of all the saints of God both Jews and Gentiles alike. The eschatological hope of all Christian to see God as He is at the end of life or time.
THE GOSPEL – MATTHEW 5:1-12
The Gospel is Jesus’ declaration of blessedness in God, that is here and now in the Christian life. A list of qualities for people to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs. The Supreme Blessedness are:
1. The bliss of the Destitute: the humble and the helpless man who put his whole trust in God. (Matthew 5:3)
2. The bliss of the Broken Heart: the man who is sorry for his sins or who has endured the bitterest sorrow, suffering that life can bring, he will learn the empathetic and sympathetic nature of human living and brokenness. (Matthew 5:4)
3. The bliss of the God-controlled Life in meekness, humility, and gentleness will be peaceful and calm in life. (Matthew 5:5)
4. The Bliss of the Starving Spirit: the man of goodness, honesty, and respectability will be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:6)
5. The bliss of perfect sympathy or empathy will be a man of great favour and grace. (Matthew 5:7)
6. The bliss of the Clean Heart: the man of unmixed motive in dignity, integrity, and decency, the beauty of God is theirs. (Matthew 5:8)
7. The bliss of bringing men together through non-violence thoughts, words, and actions his god-like nature is centre all things. (Matthew 5:9)
8. The bliss of the sufferer for Christ with faithfulness and trust despite all odds (Matthew 5:10-12)
9. The bliss of the blood-stained way of sufferings, persecutions, and martyrdoms (Matthew 5:10-12)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO THE GOSPEL
Many biblical scholars think that the Sermon of the Mount is the ordination address of Jesus to his apostles. It is for that reason that these scholars have given other titles to the Sermon on the Mount. It has been called “The Compendium of Christ’s Doctrine,” “The Magna Charta of the Kingdom,” “The Manifesto of the King.” All are agreed that in the Sermon on the Mount we have the essence of the teaching of Jesus to the inner circle of his chosen men.
The beatitudes are the supreme blessedness of God´s kingdom among us. The blessedness which belongs to the Christian is not a blessedness that is postponed to some future world of glory. It is a blessedness which exists here and now. It is not something into which the Christian will enter; it is something into which he has entered.
SAINTHOOD IN THE BLESSEDNESS
The Beatitudes are a declaration of bliss, joy, or happiness for being a Christian and follower of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Saviour.
The word “blessed” which is used in each of the beatitudes is very special. It is the Greek word “Makarios” which describes the gods or “Makarios”, goddesses. This means that in Christianity there is a godlike joy for those in Christ Jesus.
Blessedness means a joy which is serene and untouchable, and self-contained, that joy which is completely independent of all the chances and the changes of life.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you call us to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. As well as to seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. May the blessedness of the beatitudes be our guide to a more peaceful, blissful, and joyful life as Christians called to be saints in Christ Jesus. Amen
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