HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY 30TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A
THEME: THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS
By: Fr. Deotacious Chikontwe SMA
READINGS OF THE DAY
Apocalypse 7:2-4,9-14
Psalm 23:1-6
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12
LITURGICAL COLOUR
WHITE
THEME OF THE HOMILY
How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
INTRODUCTION
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints, commemorating and honouring all the glorious saints, holy men and women of God, whom the Church had declared to be truly worthy of God.
WHO ARE THESE SAINTS WHOM WE CELEBRATE TODAY?
The saints are the ones who have answered the Lord’s call with faith and conviction, and chose to dedicate themselves in following the path that the Lord had called them to walk in, and showed us all their virtues and good deeds, through the lives of the saints whom we have known, learnt about and celebrated throughout the whole liturgical calendar every year.
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FROM OUR FIRST READING
In our first reading passage, we heard of the a hundred and forty-four thousand righteous ones gathered in the presence of God at His Throne, the victorious and triumphant Lamb of God. Those represent symbolically the saints of God, all those holy men and women that had triumphed together with God, and been freed from the bondage of sin and death, saved and redeemed by the Lord, and justified through their faith and actions throughout their lives.
FROM OUR SECOND READING
The second reading tells us that here and now we are already the children of God. We already share in Jesus’ own relationship with God, because of our baptism. That is our basis for sanctity. Holiness is not just something far beyond us that we have to strain towards. Rather, the fundamental movement is one of entering more completely into what we already are in virtue of our baptism, allowing the Lord who dwells within us to live out his life more fully in and through us. The end of that second reading declares that in the next life we shall be like God because we shall see God face to face.
FROM OUR GOSPEL READING
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus shows us what that road to sainthood looks like. In the beatitudes, Jesus painted a portrait of himself, the living saint par excellence. He was also painting a portrait of the person that we are all called to become. The beatitudes give us different facets of the person of Jesus, while at the same time showing us different ways in which we might reflect the person of Jesus.
CONCLUSION
Brothers and sisters in Christ, lastly, as we honour and glorify the saints today, let us also pray for one another, and ask the saints to pray for all those around us who need help. Let us all strive to live a holy and worthy life at all times, and be exemplary in our way of life, that one day, we too may be found and deemed worthy, to share in the glory of the saints.
May the glorious saints always pray for us all, that we may continue to emulate His saints, and lead lives that are truly holy and worthy of Him. Amen.
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