VICTORY TO OUR GOD

SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS - Revelation 7:2-4,9-14

Falling on the first of November, this Sunday is a special Sunday dedicated to the Solemnity of All Saints. 

All Saints! But who is a saint? We call saints those who have been recognised by the Church and have been put forward as role models. Whenever we celebrate one of those saints, the word reverberates in our hearts: If he/ she could, why can’t I? They were sinners like we are and they faced hardships many times even bigger than those we face. However, they recognised their sin, repented and turned to God, answering his call. 

In the celebration of All Saints, we don’t put forward any names. We may say that we are celebrating the great majority, the huge crowd of people who struggle along the way, putting their trust in Jesus, who walked by their side, leading them to gates of heaven. They were not perfect and blameless, but Jesus made them perfect, taking their sins away. Saints are all those who have been sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ, who shed his blood on the cross to reconcile us with God. He has covered us with the robe of righteousness and, through his Spirit, he has made us into children of light, the children of God, his siblings.

In the second reading, taken from the first letter of John, we are told that God, in his great love, has accepted us as “children of God”. And indeed, “that is what we are.” The glory of the children of God has not been revealed yet, but the day will come when “we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is.”

In the feast of All Saints, we join here on earth all those who have been welcomed into God’s kingdom and are seated at God’s table proclaiming the glory of the Lord. In the book of Revelation, we are presented with a huge gathering of all those who have been sanctified by the blood of the Lamb and who join the choirs of angels to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving:

“Victory to our God, 

who sits on the throne, 

and to the Lamb!’ 

And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four animals, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words, 

‘Amen. 

Praise and glory 

and wisdom and thanksgiving 

and honour and power 

and strength to our God 

for ever and ever. 

Amen.”

While we are journeying here on earth, waiting to be part of the assembly in heaven, let us join All Saints and with them sing God’s praises.