Every year when we celebrate this day, the Gospel we proclaim recalls for us Jesus' teaching about happiness, the Beatitudes. But none of those Jesus names as “blessed” or “happy” are but happy... the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted. Jesus' definition for happiness reflects little of what the world might call happiness. (Paraphrased from Loyola Press website). The vulnerable among us. It is these mentioned that the psalms refer to as “Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord”.
This year we are experiencing a more hostile world, not just with arm conflicts in almost every corner of the globe. Mother Earth is also calling us to attention. According to a report on CNBC, the International Business World News Channel, we have been experiencing the effect of the Super El Nino phenomenon setting off extreme weather with floods, droughts and typhoons than in previous years. And this spanned from Oceania and South America regions to Asia. Non-climatic events like earthquakes have also caused destruction. Locally, the recent haze situation caused by fires in Indonesia were dangerously high. And the ones most impacted are the vulnerable.
Not everyone will shed blood, so All Saints is a reminder that many of us are called to white martyrdom through which we die a thousand deaths to our pride, our selfishness, our greed, our laziness, our anger — in short, our sins as we plough through the daily sacrifices called life. The path to sanctity does not lead to blood but it always passes through the Way of the Cross, the way of self-denial, the way of prolonged suffering. The Saints are models of perseverance. (Extract from the Homilies of a Jesuit dated 1 November 2008) ✜
Scripture, prayer and the closing quote
Scripture of the Day
“Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.”
Published by: Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute (API) | Email: [email protected]