November 1 - Solemnity of All Saints
Rev. 7: 9-14
“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
1 John 3:1-3
Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the
children of God.
THE
ABOVER verses come from today’s first and second readings as we commemorate a
great feast of all God’s Saints who triumphed over the world. This gives us
hope for in the homily of Fr. Jun Viray SJ, saints are the one’s who lived
“extra ordinary lives in faithful love following Jesus in their ordinary
lives".
Fr.
Louis Catalan SJ, spoke of Pope Francis describing saints as genuinely and
authentically happy people because of the Beatitudes!
Matthew
5:5-12, list the 8 Beatitudes and Blessings Jesus listed as a recipe for
happiness. He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
By contrast Fr. Louie and Fr. Jun listed the opposites of Jesus’ call from what the world teaches: 1) Christ teaches the poverty of Spirit but how unfortunate those who have inordinate attachments; 2) Christ teaches the joy in grieving and the need to let go of the past and face the challenges of life to welcome the future; 3) The world upholds the arrogant because of power but Jesus calls us to be meek and humble.
4) We should not focus on superficial things and self-fulfilment but on
justice. 5) Let us show mercy instead of being unforgiving, vengeful and
holding grudges. Life is too short to carry unnecessary burden. Jesus led the
way to forgiveness. 6) The world teaches us to be numero 1 but Christ values
purity of intentions of our heart. 7) Peace instead of sowing War hatred and
Disorder. 8) Those who suffer persecution are losers but the world looks to
persecutors the spineless as winners.
These are the digested versions of today’s homily which calls us to imitate Jesus and the saints. When I was in college, my first quiz under a new teacher, Fr. Nicomedes Yatco, SJ, I scored 65%. This led me to study very hard as the grade was devastating.
With hardwork and determination, I
studied what my teacher expected. I remember in one exam we were asked to
choose which Beatitude I most sought. I chose the call for “purity of heart to
see God!” I got a 99% in the exam and almost got a perfect score.
When I graduated, I was invited by
Fr. Yatco to teach in the Theology Department of the Ateneo. This was a
meaningful affirmation which I did years later. Up to this day, I see this
operative when Atty. Jesus Carbon teaches us the principle of “GOOD FAITH” in
our actions in government. We need to always check our motives toward the
greater good. (Tomorrow), we recall all our departed and I pray for my parents,
Fr. Nick and all who have gone ahead. May they celebrate and see God in Heaven. (MBC)
Like Us on Facebook: The Mindanao Examiner
Like Us on Facebook: The Zamboanga Post
Follow Us on Twitter: Mindanao Examine
Mirror Site: Mindanao Examiner Blog
Digital Archives: Mindanao Examiner Digital
Media Rates: Advertising Rates