The witness of life of so many of the saints of the Church has been characterized by joy. We read in some stories of martyrs who suffered horrific deaths in the cause of Christ that they so looked forward to being united with their Lord that they sang on the way to their execution. It wasn’t that they despised life in this world, only that they saw the life of the kingdom was much better.
Our readings today remind us of this strange truth. The vision of John reveals great rejoicing in heaven among the angels and saints at the victory of God. This was won first of all by the Lamb of God, and then by all those who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, all those who have been through persecution. The teaching of Jesus in Beatitudes makes this truth clearer still; the values that He promotes are contrary to human expectations.
Confidence in the providence of a loving God will bring us more happiness that anxiety over our bank balance. Human and material resource are put at the service of wealth. Human beings and the environment are sacrificed for the sake of making a few people wealthy. Jesus warns us today that only the gentle will have the earth for their heritage. The followers of Jesus are urged to retain their ability to weep with those who mourn, to forgive those who do us harm, to hang on a vision of the beauty of life and human relationships, and to do all this with a passion – to have a hunger and thirst for all that is right and just. This is what Jesus himself would do. This is the way to build the kingdom of God.
So today we celebrate the feast of All Saints, all those who have lived the Christian life faithfully. There are thousands of ordinary men and women of every age who have faced up to the challenges of their own time and place and found strength to do so in their relationship with Jesus. Now it is our turn. We belong to community of saints. We share the witness of all those who believe that the love of God is still at work in our hearts and in our lives.