Homily for All Saints’ Day

The gospel reading for All Saints’ Day is the beatitudes. The Beatitudes verses captured me long before I turned to Catholicism. I bought one bookmark with the beatitudes because I found the ‘Blessed are those who mourn….for they shall be comforted” very enlightening. At that time, I was mourning for the loss of my son and the verse comforted me though I do not know much about the backgrounds of the beatitudes. It is the simplicity and the common sense of those verses that touched me.

Above is the beatitudes which Father Fabian described as the moral ideals Jesus offered to all Christians. Saints are people whom had achieved these ideals.

Though I was on lector’s duty and sitting at the front, I couldn’t resist grabbing my little notebook from my handbag and started scribbling Father Fabian’s words like a reporter taking notes. Though I have been a Christian for five years, I never really understand why Catholics are so in love with the saints. Sometimes, I found it spooky because of misunderstandings. Have you seen the prayers to St. Jude where people published in the classified ads?

It is only recently that I am taking an interest in how these people had lived their lives while they were on earth. When I know how unique their characters were and the bravery they had shown, I developed a kind of relationship with an individual and not some symbols or statues. I notice I am drawn to those saints who challenged authorities in the quest for justice and freedom (like St. Nicholas Kitbamrung), attempted dangerous missions (like how St. Francis walked to the Arabs) and other ‘adventurous stuffs’ (like St. Lillian who didn’t hide her religion to save her life).

Father Fabian said that saints used to be what we are and saints are what we hope to be someday. He said the key to the seven beatitudes is the first one, i.e. Blessed are the poor in spirit…for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poor does not mean poor economically but rather the afflicted one. (The Hebrew meaning of poor)

Why indeed is the poor blessed? Father Fabian said the poor or the downtrodden ones are saved from the illusions that worldly power can in fact give love, happiness and life itself. When one is powerful and in control, they are blinded to many things. But when we are the afflicted ones, we are ready to turn to God for help. We then will be liberated from self-centeredness and self-serving. He said the only gift we can keep is the one we give away. Quoting Bible verse Matthew 16:26,

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Father Fabian’s homily on the saints sort of bring to life these saints because as he was talking, I could imagine the people whom had persevered in their ideals to live up to Jesus’s teachings, the beatitudes. I know many of them were ridiculed and faced all kinds of sufferings, mockery, torturings and other challenges as I had read about the lives of some of the saints.

In conclusion, I am rather blessed that through my own inadequacies and ignorance, yet inquisitive nature, I am slowly getting closer to the faith. Religion is so much more personal and intimate when we can understand what exactly we are doing and why we are doing it. Otherwise, it is just a mind-numbing, time wasting ritual that serves no purposes.