Solemnity of All Saints: Sunday 1 November
"One of the great tragedies of this world was that so many people did not find happiness. That was because they looked for it in the wrong places. The key to it is very simple – true happiness is to be found in God. Once you enter into friendship with God, everything in your life begins to change … You are attracted to the practice of virtue. You begin to see greed and selfishness and all the other sins for what they really are, destructive and dangerous tendencies that cause deep suffering and do great damage and you want to avoid falling into that trap yourselves... When you begin to feel compassion for people in difficulties, you are eager to do something to help them. You want to come to the aid of the poor and the hungry. You want to comfort the sorrowful, you want to be kind and generous. And when these things begin to matter to you, you are well on the way to becoming saints."
Pope Benedict on sainthood from the Guardian Sept 17 2010
The newest saint to be beatified Oct 10, 2020 is Carlo Acutis, a 15yr old Italian boy. Read more about this young saint HERE
Today's Gospel features the Beatitudes or Blessings.
While the Beatitudes are a challenging blueprint for Christian living, they are not an impossible goal. We all know people who have fruitfully taken up the challenge of the Beatitudes and so inspire us to saintly living. Take a moment to reflect on one of those inspiring people in your life.
The Sermon on the Mount counsels us to abide in our hunger for holiness, to live with a search for justice.
John Kavanaugh SJ
Today's Psalm 23:1-6
Audio link HERE
or to Chris Brunelle HERE
or to Michael Henry fms HERE
Printed music from maristmusic HERE
He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus,
we pray with those who are poor in spirit,
and all who hunger and thirst now
for righteousness.
St. Francis of Assisi,
show us how to reverence and care for
brother earth and sister skies.
St. Mother Theresa
teach us how to feed all God’s
hungry people.
St. Albert the Great,
show our scientists all the ways
to create vaccines to end
the Pandemic.
St. Luke,
protect doctors, nurses and
all in the medical profession taking
care of the sick.
Saints Martin de Porres and Peter Claver,
teach us how to find inter-racial
justice and harmony.
Amen
Adapted from Anne Osdieck, St Louis University.
Help for Homilies
Link to background about the Beatitudes HERE
Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation - Gaudete et exsultate ('Rejoice and Be Glad'; from Matthew 5:12) is the third apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis, published on 9 April 2018, subtitled "On the call to holiness in today's world". HERE
Suggestions for Prayer of the Faithful
Kia inoi tatou - Let us pray
For inspiration: that we may draw strength and courage from the witness of saints, both the famous and the ordinary, who have touched our lives...
For this community of faith: that our worship may be joined with the heavenly worship and draw us into greater communion with God...
For a greater awareness of God’s grace at work around and within us: that we may recognize the work of God in those who love us, forgive us, teach us, and call us to be our truest selves ...
The saints are not "up there" distant and out of reach; they are our spiritual family
From the painting of the Communion of Saints in the Baptistry in Padua.