All Saints Day reminds us that it’s all about holiness, that it’s only
about holiness! Holiness is our reason for being, holiness is our call,
our destiny. But there’s problem, a fairly big problem: the idea of
holiness can be kind of off-putting.
That’s because, too often,
holiness conjures up other-worldly images of long-suffering souls with
long, sad faces; of sinless souls untouched by evil who live their lives
at a higher altitude than the rest of us; of brave, of heroic souls
undaunted by dungeon, fire or sword. If those are the things that
holiness is about, how are we supposed to fit in?
But none of those really
define holiness. For most of us, holiness has less to do with great and
heroic deeds than it does with simple, daily fidelity to the call of our
baptism, the call to live as beloved children of God. Holiness is
parents loving each other, loving their kids, sacrificing for them,
doing their best to lead them to Jesus; holiness is kids loving their
parents, enjoying life and finding joy in getting to know Jesus.
Holiness is students discovering new and exciting things about
themselves and about the world; holiness is workers who get on with
their co-workers – putting up with the touchy and the grouchy - and who
always put in an honest day’s work. Holiness is employers who care about
justice and who never compromise when it comes to justice; holiness is
elected leaders who care more about truth and integrity and justice than
about themselves, and who have a special care for people who are poor
and vulnerable. Holiness is sick people who hold onto hope and find
Jesus in the midst of their pain and suffering; holiness is elderly
people who live with gratitude and who remember how to smile. Holiness
is all those things and more.
And to all of that I would add that
there is a happy side to holiness – or should be, because, as St. John
of the Cross tells us, “joy is the infallible sign of the presence of
God.” In a homily for All Saints Day, Pope Francis said that “if there
is one thing typical of a holy person, it’s that they’re genuinely
happy. They have found the secret of happiness which lies within the
soul and has its source in the love of God.”
And that takes us to today’s gospel reading –
the Beatitudes. In those familiar verses from the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus makes it clear where true holiness, true joy, true happiness are
to be found. And it’s not in the places where we might think. It’s not
in possessions or property or in anything we have or hoard. No, Jesus
says that blessedness is a way of being, a way of living. It’s about
trusting in God and God’s love; it’s about depending on God and not on
ourselves; it’s about being poor in spirit, pure of heart, meek and
merciful; it’s about being passionate for justice and passionate for
peace; and, yes, sometimes it’s about paying the price for what we
believe in.
In that same homily, Pope
Francis pronounced a few Beatitudes of his own. They’re very much in
keeping with those of Jesus but I’ll repeat them because they have a
nice contemporary ring to them. Here are his Beatitudes:
“Blessed are those who look
into the eyes of the abandoned and marginalized and show them their
value; Blessed are those who see God in every person and strive to help
others discover God; Blessed are those who care for and protect this
planet, our common home; Blessed are those who renounce their own
comfort in order to help others; Blessed are those who pray and work for
full communion between Christians.”
You get the idea.
Blessedness – holiness - they’re not of another world: they are very
much of this world. They are beautiful and attractive – not sour
or off-putting. And they are there for the taking. They are! They don’t
cost a thing, yet they cost everything. Every saint down through the
ages – the great ones and the quiet, unknown ones – discovered that. And
so must we.
The great French novelist of
the 19th and early 20th century, Leon Bloy, said it well. "In the end,”
he wrote, “only one thing matters - being a saint." He was right. Happy
feast day!
Father Michael G. Ryan
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