4th
Last Sunday after Pentecost 4.11.18 All Saints
How does one
become a saint? By the mercy of God obtained through the saving death of Our
Lord.
He loved us
first. If we manage to love Him in return it is because we have responded to
His grace.
This the
saints have done. Sinners like us, they have asked for and received the mercy
of God; and they have been purified of all trace of sin
It sounds so
easy - why is not everyone a saint? Not everyone recognizes their sin or their
need for correcting their lives.
In each
person a battle is being fought for correct spiritual sight. If we can see that
life lived in Christ is better than life in the world alone, then we are a long
way towards becoming a saint.
On All
Saints Day we acknowledge the ‘ordinary’ saints, people like our own parents or
family or parishioners.
We hope that
all the people we love and pray for either have reached, or will reach Heaven.
What they
lacked in merit may the mercy of God supply.
Sainthood
can be achieved by indirect means. It is better of course to grasp the nettle,
to pitch in fully and be a zealous disciple of the Lord. But if we are
hesitant, fearful, habitual sinners – it is still possible to be a saint, by sincere
sorrow for what is lacking. We can at least achieve that much; to be sorry for
all that we should have done or should have been, but did not achieve.
His mercy
purifies us so that we are actually changed by the experience. We become
perfect by receiving the cleansing grace of Christ (washed in His Blood). We are
then able to put into practice the charity that comes from God.
If we are
not perfected in this life, it will happen in Purgatory. No one can enter Heaven
unless cleansed of every sort of blemish. This means that everyone in Heaven is
perfect (each to his respective capacity).
It is not as
though God simply overlooks our faults and lets us into Heaven anyway; He
removes the faults – either before or after death. As long as we can at least
be sorry for our sins and willing to make amends.
But we can
at least reduce the sin we commit and transform vices to virtues. We don't just
sit back and say, Well, I am a sinner so
here goes. We make every possible effort to cooperate with the mercy of God
and let Him transform us.
It is better
of course to be purified of sin before we die rather than after. This, because
it is easier to do while still alive; and more importantly because it gives
greater honour to God.
Why waste
another day before we resolve to belong to Him entirely?
We know what
it is to regret lost opportunity. We do not want to face a great sadness at the
end of our lives. Rather we strive to be like the good and faithful servants
who were found at their work when the Master returned (Mt 24,46).
His mercy
forgives, primarily, but has other good effects too: such as motivating us to
good; to being merciful ourselves; to evangelising, helping others to see the
way forward.
We hope to
be part of the ‘All’ in All Saints. It is not so hard to reach Heaven if we
observe the basic requirements. But we will not give any room to complacency or
idling. Let us do good while we have the chance (Ga 6,10).
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