Feast of All Saints

 All Saints Sunday 110120

Today is the Feast of All Saints. We would be tempted to think of only the Saints in heaven who are now living in the glorious presence of God, and forget the Saints that are still here on earth. Both sides share something in common: a life journey riddled a sense of loss. Think of this life and after life as one continuous eternal life that begins here now. Jesus said: “everyone who believes will have eternal life in him.” Throughout our lives, we will experience some loss and gains/ bad times and good times. For e.g. When we are born, the very first sense of loss we experience is to leave the warmth and safety of our mother’s womb. In life, we would come to experience a whole variety of loss: a loss of dignity/ a loss of friendship/ a loss of a loved one/ a loss of a home/ loss of joy, peace, hope or a dream to name a few. Now you may ask, how does the celebration of All Saints today relate to our sense of loss? Today’s scriptures will provide clues that show us how the saints whether on earth or in heaven have continued to share this hope of a joyful journey towards the glorious presence of God despite the shared sense of loss.

I often wondered if the Saints who are in the presence of God still feel a sense of loss and separation from us, but that’s a topic for another day. God decided to open the eyes of the Apostle John to see a heavenly picture: a great multitude of people that none could count from every nation, from all tribes, people and language before the lamb of God, robed in white and praising God! An elder told John that these people had come out of a great ordeal and that they had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. Therefore, they will hunger no more and thirst no more. I always get goose bumps to this because for those who truly love God, this sense of loss here on earth is not in vain because, the Saints will be consoled by God.

We here might still be struggling with ordeals great and small, and thinking: “Is this pain and loss it, Lord God?” We live difficult realities of extremely complicated illnesses with no cure such as cancer, HIV AIDS, COVID-19; or the harsh realities of our grief, sorrow and loss, disappointment, betrayal and dashed hopes. Sadly, many of us may still be stuck in helplessness with no hope for healing. But here is Christ’s promise to “wipe away our every tear.”

Jesus packages these promises with the Sermon on the Mount and curiously using our life journey, our lack of peace and our sense of loss. He told us that when we are stuck in our ordeal, may we know that we are blessed… those of you who mourn, the poor in spirit, the meek, the hungry for righteousness; the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted… all of whom generally have a tough time in life, because of this vision of God. Jesus promises rewards and a place in the Kingdom of Heaven. We see this in John’s vision.

All Saints in heaven (ahead of us) had their own ordeals. Their life on earth wasn’t like a walk in the park. They had a serious hard time. Many of them were murdered because they had decided to live a life of purity and godliness; they had followed God’s ways till their last breath… Vincent, the Sacristan of the Basilica of Notre dame de Nice in France and 2 women were murdered on Thursday while in church praying. The persecuted. What a loss!

So, Whatever loss you are struggling with, God sees you; God understands you! God honors you and blesses you. Just because you are struggling, does not mean you are faithless. Remember, even the saints who went before us had their struggles but kept the course. Amen.