A Homily on The Feast of All Saints
Today we are celebrating the Feast of All Saints in which we remember the Saints who have gone before us: the Apostles, prophets, martyrs, virgins, holy men and women… the famous as well as all the many faceless men and women who persevered in this life until the very end. It is also a day of many emotions as we remember our loved ones who presently are asleep in Christ; beloved Christian servants who departed this life in the faith and fear of the Lord, many of whom we will remember this morning at the altar of the Lord.
This day brings forth bittersweet tears of happy memories and at the same time sorrow and sadness intermingles with joy: a joy in knowing that though departed from us now our loved ones live in the presence of the Lord, awaiting the great trumpet blast which will bring together body and soul, glorified and unified with Christ the King. St. John gives us a most blessed glimpse into this great and future day. The day when all of the saints will be vindicated and unified with their God and each other, “I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne…”
One of the great intersections on this Feast of All Saints, is the intersection of Heaven and Earth, how our earthbound hearts and minds are lifted up into the ‘otherworld’, that good and happy place which at present we cannot see but one day will see. The Revelation of St. John, the Epistle appointed for this Feast Day, not only transports us to where every faithful saint resides but shows us our end and aim: the eternal city with Christ, numbered among the great multitude. This is the final resting place of the faithful. What joy in knowing not only where our loved ones have gone, but what a glorious source of hope and basis for gratitude in this life, in the now, in every second, minute, hour and day which the Lord gives. And lest we should falter and grow weary in our missionary task, take note of the many different peoples gathered around the heavenly throne, and what a great multitude, so many saved in Christ Jesus, in fact, a multitude of redeemed beyond our ability to number! Praise be to God!
While St John’s Revelation transports and draws us into heaven, collapsing time and space, the Gospel reading tethers us to the ground. For though we are somehow citizens of heaven (according to St. Paul), we are presently in this world, members of the visible church on earth, sinners being redeemed and gathered from every corner of the world into Christ’s church. Where she nurtures men, women, and children with her scriptures, liturgies, and sacraments unto salvation: as St. Paul writes, she is “travailing in birth on behalf of her children until Christ be formed in each one” (Gal 4.19).
Until Christ is formed in you and in me. This is the ministry of mother Church and it is our work as well: sanctification. We labor by prayer, worship, service to others, and evangelism by grace, and in doing so we move nearer to perfection: a pious and holy life reflects the life of Christ. And so Jesus, the true Moses, ascends a mountain and gives the Law, the Law unto holiness, the Law which brings blessings upon all who follow and lovingly obey his voice.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”
The Lord is showing us the path unto holiness, the way of purity, the way of peace, the way of blessing. For this was the way of every saint who has gone before us, they weren’t perfect, but they labored after righteousness through covenant fidelity and moral goodness. They hungered and thirsted after righteousness and being pure in heart, they now see God. The sermon on the mount is our path to unification with all the Saints and our Lord Jesus Christ. To be where they are, this is what we should desire and why we should emulate their good examples. Those who walk blameless on this earth, are moving nearer and nearer to eternal beatitude and blessing.
This morning, we have heard the Wisdom of Solomon who says, “the righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the Most Highest. Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall he protect them” (Wis 5.15-16). Today we are given to see a future reward that awaits all the righteous, and, we are also reminded of God’s grace and protection in this life, as we struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil; persecuted in this life, reviled, and evil spoken against us by men. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.” Amen+
