Nov 1 – Solemnity of All Saints
All Saints’ Day is celebrated in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. In terms of Roman Catholic theology, the feast commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in heaven. The beatific vision is the eternal and direct perception of God enjoyed by those who are in Heaven, imparting supreme happiness and blessedness. St. Thomas Aquinas defined the beatific vision as the ultimate end of human existence after physical death.
The origin of this feast as celebrated in the West dates to 13 May 609 or 610, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs; the feast of the dedication Sanctae mariae ad Martyres has been celebrated at Rome ever since. The chosen day, May 13, was a pagan observation of great antiquity, the culmination of three days of the Feast of the Lemures, in which the malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were propitiated.
The feast of All Saints, on its current date, is traced to the foundation by Pope Gregory III (731-741) of an oratory in St. Peter’s for the relics “of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world”, with the day moved to Nov 1.
- Wikipedia
Apo 7:2-4,9-14
1Jn 3:1-3
Mt 5:1-12
“…theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
Blessed. “I’m so blessed.” We hear it all the time, don’t we? Amongst our family and friends, on all social media platforms and all forms of media. I’m so blessed. She’s so blessed. He’s so blessed. My family is so blessed. They’re so blessed; after all, look at their house, where they’re going on vacation again, their cars, the college tuition they are easily paying, how generous their parents are, how great their kids are, the great jobs they have, the bonuses they get, the wedding they just hosted, the championship game they just won, the award they just received, they people they know, the this, the that and the other things. So blessed.
in the Beatitudes, Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the….’
Well, being a peacemaker and merciful can feel ‘good’, but blessed? And how does ‘blessed’ fit into being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek, feeling hunger and thirst? Honestly, in this world that we live in, it doesn’t seem like those are blessings AT ALL. So, what is Jesus telling us?
Be detached from this world. Simple as that.
In late November 2025, I started preparing for the coming year according to the Catholic calendar, beginning with Advent. I did quite a bit of journaling on the subject and, at Adoration, I asked God what word He wanted to be my focus for the new year. I had a few in mind and wondered which He would choose for me. And when He revealed it to me – or perhaps when I was ready to hear Him – the word was not on my list. Once again, I was reminded that it wasn’t my place to let Him know which of the options He could choose from for me. The word was – is – SURRENDER. And reflecting on today’s gospel, I realized that ‘surrender’ is really the encompassing word of the Beatitudes. Surrender to God and be blessed. Only in surrendering to God are we eternally blessed. And, any desire other than that is not only fruitless and futile, but it is empty and of the enemy.
Jesus is actually telling us to surrender to the Father as he did — offering up our pain, as Jesus did on the cross; and daily, as he loves us deeply and was/is fully present to our selfish words and behaviour. Jesus showed us how to be detached. Detached from money, power, popularity and ungodly pleasures of the flesh. Jesus showed us that thirst and hunger for righteousness is the path to the Father. That justice belongs to God alone, and we are called to be merciful on this earth to ALL our fellow human beings. Even as he was hanging on the cross, he was a peacemaker, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” With every word and every step, He lived a life of surrender to the Father. He showed us, in word and action, the joy of a life surrendered to God. A life that did, indeed, have sorrow, grief, pain – all the things created in this fallen world – but which are not in eternal life with the Father and Creator.
To truly be a follower of Jesus, to truly be blessed in this life, we have to walk close to Him, and as it has been said, “the closer you get to Jesus the more splinters you get from his cross.” May we be so blessed.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Gina Ulicny)
Prayer: Father God, Lord God Creator of all that is good, may we storm heaven with our prayers to be given the grace to live in complete surrender to You. May we desire it, may we practice it and may we be welcomed into Eternity with You.
Thanksgiving: Thank You, Father God, for never ceasing to reveal to us who You are, what You desire of us. Thank You, Lord, that You never tire of forgiving us and never withhold mercy from us when we surrender.
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