First Sunday after Pentecost. All Saints Sunday, Tone 8; the Holy Priest-Martyr Therapontus (254-59)
Read
Hebrews 11:33-12:2; Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
How often have you heard (or said) the phrase “Well, I’m not saint…”? I’m willing to bet frequently. We read in our tradition of the heroic acts of courage and love done by holy men and woman throughout history and we think that we could never “be” that or “do” that. And yet, the stories of the saints are meant to inspire us to greater acts of love, not to define and isolate sanctity.
The truth, bothers and sisters, is that the term “saint” is used to describe all baptised and believing Christians. We are already saints, and we are in the process of becoming saints. When we pray in the Liturgy “Having remembered all the saints again and again in peace” we are not talking about a historical exercise of trying to remember the saints, but we are praying for the needs of the saints in the world, you and me, through the many litanies and intercessory prayers.
To be holy, to be formed into the saint you are called to be, our Lord tells us that seeking Him must be our primary goal and mission. Even good things which stand in the way of searching for the Lord will not ultimately satisfy. As good as family is, it is a second thing in relation to God. If God is the centre of your family, your family will be strong indeed! Putting family first and God second will result in neither goal really being achieved. But if we trust in what Christ has told us, we know that if we seek heaven first, all other good things will be given to us, and we will be the saints we yearn to be!