OMELIE / Omelie EN

01 nov 2020

01/11/2020 -  All Saints – Sunday 

01/11/2020 -  All Saints – Sunday 

Reading 1 REV 7,2-4.9-14 * Psalm 23 * Reading 2 1JN 3,1-3 * Gospel MT 5,1-12

Many days during the year we remember many brothers and sisters whose faith and love we have admired, who had God Himself's approval shown by signs and prodigies, who have been shining lights for the whole people of God. But many more have been less famous, and therefore their name remains unknown, how many have lived a life full of God’s love despite remaining hidden in our houses and our towns! Today our feast is going to be a thanksgiving to God for their life. Each one of us knew someone who had been for them a gift: maybe a relative or a friend, or a neighbor whose life we only have known details of, similar to that of the Son of God.

Let us say our thank you to the Father and let us offer Him Jesus’ sacrifice, the pioneer and perfecter of the faith of all the Saints! Their earthly experience is helping us to understand the Lord’s words and His teachings, and makes true the presence of the mystery of His death and Resurrection in every place and every age. This is why it is always useful for us the knowledge about the life of whom the Church recognise as Saints and point out to us for veneration. From reading their experience of faith and love we receive light and encouragement to live as witnesses of Jesus'. From their life we learn the holy gospel, we receive the courage to live it, and is given us serene joy to know we have brethren who God can be proud of.

How would we be able to read the blessings if there was nobody who lived them? Certainly, first of all, Jesus Himself has lived those words, but also all His own people have translated them in the man's life, and in our people's, and in our time's. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, blessed are the clean of heart, blessed are the merciful…”!

How much joy Jesus can see spreading in the world thanks to His disciples!

They are the poor in spirit, because they are not looking for earthly richness, since they have already the heart full of life because of the faith in Him.

They are the clean of heart, because they have no other desire and ambition but to continue following Jesus: they are sure of the Father’s love as and more than if they could see it with their own eyes.

They are those who mourn, suffering for seeing the state in which men find themselves, in pain because their Lord is rejected, but consoled by His presence in their hearts.

They are the merciful, who carry in their hearts and on their hands God's fatherly and motherly love for all the burdened and the prisoners of evil: they can be certain about the forgiveness of their sins.

They are the persecuted because they fulfill the rightful will of the Father by following Jesus: not even those who take their freedom from them and their life can take their joy from their heart.

They are the peacemakers, who bring love where there is hate, bring forgiveness where there is offense, bring their Master’s light where there are only shadows: everybody call them children of God, but above all the Father treats them as His beloved children.

They are the meek who do not impose themselves, always free to bring help without anybody noticing: they never want anything, because they will inherit the land fully by owning Jesus Himself's heart, meek and humble.

They are a great multitude which stood before the throne and before the Lamb. The multitude of the believers is not only the one from the past, but also the one which today lives and suffers and rejoices praising God for the salvation brought by Jesus. We unite ourselves to all of those who contemplate God's love, are thankful to Him and want to show it through their life. Towards this gift and this labour we prepare ourselves by washing our heart with the soap and the water of the Word and the Sacraments of the faith. Let us take heart thanks to the example and the fights and the victories of the Saints in order to remain united among us, obedient to our shepherds, steadfast in listening to the Word, constant in taking part in the holy Sacraments: we are sick people who need the Doctor, we are hungry people who every day need Bread, we are thirsty people who die if they do not have the Water which quenches the thirst and gives life.

Oh Father, may you let us reach ourselves the fullness of your love, in order to go through this Eucharistic feast, which is supporting us in the earthly pilgrimage, until we get to the joyful banquet in heaven.