(Inspired by a text of Robert Ellsberg, author of All Saints, The Saints’ Guide to Happiness and Blessed Among All Women.)

This weekend and Monday, the Church celebrates the twin feasts of “All Saints” and “All Souls”.  As early as the 4^th century, the Church celebrated a solemn memorial of all martyrs.  By the 9^th century, this was extended to the whole Church as a way of honouring all the saints.  Martyrs and confessors, monks and mystics, clergy and laity, men and women, famous or obscure, named or anonymous – all those whose lives and deeds inspire us, whose fidelity and holiness shine forth as examples of Christian life: all these are saints. 

This Sunday, we mark the Communion of All Saints’ by our Mass of the Resurrection: we will welcome the families and loved ones of our parishioners whose funerals took place here over the past twelve months.  We will remember throughout the month of November all whose names are written in our “In Loving Memory” books.  We will carry in our hearts those we love who at this time are sick, or dying.

Today, however, is meant to be a celebration: All Saints Day!!  (Saturday – Hallowe’en, after all, is merely the Old English term for the eve of All Saints Day!) When we think of the “saints”, we tend automatically to think of the heroes, those men and women “outstanding in holiness” who have been canonized by the church and are formally recognized as examples of faith and Christian love to all the faithful. But our biblical heritage tells us that all of us are called to live as God’s holy people: whenever St. Paul wrote to those first Christian communities, he addressed everyone as “saints”. 

Vatican II took up this theme in what it calls the “universal call to holiness”: addressed not only to “special holy people”, but ALL the faithful.   As Catholics, most of us can name some of the "famous men" (and women) of our past.  Their names – Monica, Augustine, Francis, Teresa, Benedict, Ignatius, Joseph – Marguerite Bourgeoys, Brother Andre, Francois de Laval, Kateri Tekakwitha - are preserved in our churches and schools, our street and town names, the stained glass windows and statues that surround us, and in a hundred holy cards and medals. We praise them; but how well do we know them?

For most Catholics, saints are legendary people from the past: miracle workers, people of heroic faith, who smile down on us from heaven. But what do such "perfect" men and women have to do with ordinary people like us? These "official" saints are named through a long investigation of their faith and virtues, a process that requires the certification of at least one miracle attributed to their intercession.  The long process of "canonization" tends to emphasize the gap between “holy people” and the rest of us “ordinary” believers – so much so that we can forget that it isn’t just these heroic figures, but that all Christians, not just a select few, are "called" to be saints.

In our creed, we express our belief in “the communion of saints.”  This is a core element of our faith.  It teaches us that we are in communion with all those who have professed and lived Christian faith, hope and love: those who came before us, those still living now, and those who are to come.  We all need models of faith to inspire us, “friends of God and prophets” to challenge us and inspire us as we seek to live our own call to personal holiness.  Two books that have been helpful to me in forming a deeper relationship with the saints are “My Life with the Saints,” by Fr. James Martin, and “All Saints”, by Robert Ellsberg.  For each day of the year, Ellsberg highlights a particular figure, showing how their life concretely manifests one aspect or another of the universal call to holiness.  Some of these figures are duly canonized saints, “blessed”, venerated as “servants of God”.  But he also offers examples of lay Catholics – of Orthodox and Protestant believers – of advocates for justice – of the Jew Abraham Heschel and the Hindu Mahatma Gandhi – who lived Christian virtues and values in an exemplary and edifying way.  We need heroes.  We need people who can inspire us to greater generosity, courage, and love. 

When the church says that all Christians are called to be saints, it isn’t telling us to start preparing for canonization, to pretend that we are perfect or sinless. It means that if we want to live as followers of Christ, then we will seek to conform our hearts and minds to the pattern of his holiness. For most of us, this will not happen by writing learned theological treatises, performing fantastic feats of asceticism, engaging in marathon prayer sessions, or walking on water. If we want to see the face of holiness, to live as “God’s children”, we can recognize it in the virtues Jesus enumerates in the Beatitudes: Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers; the pure of heart, those who mourn, those who suffer for the sake of justice

Who are the holy people in our time who embody these qualities? Sometimes they are globally-known figures like Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, Jean Vanier, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, or Oscar Romero. But we can also recognize people of our own acquaintance who embody one or more of these virtues in an outstanding way: a teacher, a grandparent, a neighbour, a co-worker, a friend.  Someone who stands out for her gentleness or forgiveness; someone who retains a spirit of joy in the midst of sorrows; someone who risks disapproval or mockery by taking an unpopular stand; someone we can always count on to provide an example that is loving, brave, and true.  These people represent the face of holiness in our time.  They will probably never be canonized. Churches will not be named in their honor. And yet they are among the great parade of saints recognized on today's feast.

All Saints’ Day provides us with a precious opportunity: to remember all holy men and women of the past, as well as those who walk beside us today.  We honour the officially canonized saints, the "famous" ones, but also those whose faith and deeds were only recognized by their friends and family, maybe even by God alone. We remember them not only to praise them, to seek their intercession, but also to remind ourselves of our own vocation to holiness.  Each of us is called to be a good steward of the life God has entrusted to us, to live my call to holiness within the particular circumstances of my life, my work, my family, my place in history. So on this feast of All Saints, let us embrace the path of the Beatitudes, our vocation to be and to live as the “children of God” that we are. This is the foundation of our great hope: to be among the saints who see God “face to face”.   Amen.