Solemnity of All Saints


Today, on this glorious feast day, the Church celebrates all the saints: canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision who are known only to God. During the early centuries, the saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later on the Popes set November 1 as the day for commemorating all the Saints.

All Saints Day is one of my favorite days of the liturgical year. I have so many saint friends in heaven who are constantly interceeding for me. The special saints in my life are many, but I will share just a few who have influenced my life in powerful ways. I was born on the feast of St. Dominic,baptized on the feast of St. Pius X, and chose St. Catherine of Siena (a Dominican) for my Confirmation saint. I was named after St. Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France, and St. John the beloved disciple. I am an oblate with the Community of St. John, which was founded by a French Dominican priest. One of the community's patron saints is St. Therese of Lisieux, a French Carmelite nun, whom I wrote my Master's thesis on this past year. St. Therese helped me in my work and made it possible for me to attain a much desired goal.  St. Pius X, who was known as the "Pope of the Eucharist", advocated frequent Communion for adults, sacramental preparation for children, and instruction in catechism for everyone. Perhaps, it was through his intercession that I returned to the Church after a long absence due to my longing for the Eucharist. It may have been through his prayers that I developed such a deep love for the Eucharist and have for many years served as a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

Today, on this feast of All Saints, a group of people are making a decision, which will have a great impact on my life, and you can bet that I am asking all my friends in heaven to pray for me. Isn't it amazing and thrilling to know that there are a multitude of souls in heaven praying for you and cheering you on to reach your heavenly goal? It's not just coincidence that you are reading this or pondering your future in heaven. God calls each one of us to holiness so we can join Him in eternal bliss. What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We "must follow in His footsteps and conform [our]selves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history" (Lumen Gentium, 40).

As Catholics, we are given so many graces to get to heaven and the communion of saints is just one more glorious opportunty to make that dream possible. Praise God for his heavenly saints! May He guide us and mold each one of us into saints, though their intercession.



-

Comments

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated and are published at the blogger's discretion.

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Image
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
Read more

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Image
Today is the feast of Saint Michael de Sanctis, also known as St. Michael of the Saints, a Spanish Discalced Trinitarian priest, the patron of cancer patients. Michael Argemir was born on September 29, 1591 at Vic, Catalonia, Spain. At age 6, he told his parents that he planned to become a monk and began modeling his life after Saint Francis of Assisi. Michael’s parents died when he was about ten years old. He then served as an apprentice with a local merchant. During this apprenticeship, he continued his fervent devotion to the Lord, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the age of 12, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert’s monastery in Saragosa four years later.  Shortly afterwards, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest. Twice he served as Superior of the hou
Read more

Saint Gerard of Brogne: Patron of Abbots

Image
St. Gerard was born to a noble family in Staves, Belgium, in 895. He descended from a royal line of military men and at first felt a share in this call to arms. He trained for the army and, as a page of the count of Namur, he was sent on a special mission to the French court. There, Gerard realized that he was being called to the monastic life. He stayed in France and joined the Benedictines of St. Denis, abandoning his noble birthright and all his worldly possessions. He spent eleven years in France as a monk before becoming a priest. Following his ordination, he left for Belgium in order to found a new abbey on his own estate of Brogne. He was its abbot for twenty-two years and during that period was instrumental in introducing St. Benedict's Rule into numerous houses in Flanders, Lorraine and Champagne.He became known for his engaging sweetness of temper, his strict observance of the Rule of St. Benedict and for the replacement of lukewarm religious practice with true piety.
Read more