Solemnity of All Saints
Readings: Apocalypse 7: 2-4, 9-14; Psalm 23 (24): 1-6; 1 John 3: 1-3; Matthew 5: 1-12a
Picture: By Gianluca D'Intino on Unsplash
I feel awful. I mean physically awful as well. I feel like I’ve been put into a washing machine, and I’m sort of on the spin cycle… In case anyone starts worrying about my well-being, these words are not mine. They are spoken by Bob Burgess, a fictional character from a 2024 novel written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Elizabeth Strout. I feel like I’ve been put into a washing machine, and I’m sort of on the spin cycle… To feel as though we’re being soaked and spun, pushed and pulled, tossed and tumbled in a giant washer. Ever experience something similar?…
As we might expect, on this Solemn Feast of All Saints, all of our readings speak of the need to be cleansed and purified, in order to enjoy the presence of God. The first reading describes a vision of the royal heavenly court, in which there are a huge number of people, standing before the throne of God, dressed in clean white robes. The psalmist sings of the need for clean hands and pure heart, as a key condition for gaining access to the mountain of the Lord. The second reading says that all who entertain the hope of seeing God as he really is, must try to be as pure as Christ. And in the gospel, Jesus says, Happy, or blessed, the pure in heart: they shall see God.
White robes, clean hands, pure heart. This is what saints are supposed to look like. But how to become clean? How to be made pure? Again, the readings all seem to agree. How do the people in the first reading come to be dressed in white? Only by having been through the great persecution, and washing their robes in the blood of the lamb. Similarly, the readers of the second reading are told that because the world first refused to acknowledge Christ, it now refuses to acknowledge them. Implying that they are currently being persecuted for their faith. And it is by persevering through the persecution that they will be made pure enough to see God. Then, in the gospel, Jesus concludes his beatitudes by congratulating those persecuted in the cause of right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Like clothes agitated in a washer, saints are made clean by enduring the discomfort and pressure of persecution.
But if this is true, then what about us? What about me? I who seem to enjoy a high degree of freedom to profess and practise my faith. Does this mean I cannot become a saint, since I’m not being persecuted? Or perhaps I’m already clean enough, and don’t need further purification? In pondering this question, it may be helpful to recall how the gospel begins. Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill… And the verses immediately preceding the reading tell us just who these crowds are. They include the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics… All of whom Jesus cures (Mt 4:24, NRSV). The words and actions of the Lord in the gospel are prompted by his own experience of ministering to those suffering in some way.
And yet the Lord’s primary response to suffering people is not simply to relieve the pressure of their afflictions, but also to call them to follow him. To transform them from anonymous clients to beloved brethren. Isn’t this why, in the gospel, the Lord addresses his words not to the crowds, but to his disciples instead? Describing the proper response of disciples to the pressures of the world around them. Following the footsteps of their Master. Behaving as adopted children of God. In poverty of spirit, they recognise their utter need for God. They uncover and mourn injustice and oppression. Always responding gently yet firmly. Courageously and mercifully. In ways that foster peace, instead of breeding conflict. Even if such responses may provoke persecution of some kind. Including being unwittingly made the subject of malicious gossip. For this is how saints are cleansed, even without the spilling of their blood.
Coincidentally or not, just a few days ago, the Vatican foundation, Aid to the Church in Need, released its latest report on Christians Oppressed for Their Faith. According to which, from 2024 to 2026, the persecution of Christians has intensified. And (m)ore than 220 million people worldwide are now directly exposed to the most severe forms of persecution. Marta Petrosillo, Director of the Centre responsible for the report, had this to say: I have often interviewed Christians who have experienced violence, discrimination and persecution. One of their first requests, particularly to us as brothers and sisters in the faith, has been not to forget them… With this in mind, just as we began this homily with the words of a fictional figure, it seems fitting to end it with those of a factual one. The words of 33-year old Solomon Ako, captured and tortured by extremists forcing him to renounce his faith: Every night, when our captors were asleep, we prayed. We prayed knowing that we were not alone, that God was with us and that there were people who would never abandon us. That is what gave us the strength to endure then, and it is what continues to give us strength today…
As we rightly rejoice in the accomplished saints, already safe in heaven, perhaps we might also remember the most vulnerable among the saints still in the making, right here on earth. To pray for them, and to be inspired by their example. Sisters and brothers, how might the Lord be washing all of us clean today?
