Nov 1 Wed
Today, the feast day of all the saints, we have the opportunity to increase our hope, since most of the saints were unknown, and strove “to fulfill God's will perfectly without leaving their ordinary tasks, or their condition and state of life in the world.... Some have been canonized by the Church. However, the great majority of these souls have remained unnoticed, in obscurity and silence. It is almost impossible to know to what extent their holy lives have been an example to others, and have contributed to manifesting the sanctity of the Church.”
By this feast the Church reminds us that sanctity is within everyone's reach. For “all of the baptized can and ought to sanctify themselves, and be a powerful leaven of Christian life (cfr 1 Cor 5:6), while they continue their normal life of work in the midst of the world.” Jesus taught this very clearly: You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
“Our Lord wants each of you to strive to be a saint in the particular circumstances of your own situation in the world. This is God's will, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3).
The Gospel stipulates some of the requirements for sanctity. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven... Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God… The beatitudes show the path that we must follow to reach holiness.
“The call to sanctity is truly universal, and not merely for a few or for a particular state in life. It does not generally require abandonment of the world; any work, any profession, can be a path to sanctity, and a means for apostolate.”
We are not the only travelers along the road to sanctity. We live the communion of the saints when we help one another achieve sanctity. We are united to all Christians: to those already triumphant in heaven, to those undergoing purification in purgatory, and to those still journeying on earth. “A Christian cannot be an individualist. He cannot be uninterested in others. He cannot have his back selfishly turned to the world. He is essentially social, a responsible member of the Mystical Body of Christ.”
We live the Communion of the Saints by our prayer for one another. Throughout the day we ask many times that grace may strengthen or heal the one most in need. Thus, we too will experience the Communion of the Saints.
If you feel the Communion of the Saints—if you live it—you'll gladly be a man of penance. Our daily work will also contribute toward spreading divine life in the souls of our friends, and in others, whom we do not even know.
Our Lady, Queen of All the Saints, will help us to awaken in all hearts the universal call to holiness, the foundation for our apostolic zeal and our co-redemptive work in the midst of the world.