Feast of All Saints

Feast of All Saints 

November 01, 2026

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12a

(Image courtesy: AI)

Julius Caesar, the future founder of the Roman Empire, was once an unremarkable government official in his forties. One day, while walking through a city in Spain, he saw a statue of Alexander the Great, who had conquered vast territories before the age of thirty-three. Comparing Alexander’s achievements with his own, Caesar was dissatisfied with the little he had accomplished. That encounter awakened his ambition and marked the beginning of his extraordinary political and military career. He needed an ideal to inspire him, and he found one in Alexander. This incident reminds us that the ideals we choose shape the lives we lead. As Christians, Jesus Christ is our supreme ideal, and the saints show us how to follow Him.

St Ignatius of Loyola discovered this truth while recovering from a cannonball wound. Confined to bed after surgery, he read the only books available to him, the life of Christ and the lives of the saints. Their courage and holiness awakened a question within him: “If St Francis and St Dominic did it, why can’t I?” This question transformed his life and eventually led to the founding of the Society of Jesus. Like Ignatius, we can discover God’s plan for us by reflecting on the lives of the saints. Their stories challenge us to move beyond mediocrity and become the people God calls us to be.

Why do we honour the saints? First, they placed their trust in Christ and lived heroic lives of faith. Their holiness was not the result of extraordinary human strength alone, but of their openness to God’s grace. Second, they are our role models. They demonstrate that Christ’s unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness can be practised by ordinary people in every age. Third, we believe that the saints intercede for us before God, sharing in the communion of saints through Christ, the one mediator between God and humanity. Finally, God can work through the saints as instruments of His grace, just as He worked through ordinary people and material objects in biblical history.

Today’s first reading from Revelation offers us a magnificent vision: a multitude no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before God and the Lamb, clothed in white and holding palm branches. This vision reminds us that holiness is not the privilege of a particular nation, culture or group. We are all called to belong to this great multitude. The second reading assures us that we are children of God, called to become more fully like Him. Sainthood is not an impossible dream reserved for a few exceptional individuals; it is our Christian vocation.

In the Gospel, Jesus gives us the Beatitudes, the pathway to holiness. They invite us to be poor in spirit, recognising our need for God; to mourn with those who suffer; to be meek and gentle; to hunger for justice; to show mercy; to cultivate purity of heart; to make peace; and to remain faithful even when we suffer for doing what is right. These are not merely beautiful sayings. They are the values by which the saints lived and the standards by which we must examine our own lives. The Beatitudes turn the world’s understanding of success upside down. True greatness is found not in power, fame or wealth, but in love, humility, justice and faithfulness.

As we celebrate All Saints’ Day, let us remember three life messages.

First, choose the right ideal: let Jesus Christ guide our decisions and let the saints inspire our journey.

Second, practise holiness in ordinary life: through forgiveness, kindness, honesty, compassion and service.

Third, persevere in the Beatitudes: even when doing what is right demands sacrifice.

Caesar was transformed by looking at Alexander, and Ignatius was transformed by looking at Christ and the saints. Whose life is inspiring us today? May the saints awaken in us the courage to ask, “If they could follow Christ faithfully, why can’t I?” May our lives become a witness to the Gospel, until we too join that countless multitude standing joyfully before God.

Happy Feast 

Thirtieth Sunday of the Year (Year A)

Thirtieth Sunday of the Year, October 25, 2026

Exodus 22:20-26; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Matthew 22:34-30

(Image courtesy: AI)

In New York City, on a cold day in December, a little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.  A lady approached the young boy and said, 'my, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'  'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,’ was the boy's reply. The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.  She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel.  By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.  She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'  As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her. 'Are you God'?  No, said the woman. I am only his child. The boy smiled and said: I knew it all the time. You are some relation of his.

What a beautiful understanding of God! The boy recognised God not through a miracle or a heavenly vision, but through the hands of a woman who cared for him. She did not preach a sermon or explain theology. She simply loved. Through her love, the boy experienced something of God. This is the heart of today's readings: our love for God becomes real when another person experiences that love through us.

The first reading from Exodus reveals God's special concern for the vulnerable. The Lord commands the people not to oppress strangers, widows, or orphans. He reminds them that they too were once strangers in Egypt. Their memory of suffering should teach them compassion. God also warns them against exploiting the poor by taking advantage of their helplessness. In other words, faithfulness to God cannot be separated from justice and care for those who are vulnerable.

This message challenges us to look beyond religious observances and examine our relationships. We may pray sincerely and participate regularly in worship, but how do we treat people who are poor, neglected, or unable to repay our kindness? God reminds His people that the suffering of the vulnerable is not invisible to Him. Their cry matters to Him, and therefore it must matter to us. True religion begins to show its depth when we recognise the dignity of those whom society often overlooks.

The second reading, from St Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians, shows us what happens when people genuinely receive the Gospel. Paul praises the community because they accepted the Word of God with conviction and became examples to other believers. Their faith was not merely something they professed; it transformed the way they lived. Their example spread beyond their own community, and others began to discover the power of the Gospel through their lives.

There is a natural connection between the first and second readings. Exodus tells us that God's people must care for the vulnerable. Paul shows us a community whose faith became a living example for others. The Word of God, when truly received, does not remain confined to our minds or prayers. It enters our decisions, changes our attitudes, and shapes our relationships. People begin to understand the Gospel not only by hearing what we believe, but by seeing how our faith influences our behaviour.

The Gospel brings these readings to their centre. A lawyer asks Jesus which commandment is the greatest. Jesus responds with two commandments: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself. These two commandments belong together. Jesus does not allow us to separate devotion to God from responsibility towards others. Our love for God must take flesh in our love for the people around us.

It is easy to love God in prayer because we cannot always see what our love demands of us. Loving our neighbour, however, makes that demand concrete. It may require patience with a difficult person, forgiveness when we have been hurt, generosity when we would rather keep what we have, or the courage to defend someone who is treated unjustly. Love becomes real when it costs us something.

There are three important life messages for us today. First, let compassion become action. Do not remain indifferent to another person's suffering. Even a small gesture can restore dignity and hope. Second, make your faith visible. Like the Thessalonians, allow your beliefs to influence your conduct. Your kindness, honesty, and concern for others can become a powerful witness to the Gospel. Third, never separate love of God from love of neighbour. Our prayer should make us more compassionate, our worship more generous, and our relationship with God more visible in the way we treat people.

Let us return to the little boy standing barefoot in the cold. He asked God for shoes, and God answered through the hands of a woman. She became a sign of God's presence because she allowed compassion to move her into action. The boy did not need a theological explanation. He saw God's love made visible in an ordinary human being.

That is the challenge of today's Gospel. People around us may be searching for God without knowing how to find Him. They may be longing for dignity, comfort, acceptance, or simply someone who cares. We may not be able to solve every problem, but we can refuse to let indifference have the final word.

Let us ask ourselves: Can someone discover something of God's love through the way I treat them? When we care for the vulnerable, forgive those who hurt us, and make room for those who feel forgotten, we become living signs of God's presence. And perhaps someone, through our ordinary acts of love, will look at us and say, “I knew it all the time. You are some relation of His.”

Happy Sunday