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