A touching homily for the Feast of All Saints based on Matthew 5:1–12, reminding us that holiness is possible for everyone. (1-11-25)
Praise be to Jesus Christ
A few months ago, I met a gentleman who had a good job in the government sector. However, one day, he decided to resign from his job. Later, when I happened to meet him again, I asked, “Why did you resign?” He looked at me for a moment and said, “My job demanded bribes. My father always told me never to take money that doesn’t belong to me. I couldn’t go against my conscience, and I was not able to fight against the system. So I resigned and started farming now. I earn less, but I sleep peacefully. I have peace of mind.”
Those simple words remained with me for a long time. He had, just like many others, the option of choosing the easy road. He could have justified it in the same way as many others, by saying, “Everyone takes something extra from time to time.” What difference will it make if I do it too? Instead, he opted peace over profit, truth over comfort and the way of God over the world’s way. This, my dear friends, is what holiness looks like in real life and that is what it looks like in the Holy Bible.
When we hear the word saints or holiness, we often have a tendency to imagine saints in pictures, halos around their heads, faces lifted to heaven, and hands folded in prayer etc. Many may think that holiness is something unreachable to ordinary people, and it is reserved for priests, nuns, or people who live in monasteries. But that is not what holiness really is. Holiness is not about living apart from the world. It is about living differently in the world. It means trying to do what is right even when it costs us something. It means choosing God’s will over our own.
The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). That is not a suggestion. It is a call and invitation and everyone is asked to strive for holiness and without holiness, no one will see God.
Holiness is a way of life we all need to achieve: at home, in our workplace, in our friendships, and in what we choose to see, say, and share. It clearly means that holiness is not meant only in the chapel. But it is lived in the kitchen, in the classroom, in the office, and yes, even online.
Today, especially in this Morden world, one of the biggest challenges that everyone face is how we use social media to attain holiness. If one is not careful it can take us away from Jesus. We all know, from our experience, how easily it can pull us away from God through addiction, comparison, jealousy, and impurity. We are constantly tempted to waste time, to post for attention, or to watch what pollutes our hearts and minds. However, it is good to remember that the same media could be powerful tool for bringing others to Jesus: to share God’s Word, to inspire, to spread kindness, and to build peace. Holiness does not mean to run away from the world, but to transforming it.
Dear all, let us always remember that holiness is not about being perfect. But it is about beginning again and again. We need to know that many great saints were not born holy and some of them were leading a sin full life. St. Augustine, for example, lived a life far from God. St. Mary of Egypt lived in sin for years before she turned to prayer and penance. Saint Moses the Black was once a thief, glutton and a man of violence. But he surrendered himself completely to the Lord Jesus and with a deter mind determination he overcame all he negativity. Blessed Matt Talbot struggled with alcoholism very badly for a long time but he overcame the struggle by surrendering himself completely to God. If we look at their lives, we see one common truth. No one is too far gone for God’s mercy. Grace can transform any heart at any time.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, understanding the life of many such saints, once said something beautiful that has always touched many deeply: “If he and she could become a saint, why can’t I?” That is a question each of us should ask ourselves. There is no doubt that if these saints are able to transform their weakness into strength, their sin into grace, and their brokenness into holiness, then why can’t we? The same God who called them is calling us too. So what we need is a determined determination. Mere decision will not change us but determination can.
Holiness, as some usually misunderstand, is not meant to make us strange or distant. Nevertheless, holiness is meant to make everyone fully human, merciful, and peaceful. It is fact that the holier we become, the more human we become. We need not perform great miracles or live in the desert like the early saints. But, in our daily life when a mother forgives, when a father stays faithful, when a student refuses to cheat, when a worker does an honest job, when a young person avoids harmful content and chooses purity, we live holiness in the realities of our lives and that is the challenge of the time. However, our life experience says that it is not easy and we need to have a constant struggle and slowly, our hearts begin to shine with peace, the kind that the world cannot give.
So today, as we celebrate the feast of all saints let us remember that holiness is not meant only for a few. It is a call for everyone: priests, religious, parents, teachers, young and old and to me and to you. Wherever we are, let us start. As St. Paul says in his second letter to Corinthians 6: 2, “This is the acceptable time and this is the hour of salvation.” Let us start today .Let us ask for the courage to live truthfully, to love sincerely, and to seek holiness with all our hearts. And maybe one day, someone will look at our lives and say, “If he and she could become a saint, why can’t I?”
Jesus help me to live the beatitudes in my day today lives. Amen
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God Bless…
