I am Called to be a Saint
Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12a
In a kindergarten class, taught by a nun (reverend sister), the nun asks the kids to indicate, by a show of hands, how many among them would like to go to heaven. All, but one little girl raised up their hands. Curious, the nun asks the little girl whose hand was not raised up: my daughter, why do you not want to go to heaven? She replies: my Mom, on dropping me off at school this morning, asked me to stay put at the end of school, so she might come get me; I want to wait for my Mom after school, I don’t want to go to heaven, sister!
First, our poor little girl imagines going to heaven to be something immediate: she is very right! Going to heaven, for a Christian, is a daily preparation, not what we prepare for at the end of our lives on earth. Second, the little girl in our story, obedient to the command of her Mom, waits for her Mom to come get her: only a daily obedience to God’s commands make heaven/sainthood a possibility for you and me. Let us see how our readings corroborate these two realities.
Revelation to John poses a challenge to most people because of its genre – apocalypticism. For example, it is common place to hear people ask: how many will make heaven, since Revelation 7:4 says only 144 thousand will make heaven? The good news is that, a close reading of Revelation 7:4 does not make that claim, otherwise, we cannot be celebration All Saints’ Day today. Revelation 7:4 says, “And I heard the number of those sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel;” a literal understanding speaks to the number among the Jews, but not of all human beings! In fact, Revelation says, and that is why we celebrate All Saints’ Day, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10).
Our first reading makes salvation a gift of God to all peoples, irrespective of their tribe, ethnicity, status and gender. This point comes across clearly in the “uncountable multitude” John sees (Revelation 7:9). However, more pertinent to our reflection is this statement: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10). Accordingly, if salvation belongs to God and the Lamb, this salvation is the gift of the Lamb whose death on Calvary offers us salvation here and now. The only question is: what do we do with this gift of salvation?
Our second reading concurs that we are recipients of salvation, when it says: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” ( 1 John 3:1). So, as God’s children here and now, we have this gift of salvation, but as regards who makes heaven and sainthood, hear what the same second reading says: “And all who hope [for heaven and sainthood] in him purifies themselves as God is pure” (1 John 3:3). Consequently, the gift of salvation is an invitation to live a purified or holy life, in order to make it to heaven and sainthood. How do you and I do that, keep ourselves pure? It is to live the life of the beatitudes!
Our gospel today outlines strategies for attaining heaven and sainthood through the nine beatitudes. The beatitudes conclude with the saying, “for your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:12a). Notice that the text states the reward in the present time (tense) not past or future: it is something we have here and now, in hope, which perdures in heaven! So, heaven is now, at least, its preparation!
Going back to all our arguments above, beginning with the story of the little girl who expects heaven here and now, while being obedient to her Mom’s injunction to stay put after school; our first reading which shows an uncountable multitude of those Jesus’ death grants salvation; the fact that we are here and now children of God hoping for sainthood and heaven, according to our second reading; heaven being what we begin here and now, according to our gospel of today; it follows that the celebration of All Saints’ Day is not just about the dead who made it to heaven, canonized by the Church or not, but also it is about you and me struggling here and now for heaven: it is an invitation to imitate the saints, to be saints ourselves, and to be thankful for Jesus’ death on the cross for our salvation!
Assignment for the week
Could you choose one beatitude and practice it all week long? For me, I want to be a peacemaker for this week, because I want to be called a child of God (Matthew 5:9)!
Posted October 26, 2015 @ fatherayo2u.com