When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
REFLECTION
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
Today we gather to celebrate All Saints Day. In the Creed we say "We believe in the Communion of Saints" . All the saints who have passed on to eternal life form the Church of the blessed. For eternity they see God and the love of God unites us with them.
We are reminded that our home is Heaven and as we prepare for a pilgrimage we pack what we need, leave behind the unnecessary and follow our guide. The saints guide us, as we share with them their stories, follow their examples of faith. In turn we imitate Christ.
PAPA pilgrimages have afforded us the opportunity to really know and understand the saints, not just knowing the facts of their lives, but how they imitated Jesus. We have been blessed to see the canonization of people we grew up with, where they lived and where they prayed., and where they had their major conversions. The saints have shown us the way and how they overcame the world’s hurdles.
We know they are in heaven praying for us, each particular saint a patron of an illness, job, career, and hobby. We research books on their lives, read letters written by them to others, see their intervention in miracles, read their quotes, see where they lived, their martyrdom, how they prayed, etc. to learn more about them. Their exemplary lives show us the way to heaven.
With their help we can be equipped to battle the forces that try to drag us away from the glory that awaits those who love, obey and serve the Lord.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
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