Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. Rev.7:2-4,9-14; 1Jn.3:1-3; Matt. 5:1-12
Dear friends, there are three states of the Mystical Body of Christ, and they’re:
- The Church Suffering (Ecclesia dolens or Ecclesia poenitent/penitent): The souls of the faithful departed currently in Purgatory who are undergoing purification before entering Heaven.
- The Church Militant (Ecclesia militans or the Pilgrim Church): This is me and you. The Christians on Earth who struggle against sin, temptation, and the evils of the world.
- The Church Triumphant (Ecclesia triumphans): The saints, martyrs, and angels who have completed their earthly journey and now enjoy eternal glory in Heaven.
All three groups remain deeply connected as one family through the Communion of Saints, supporting one another through prayer and intercession.
There’s a sobering Quote by Leon Bloy, (the French Catholic Author and Novelist) which says “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.” Nonetheless, we’re quite inspired by the words of the Psalmist in Ps. 24: 3-4, “Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place? The man (woman) with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things… So now we have the road map.
The word Saint comes from the Greek “Hagios”, meaning “holy”, “sacred”, or “set apart”. In Latin it’s Sanctus. So what must we do to become Saints? St. Thomas Aquinas gives us the answer: “WILL IT!” In other words, “DESIRE IT”.
The story is told of a young boy, quiet and reserved, who was asked in class by his teacher, “Samuel, what would you like to be when you grow up?” Samuel looked up at his teacher in deep thought, and said almost hesitantly, “I would like to be a saint”. The class was silent for a long time. No one expected that answer. So although Samuel was very much a child, he WILLED to become Holy. He desired to have a special relationship with God.
“O when the saints, go marching in, O when the Saints go Marching in, O Lord I want to be in that number, O when the saints go marching in.” It is this desire that brings about the tenacity to follow Jesus. “I have decided, to follow Jesus. I have decided, to follow Jesus, I have decided, to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.
Yes I know that this is not an easy road. It is choosing the path less travelled. But we can travel on this narrow path because we have been sealed by our baptism. In today’s first reading, John sees another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.” This is what baptism does. It places God’s mark of ownership on us. When we’re baptised, we become Saints. That’s why we’re given white garments.
In John’s day and time 144,000 are sealed that they may overcome the tribulation. This is a perfect number. It is twelve times 12 which equals 144. It is even made more inclusive because is it multiplied by 1 thousand. It is a number signifying completeness. It does not mean that the number of the saved will be small, it means the number of the saved will be quite large.
Therefore, John naturally sees a huge multitude, impossible to count, on white robes. And when asked by one of the elders, “who are these”. John says, “Sir You know”. And the other elder continues “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Strange! This is the only place where robes washed in blood come out white. “Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power, are you washed in the blood of the lamb. Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Yes before and after we’re baptised, there will always be trials and tribulations that’ll stain our white garments. But we’re assured that Jesus’ Blood washes us clean. This is why St. John says in the second reading, see what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. We are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
This is my story…
It is this hope that we’re God’s children that’s true happiness. And when Jesus spoke these words in Aramaic, they were exclamations, expressing the deep fulfilment of those who have this hope. The words Beatitudo (Latin) or Makarios (Greek) try to capture this state of being fortunate as happiness. We must therefore understand Jesus as saying
“O the happiness of the poor in spirit, theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” This blessedness isn’t something that’ll happen, it has already happened. It is self contained joy…
“Joy like a river, joy like a river…”
What Jesus says here simply is “O the happiness of the man who has placed his trust completely in God… theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
“O the happiness of the man whose heart is broken for the world’s world’s suffering and for his own sin, for out of his sorrow he will find the joy of God!”
“O the happiness of the man who has the humility to know his own ignorance, his own weakness, and his own need” he shall inherit the earth.
“O the happiness of the man who longs for total righteousnes, he shall be satisfied”
“O the happiness of the merciful, he shall obtain mercy
“O the happiness of the man whose motives are absolutely pure, for that man will some day be able to see God!”
“O the happiness of those who produce right relationships between people, for they are doing God’s work.”
“O the happiness of those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”.
The call to be Saints dear friends, is a call to eternal happiness.
Let us Pray
Almighty, ever-living God,
we are celebrating with joy
the triumph of your grace in all the saints. With so vast a multitude praying for us, may we receive from you
the fullness of mercy we have always desired. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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