Homily: November 1, 2024, All saints day (Holy family School Mass )

 Did you hear this question in the first reading?

"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"

St. John the Apostle had a vision of heaven and asked the angel regarding the many people he saw who were praising and worshipping God. I think you might know some of those people. Let’s see.

Do you know who this is? Yes, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, we affectionately call her Mother Teresa. 

Do you know where she was born in?

She was born in Skopje, where it is now Albania. And where did she spend most of her life? She spent her life in India, taking care of the very poor, sick and dying.

Who’s this man? Yes, he is Saint Joseph.

Where was he born? In Nazareth. What was his job? He was a carpenter. And he was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus. St. Joseph cared for and protected Jesus and Mary as a family, serving God in his own humble way.

Who is this woman? That’s right, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha.

Do you know where she was born? She was born in New York and is the first Native American saint. She had a deep love for Jesus, even when she had to face persecution and suffering. She died at a young age of 24. Her last words were, “Jesus, I love you.”

And who is this man? Saint John Paul II.

He was born in Poland, and he was our Pope for over 26 years. Do you know when he was declared a saint? In 2014. St. John Paul II was known for his courage, his love for young people, and his strength in facing tough times. He loved to ski. He visited Des Moines in 1979.

Now, who is this young person? Blessed Carlo Acutis.

He will be declared a saint soon, in 2025. Carlo was born in Italy and died at age 15 in 2006 from leukemia. He loved serving at the altar, playing soccer, computer programming, and used his own pocket money to buy food for the homeless. If he didn’t die, he’d be 33 years old now. Carlo is a wonderful example of how a young person in this modern time can live a life close to Jesus.

Now, who is this? (blank paper)

You are right, there is no picture on it yet. Why?

This blank piece of paper will be printed with my picture, your picture, and your picture and all our pictures one day when God calls us back to heaven.

Imagine your picture and your life story on this paper. One day, it could be shared with others, just like we are sharing about the saints now.

We have saints from almost every country, from many different cultures, young and old, priests, religious, and ordinary people. Some lived long lives, while others died young, like St. Kateri and Blessed Carlo. Each one of them lived very different lives but they took the same path to holiness, the path of unwavering faith in the Catholic church and deep love for Jesus. And they all made it to heaven.

There are more than 10,000 canonized saints in the Church, and many more unknown saints who are in heaven but not officially recognized.

Every person who makes it to heaven is a saint. And every one of us are called to be a saint, because that’s what God wants of us — to be in heaven with Him! If we don’t become saints, we will miss out the joy of being with God forever.

So, what’s the first step to becoming a saint?

The first step is simply to desire it, to want it, to think about it, to dream of it, to pray for it. To want to be a saint is simply to want to live with God forever.

Like the saints we talked about, they had tough times in their lives but that didn’t stop them from loving Jesus and wanting to please God. So, God gave them graces, special strength, to be joyful even in their troubles.

We too can be like them. No matter what our life situation is, God can help us walk the way that leads to heaven. We just need to want it, because God definitely wants it for us.

So, All Saints’ Day is a celebration of our own sainthood, a celebration of God’s desire for all of us to be saints. Let us pray and ask God to help us be faithful and holy, like the saints we know.

Amen.