Subj : November 1: All Saint's Day To : All From : rich Date : Sat Oct 31 2020 09:57:28 From: rich November 1: All Saint's Day Each day of the liturgical year, the Church celebrates the lives of one or more saints=E2=80=94men and women recognized for their holiness and contribution to the faith. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints=E2=80=94the day on which the Church celebrates all the saints=E2=80= =94those whose names we know, and those purified in heaven: =E2=80=9CAfter this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.... [One of the elders] said to me, .These = are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'= =E2=80=9D (Revelation 7:9,14) The feast of All Saints inspires us with tremendous hope=E2=80=94hope that = we, too, will achieve sainthood in heaven. For, it is certain that among the saints in heaven are those who we have known on earth. Some we have read about. Some we have modeled our lives after or aspired to be like. Some we have personally known, and they have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. We are reminded today, especially as we read the Beatitudes in the Gospel, that there is one true way to achieve happiness on earth and sanctity in heaven: by faithfully following the teachings of Jesus Christ, as the saints and martyrs before us did! Pope Benedict, on All Saint's Day (2008) proclaimed the following w= ords: =E2=80=9CWith great joy, we celebrate today the feast of All Saints. Visiti= ng a nursery garden, one remains taken aback at the variety of plants and flowers, and spontaneously begins to think of the Creator's fantasy that made the earth a marvelous garden. These same sentiments come to us when we consider the spectacle of holiness: the world appears to us as a "garden," where the Spirit of God has sustained with remarkable wonder a multitude of saints, male and female, from every age and social condition, of every tongue, people and culture. Each is different from the others, with the uniqueness of their own personality and their own spiritual charism. All, however, were marked by the "seal" of Jesus, the imprint of his love, witnessed upon the Cross. All now are at joy, in a feast without end as, like Jesus, they reached this goal across toil and trial, each one encountering their share of sacrifice to participate in the glory of the resurrection.=E2=80= =9D So, today, we celebrate and honor the saints and martyrs of the Church=E2=80=94both known and unknown. While there are thousands of canoniz= ed saints in the Church, we know there are an incalculable number whose names have not been recorded=E2=80=94from early Christian martyrs to those = in our communities who lived quiet, humble lives in service to the Lord and one another. We ask for their prayers and intercessions, and appreciate our deep communion with them=E2=80=94that is, that all of God's people, on heaven, earth, and in Purgatory in the state of purification, are connected in a communion. The saints of God are just as alive as you and I, and are constantly interceding on our behalf. As with Our Blessed Mother, the saints are not all-knowing or all-powerful. However, because of our common communion with and through Jesus Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly community of Christians. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "...as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself: We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples.=E2=80=9D (CCC 956, 957) by Jacob <><><><> Today, on this most holy of days, we raise our voices with the saints and martyrs=E2=80=94known and unknown=E2=80=94and praise the Lord! May all = the holy saints and martyrs of the Church pray for us, on this their solemnity! "The glorious company of the apostles praise Thee. The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise Thee. The white-robed army of martyrs praise Thee. All Thy saints and elect with one voice do acknowledge Thee, O Blessed Trinity, one God!" (Te Deum) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, today we rejoice in the holy men and women of every time and place. May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .