[stephenkhoo]

Scripture Reflections
Tuesday, 01 November, 2011, Feast of All Saints

SAINTS ARE THOSE WHO DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: REV 7:2-4, 9-14; JN 3:1-3; MT 5:1-12

What does it mean to be a saint? A saint is one who is different. He is one who is separated from others. Thus, a saint is one who is holy because he is different from the rest of the world. In the early Church, all Christians therefore were called saints. This is because Christians are the chosen people of God and hence called to be different from others. Indeed, this is what John tells us. He said, “Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.” Yes, we are the children of God “but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is.”

Indeed, for a Christian to live a life other than that of Christ is a contradiction. Necessarily, the fundamental call of every Christian is the call to holiness. For how could there be any other call, than the call to become Christ? As Christians we are all called to holiness because we are His children. Every Christian should be a saint.

Today, in the world of secularization, it is more urgent than ever that Christians recognize their identity to be saints of Jesus Christ. We are called to be different from the rest of the world. One of the main reasons why the world is becoming more godless and secularized is because Christians living in the world have adopted the pagan and godless values of society. Instead of transforming society, they allow society to transform them. As a result, they are only Christians in Church or at home. But when they are in the world, they behave exactly like pagans because the values they inculcate are that of the world.

How then are we called to be different? We simply have to live the blueprint given to us by Jesus, the be-attitudes to life. The beatitudes are an invitation to live in such a way that we become signs of contradiction to the world. The values taught and lived by Jesus Himself are values that the world opposes.

Firstly, we are told to cultivate a spirit of poverty. We are called to live in poverty in spirit and poverty of body as well. However, poverty is despised and rejected by the world, which blesses the rich and the exploiter. In this consumerist world, we want to have everything, without which we feel incomplete. Only poverty sets us free to seek our fulfillment from God and the freedom to live without too many things.

Secondly, we are called to live a life of gentleness. In too many cultures it is the violent that are praised and not the gentle and the meek. Many people think that power is the way to conquer others. Yet, it is the gentle and the meek that win the hearts of people. When we are gentle with people, we touch their hearts. People cannot remember what we say, but they remember how we make them feel.

Thirdly, we are called to mourn. “Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted.” Mourning is the feeling of loss. Without mourning, we will not appreciate what we have. When we mourn for our loved ones, we begin to appreciate the good things they have done for us. People who do not mourn for their sins and the absence of God in their lives will never come to appreciate their need for God and conversion.

Fourthly, we are told to thirst for justice and truth. The search for justice, the slow painful journey to hard truths is often disregarded. Instead of seeking for truth, quite often truths are covered up to protect those in power. Without justice, there can be no peace. If there is so much terrorism in the world today, it is because the poor and the marginalized are resentful of a world that is apparently not fair to them. In this planet, only the rich and powerful can get away with their crimes against humanity.

Fifthly, we are called to exercise mercy. Mercy is to have the vision of Christ to see each human being with eyes of love. It is not enough to seek for justice. But justice must be tampered with mercy. Only mercy does not seek revenge but true reconciliation and unity. Justice without mercy would cause divisions in the world as well, because we all need forgiveness. Ultimately, unity can be achieved through justice that is meted out with mercy. Mercy, after all, is not only to be given to the weak but also to our enemies.

Sixthly, we are called to have a pure heart. Purity of heart is to be free from sin and selfishness. A man with a pure heart is one with clarity of mind. He is not deceived by his own selfish desires. He knows himself and he knows God. Thus, he can judge correctly and objectively. Without purity of heart, our selfishness will blind us to the presence of God in prayer and in others. That is why we must purify our sins, especially through the sacrament of reconciliation. Only a clear conscience can judge things correctly and able to have the intuitive spirit.

Next, we are called to be peacemakers. It is not enough to ask for peace. But we must try to foster peace in the world. As Christians we are called to be mediators of peace in a world of conflict. That is what the Holy Father is doing. He is always asking the nations in the world to come to dialogue and understanding. So, for us Christians, not only we must live peacefully with others, we must also help all to live in peace.

Finally, we are warned that the price of being different will necessarily result in persecution and misunderstanding because we become signs of contradiction. When we live this kind of life, we stand out from the world. This would require us to stand up for the truth and live justly even if it means being hated. Only justice and truth can give us a clear conscience. If not we will be haunted for failing to do what is right. Better to be misunderstood for doing the right things than be liked for doing the wrong things. The sin of omission in the face of evil is greater than the sin of commission. So, to be saints, it does not mean that we are required to live heroic lives. All we need to do is to live a good and faithful life day in and day out. To be saints we must be ready to stand firm in our values and endure the simple trials of life.

However, we know that victory is certain. The second reading holds out the mysterious promise of our victory in Christ. It is the hope of sharing the fullness of God’s glory. Indeed, in the vision of John, he recounted, “I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb!” So we can hope that one day, we too will join the communion of saints where there will be life forever.

Today, we have the example of the unsung courage of people who clung to the hope that they have become children of God through baptism. We take courage when we remember how they lived and how they believed. In celebrating this feast of all saints, the Church wants to encourage us; that we do not have to be extraordinary to be saints. On this feast of all the anonymous saints, we acknowledge that Christian life is simply to live the life of Christ and the values of the gospel. When we live according to the standards of the gospel proposed to us by the beatitudes, we are already living a blessed life. Whether we are the poor, the sorrowing, the lonely, merciful, the meek, it does not matter. So long as we live faithfully to the end and withstand the trials, not of persecution but of everyday humdrum existence, we will be purified in holiness.

Indeed, the saints were not perfect people. But they tried their best to live lives according to the gospel. They sought to love and serve God and the world. In the process, they were purified. St John tells us, “Surely everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself.” Yes, we “must try to be as pure as Christ.” To be purified entails that we come to know Jesus more and more. Most of all, through our sufferings, we learn to grow in love and perfection. A saint is one who is in Christ, filled with Christ, live and breathe in Christ. Yes, each one of us is called to be a saint. And each one of us, because of the love of Jesus Christ, can be a saint.

With the grace of God, we can reveal in some portion of our lives the difference that God has made to us. As St John Mary Vianney says, “As saints we are like so many little mirrors in which Jesus Christ sees Himself. In His apostles He sees His zeal and love for the salvation of souls; in the martyrs He sees His constancy, suffering, and painful death; in the hermits He sees His obscure and hidden life; in the virgins He sees His spotless purity; and in all the saints He sees His unbounded charity. And when we honor the virtues of the saints, we are but worshipping the virtues of Jesus Christ …”