The Feast of All Saints 2015

Today is the Feast of All Saints and the Church calls us to reflect on two simple facts.
The first is this, our destiny, our ultimate happiness, and our joy is to be united with God.

If you are in this Church right now, I hope you find great consolation from knowing that God longs to be with you forever in heaven.

The second point is just as important.
The Feast of All Saints teaches us that there are many roads home.
When it comes to holiness One size does not fit all.

You know when Fr. Raymond and I go to New Britain General he always takes Arch Street and I take Farmington Ave and bear right by that fountain but we both get there and that’s what’s important.

On the Feast of All Saints the Church gives us the Beatitudes to mediate on true happiness.
At first glance the Beatitudes seem contradictory.


How can someone who mourns be happy ?
How can someone who is persecuted be happy?
How can someone who is poor be happy?

Poverty allows us to see God as our greatest treasure.

Poverty allows us to empty ourselves of all that distracts us and concentrate on God and our brothers and sisters.

When we hunger and thrist for God and the knowledge of God, God will always show us how to live good and holy lives.

Being filled with sorrow especially for our sins and weaknesses or experiencing “Catholic Guilt” is often the first step to repentance and a joyful freedom from sin. Sorrow and Catholic Guilt isn’t always bad.

Every age, every generation, has presented us with new saints. who show us the way home.

St. Maximilian gave his life in a concentration camp to save a father of a family.

St. Francis of Assisi gave away everything he had because he knew that all it did was get in the way.

More recently Saint Katharine Drexel of Philadelphia did the same.

Her family’s wealth in current dollars was around $400 million.

She gave it all away and established a religious order and schools for the poorest of the poor.

St. Thomas More would not or could not permit anyone or any legal nicety to alter his conscience not even the powerful Henry VIII.

So he accepted death rather than renounce his conscience and his allegiance to Christ and the Church.

Today there are lots of places in our society where our culture’s values are at odds with our Christian Conscience.

The example of St. Thomas Moore challenges us to remain faithful to our conscience and to God, no matter what anyone else thinks or no matter what the cost.

St. Catherine of Sienna look her up. was a simple holy woman who taught kings and popes their responsibility to be Christian leaders.

She convinced the Pope to leave the comforts of his palace in Avignon and protection of the King of France.

She convinced him to return to the rough and tumble city of Rome and face possible persecution.

She reminded him that God needed him to walk footsteps of Peter and to be about God’s work .

Recently the parents of St. Theresa of Lisieux were canonized.
They didn’t give their lives to God in one act of heroism.


Rather they lived holy lives at home and inspired their children to be saints.
How many of us have inspired our Children to be saints ?

In this day and age it is no easy task. But can never stop trying.
There are thousands of saints.

Each one took a different way home.
Let us never forget that our destiny is to be with God.
Let us always remember that many have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.

On this feast of All Saints.
Let’s pick a saint, learn about their lives, and imitate them.

Then let us all follow them home to God

Amen