Don Bosco Philippines South Province

Homily, Solemnity of All Saints, 1 Nov 2022

Today we gather to celebrate the victory of all the saints.  Who are the saints? Saints are people who are now in heaven. While they were still on earth they struggled in their faith, persevered in following Jesus, our Lord and Savior, and did their best to live like him. Some of them suffered terribly under the hands of persecutors and died as martyrs; others had to endure a long and painful illness; some died at a very young age and yet have learned to offer their lives entirely to Jesus, while others served the Church faithfully for many years and died in their old age.  Some of them were lay people who lived the ordinariness of family life extraordinarily well; many others chose to dedicate their entire lives inside monastery or a religious community, while a few responded to the call to serve the larger family of the Church as ordained ministers, either as deacons, priests or bishops.

Who among the saints are your favorites?  How many of them do you really know? Here is a simple test you can take:

1. He is a married man, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
2. He was a fisherman, and he was appointed by Jesus to be the leader of his apostles.
3. She was a woman from whom Jesus expelled several demons.
4. She is a woman who prayed hard for the conversion of his son named Augustine.
5. He was a lover of nature, a very rich man but who gave all his wealth to the poor and founded an order of men called the F___ans.
6. He is a priest now known as the father and teacher of youth, and founder of the Salesians.
7. She is a cloistered woman and yet she became the patroness of the missions.
8. She is a young girl who was stabbed to death because she refused to have sex with her neighbour.
9. He is a Filipino catechist, the first saint from Cebu.
10. He is a teenager who at his first Holy Communion resolved “to die rather than sin.”

Congratulations for passing the Quiz BeeS, quiz on the blesseds & saints. Brothers and sisters, for the past two thousand and twenty-two years our Church have always given a special recognition to Christians who have followed Jesus by living holy and heroic lives. And today we not only celebrate their victory but also honor all of them together.

This feast of all saints also includes the holy Christians who are unknown; the saints not officially recognized by the Church through what we call “canonization.”  They are also called blessed or saints written with a small letter ‘s’ because they have faithfully served the Lord here on earth, and so they are now enjoying the eternal happiness of being with God forever.

At this point let us try to review some basic catechism. The universal Church founded by Christ consists of three large groups: (1) The first is called the triumphant Church: the faithful who have died and are already in heaven; (2) the suffering Church: the faithful who have already died but they are still being purified in purgatory; (3) lastly, the pilgrim Church: the faithful who are still alive on earth and are journeying towards our true home in heaven – we belong to this group. 

What is amazing is that today, tomorrow and in the whole month of November we are given a much closer experience of the communion of these three groups. What does this really mean? It means that the triumphant Church, the suffering Church and the pilgrim Church are actually ONE, just one Church.  And despite the sad reality of death, we continue to enjoy the bond of communion with each other and with the Holy Trinity.  In fact we are enjoying a much stronger bond of communion with each another which death can neither break nor destroy. This is the meaning of the Communion of Saints which we all profess in the Creed every Sunday.

Moreover, the Church tries to live this communion through the sharing of spiritual goods. We Christians on earth look up to the Saints in heaven for inspiration and intercession.  On their part the Saints who are in heaven have never really abandoned us who are still here on earth. They continue to remember us and intercede for us one with Jesus before God’s throne. They pray for us so that we may remain faithful despite the big trials we are facing, and so that soon we too may find ourselves one with them in the heavenly liturgy. 

Furthermore we also share spiritual goods with the souls of the faithful departed especially those who might still be suffering and being purified in purgatory.  We pray constantly for them especially in our Masses, Rosaries and other prayers, so that God may soon open for them the gates of paradise and welcome them into his loving embrace.  On their part since they are benefiting much from our prayers, sacrifices and Holy Masses, they are willing to do certain favours for us too.  Have you ever tried asking help from the poor Souls in Purgatory?

One time when my sister was still studying, she tried asking the Souls in Purgatory to wake her up at 4:00 am so she could still review for an exam.  She prayed for their eternal repose before falling asleep.  After a few hours she was suddenly awakened by a cold wind, and when she looked at the clock, she saw that it was exactly 4am.  Why don’t you try to do something similar; ask a favour from the poor Souls in Purgatory and I’m sure you will get their help in exchange for the prayers you offer for their eternal repose.

Dear brothers and sisters, the feast we are celebrating today highlights, therefore, both the victory of all the saints and also the Communion of Saints.  The Souls in Purgatory are still one with us. They remind us that if we want to go straight to heaven after our death without having to pass through purgatory (where the purifying fire could be as hot as those of hell) we should strive to live saintly lives while we are still here on earth.  On the other hand also the Saints in heaven continue to be one with us, and they are telling us that through their inspiring example and powerful intercession we too can attain the holiness that God plans and desires for us.  They want us to know that holiness is not only for the few but for everyone, and it is attainable even by kids and young people like you.

Fifteen-year old Bl. Carlo Acutis from Italy has proven this for us. He was beatified only two years ago.  Similarly Ven. Teofilo Camomot who was declared venerable by Pope Francis around three months ago is telling us that we Filipinos can also become saints.

I conclude with an advice coming from Don Bosco. One night St. John Bosco gathered his boys for a good night talk before sending them to sleep. He told them three points about holiness: (1) It is God’s will for you to become saints; (2) It is easy for you to become saints; and (3) there is a great reward in heaven awaiting for those who strive to become saints. 

One of the boys was so struck by what Don Bosco said that night  so much so that the following day he approached the saintly priest and asked him a favor, saying “Don Bosco can you help me become a saint?”  Don Bosco felt so glad about the teenager’s request, and so he showed him the youthful path to holiness. That boy’s name was Dominic, and with Don Bosco’s guidance and direction, he soon became holy.  Today he is venerated around the world as St. Dominic Savio, a giant of sanctity at fifteen years old.  And amazingly it was his holy life that inspired Bl. Carlo Acutis to strive for holiness in his own unique and youthful way.

Let us therefore pray in this Holy Mass that we all may be inspired by both the Saints in Heaven and the Souls in Purgatory. And may this Eucharist empower us to be always in Communion with them every day, so that one day we too may experience the eternal joy of being one with God in the great company of all the Saints in our true home in heaven. GiGsss!

P.S. Answer Key to Quiz B

1. St Joseph
2. St Peter
3. St Mary Magdalene
4. St Monica
5. St Francis of Assisi
6. St John Bosco
7. St Therese of the Child Jesus (Lisieux)
8. St Maria Goretti
9. St Pedro Calungsod
10. St Dominic Savio

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