News & Events
Feast of All Saints
Posted in News
1st. November 2026
Gospel Mt.. 5:1-12A
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had
sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are
the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are
the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of
heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted
for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every
kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
_____________________________
Homily
My dear sisters
and brothers, today we celebrate a feast which should be important to
all of us, because it celebrates the victory of all those who have
according to St. Paul, run the race and passed the test of God’s
expectations. It also says to us who are still working to build those
expectations, i.e. God’s Kingdom of Justice, Peace and Love, that we
have something very beautiful awaiting us if we are faithful, a place
where we will meet our God and those who have gone before us, after
living a life of adherence to what God asks of us as enunciated by the
prophets, and the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ. The first
reading for this feast is taken from the Apocalypse, written during
the first persecutions of the Christians. It is built on the promise
that after persecution, those who were faithful to God and to Christ
will be delivered and gathered into the presence of God. At the time
of the Book of the Apocalypse being written, the corrupt Roman Empire
with its demand that all its subjects worship the emperor as Lord, was
about to unleash a violent persecution of Cristians. The problem then
as it is now, is that the Christians had to make a decision, a
decision that all Christians at some time in their life must make. Do
we accept the anti-God corruption of the world or do we dedicate
ourselves to creating God’s kingdom of Justice, Peace and Love. Being
architects and workers in the building of God’s kingdom of Justice,
Peace and Love is the guarantee of our eternal happiness in the joy
and peace of heaven. As we look at this world in which we live, we are
horrified by the wars and the rumours of war. We are horrified by the
deaths of so many young men and women, by the deaths of so many
innocent children, of the aged and of those in hospitals and we ask
ourselves, when will this stop? It will only stop when the world
begins to take seriously the task of building God’s Kingdom of
Justice, Peace and Love seriously. Unfortunately, my dear sisters and
brothers, the harvest is ready, but the labourers are few. It is
important then that the labourers do exactly what they are supposed to
do to ensure a good harvest.
The Gospel reading for this feast details for us the ingredients
which are necessary for a good harvest. The Gospel of Mattew tells us
that Jesus, seeing the crowd, began to speak to them. Then we are
told, this is how he taught them. It is important to understand why
St. Matthew uses the verb “to teach” as Jesus spoke to the crowd.
Someone teaches when new understandings are opened to those who are
listening. These new understandings give us a better perspective on
the course of action that must be undertaken and leads to better
results. My dear sisters and brothers, by the time that Jesus began
his work of preaching to the people of his time, the Jewish law had
been interpreted by the teachers of the law in such a way that God was
not a God of mercy and love. The example of the leader of the
synagogue forbidding the sick to go to be healed on the sabbat is an
example of how far the Jewish leaders had strayed from the knowledge
of God as a God of mercy and compassion. Jesus had to correct that
deviation so that his listeners would understand and see the true
image of God, a loving Father who wanted the best for his people, this
people who begin the process of restoration of the harmony of the
Garden of Eden. The question then becomes how and what did Jesus teach
the people to whom he spoke. The what and the How of the teaching of
Jesus is important because we, the present-day disciples of Jesus are
called to imitate Him. We are told in the Gospel of Matthew that after
the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, the temptations in the
desert, and the selection of the Apostles, Jesus began his public
ministry, teaching in the synagogues and healing the sick. With the
large crowds approaching hm for help, both spiritual and material,
Jesus outlines for them a program for life, known to us as the
beatitudes which if followed will bring happiness both in this present
life and in the life to come. As people called to be saints, i.e.
people who in this life seek to rebuild harmony with God through works
of Justice, Peace and Love, the beatitudes are the blueprint for life.
They do not describe worldly success, rather they describe the
attitudes and character qualities that God values, attitudes and
character qualities found in Jesus. Chief among these attitudes is
the need to be humble, i.e. the need to recognize that all that we
have, our gifts, our talents come from God and that they must be used
for God’s purposes. When we understand that and let our lives
demonstrate that, then God’s Kingdom is built and others, perhaps with
different gifts, can also be builders of the Kingdom. God’s gifts
unfortunately make some of us proud, we forget that naked we came to
the earth and naked we will return to it. If we allow ourselves to
recognize that we have not used God’s gifts wisely and have allowed
pride to dictate how we live, and experience God’s mercy and
forgiveness then we mourn for our sinfulness and experience God’s
mercy and forgiveness. It is very important for us to recognize that
Meekness is not weakness. It is strength under control, gentleness and
humility. It is seen in persons who do not seek power for themselves
but will use power to help the poor and suffering. Such persons will
of course be blessed by God. Justice is one of the characteristics of
the Kingdom. God certainly looks on those who seek and often enough
suffer for it will experience it, if not here on earth in heaven.
Mercy is God’s character. Mercy means showing compassion and
forgiveness to others. Those who extend mercy reflect God’s character
and receive His mercy, essential even for our small faults. Purity of
heart involves sincerity, integrity, and devotion to God. Peacemakers
are builders of harmony, they call us to remember that God, three
persons but one God is Harmony itself, and we are called to be
builders of harmony among men. Those persecuted for righteousness are
those who seek true justice and who lack cowardice among people. So
often my dear sisters and brothers we are afraid of persecution. The
Beatitudes end with those who suffer for defending the name of Jesus.
Their reward will be great in heaven.
The second reading from
the first letter of John, tells us, “Think of the love that the Father
has lavished on us by letting us be called God’s children. I often
think of childless parents who adopt children and treat them as their
very own. They feed them, they cloth them, they educate them, they
make provision for them, their names are in their wills. In every
sense those children are theirs. Imagine God does the same with us. It
tells us, “Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us by
letting us be called God’s children.” God has placed our feet at the
gates of heaven, we just have to walk through those gates, avoiding
the obstacles that we all meet. Let us all overcome the obstacles so
that together we may enter the Kingdom prepared for us from the
foundation of the world.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God You created for us a world of total
harmony which was lost because our first parents believed a lie, a lie
which continues to be spread by all those who hate you. Help us Father
to recognize the lie in all its disguises. Help us to understand that
falsehood is never stronger than the truth. Help us to understand that
courage is stronger than intimidation. Help us to be not afraid,
secure in the knowledge that YOU, our God and father, loves us and
will take care of us. We ask this through the intercession of Mary,
our mother and Jesus, your son and our brother. Amen
Gospel Mt.. 5:1-12A
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had
sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are
the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are
the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of
heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted
for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every
kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
_____________________________
Homily
My dear sisters
and brothers, today we celebrate a feast which should be important to
all of us, because it celebrates the victory of all those who have
according to St. Paul, run the race and passed the test of God’s
expectations. It also says to us who are still working to build those
expectations, i.e. God’s Kingdom of Justice, Peace and Love, that we
have something very beautiful awaiting us if we are faithful, a place
where we will meet our God and those who have gone before us, after
living a life of adherence to what God asks of us as enunciated by the
prophets, and the apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ. The first
reading for this feast is taken from the Apocalypse, written during
the first persecutions of the Christians. It is built on the promise
that after persecution, those who were faithful to God and to Christ
will be delivered and gathered into the presence of God. At the time
of the Book of the Apocalypse being written, the corrupt Roman Empire
with its demand that all its subjects worship the emperor as Lord, was
about to unleash a violent persecution of Cristians. The problem then
as it is now, is that the Christians had to make a decision, a
decision that all Christians at some time in their life must make. Do
we accept the anti-God corruption of the world or do we dedicate
ourselves to creating God’s kingdom of Justice, Peace and Love. Being
architects and workers in the building of God’s kingdom of Justice,
Peace and Love is the guarantee of our eternal happiness in the joy
and peace of heaven. As we look at this world in which we live, we are
horrified by the wars and the rumours of war. We are horrified by the
deaths of so many young men and women, by the deaths of so many
innocent children, of the aged and of those in hospitals and we ask
ourselves, when will this stop? It will only stop when the world
begins to take seriously the task of building God’s Kingdom of
Justice, Peace and Love seriously. Unfortunately, my dear sisters and
brothers, the harvest is ready, but the labourers are few. It is
important then that the labourers do exactly what they are supposed to
do to ensure a good harvest.
The Gospel reading for this feast details for us the ingredients
which are necessary for a good harvest. The Gospel of Mattew tells us
that Jesus, seeing the crowd, began to speak to them. Then we are
told, this is how he taught them. It is important to understand why
St. Matthew uses the verb “to teach” as Jesus spoke to the crowd.
Someone teaches when new understandings are opened to those who are
listening. These new understandings give us a better perspective on
the course of action that must be undertaken and leads to better
results. My dear sisters and brothers, by the time that Jesus began
his work of preaching to the people of his time, the Jewish law had
been interpreted by the teachers of the law in such a way that God was
not a God of mercy and love. The example of the leader of the
synagogue forbidding the sick to go to be healed on the sabbat is an
example of how far the Jewish leaders had strayed from the knowledge
of God as a God of mercy and compassion. Jesus had to correct that
deviation so that his listeners would understand and see the true
image of God, a loving Father who wanted the best for his people, this
people who begin the process of restoration of the harmony of the
Garden of Eden. The question then becomes how and what did Jesus teach
the people to whom he spoke. The what and the How of the teaching of
Jesus is important because we, the present-day disciples of Jesus are
called to imitate Him. We are told in the Gospel of Matthew that after
the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, the temptations in the
desert, and the selection of the Apostles, Jesus began his public
ministry, teaching in the synagogues and healing the sick. With the
large crowds approaching hm for help, both spiritual and material,
Jesus outlines for them a program for life, known to us as the
beatitudes which if followed will bring happiness both in this present
life and in the life to come. As people called to be saints, i.e.
people who in this life seek to rebuild harmony with God through works
of Justice, Peace and Love, the beatitudes are the blueprint for life.
They do not describe worldly success, rather they describe the
attitudes and character qualities that God values, attitudes and
character qualities found in Jesus. Chief among these attitudes is
the need to be humble, i.e. the need to recognize that all that we
have, our gifts, our talents come from God and that they must be used
for God’s purposes. When we understand that and let our lives
demonstrate that, then God’s Kingdom is built and others, perhaps with
different gifts, can also be builders of the Kingdom. God’s gifts
unfortunately make some of us proud, we forget that naked we came to
the earth and naked we will return to it. If we allow ourselves to
recognize that we have not used God’s gifts wisely and have allowed
pride to dictate how we live, and experience God’s mercy and
forgiveness then we mourn for our sinfulness and experience God’s
mercy and forgiveness. It is very important for us to recognize that
Meekness is not weakness. It is strength under control, gentleness and
humility. It is seen in persons who do not seek power for themselves
but will use power to help the poor and suffering. Such persons will
of course be blessed by God. Justice is one of the characteristics of
the Kingdom. God certainly looks on those who seek and often enough
suffer for it will experience it, if not here on earth in heaven.
Mercy is God’s character. Mercy means showing compassion and
forgiveness to others. Those who extend mercy reflect God’s character
and receive His mercy, essential even for our small faults. Purity of
heart involves sincerity, integrity, and devotion to God. Peacemakers
are builders of harmony, they call us to remember that God, three
persons but one God is Harmony itself, and we are called to be
builders of harmony among men. Those persecuted for righteousness are
those who seek true justice and who lack cowardice among people. So
often my dear sisters and brothers we are afraid of persecution. The
Beatitudes end with those who suffer for defending the name of Jesus.
Their reward will be great in heaven.
The second reading from
the first letter of John, tells us, “Think of the love that the Father
has lavished on us by letting us be called God’s children. I often
think of childless parents who adopt children and treat them as their
very own. They feed them, they cloth them, they educate them, they
make provision for them, their names are in their wills. In every
sense those children are theirs. Imagine God does the same with us. It
tells us, “Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us by
letting us be called God’s children.” God has placed our feet at the
gates of heaven, we just have to walk through those gates, avoiding
the obstacles that we all meet. Let us all overcome the obstacles so
that together we may enter the Kingdom prepared for us from the
foundation of the world.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God You created for us a world of total
harmony which was lost because our first parents believed a lie, a lie
which continues to be spread by all those who hate you. Help us Father
to recognize the lie in all its disguises. Help us to understand that
falsehood is never stronger than the truth. Help us to understand that
courage is stronger than intimidation. Help us to be not afraid,
secure in the knowledge that YOU, our God and father, loves us and
will take care of us. We ask this through the intercession of Mary,
our mother and Jesus, your son and our brother. Amen
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