Reflection on the Solemnity of All Saints

Solemnity of All Saints
- Readings: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; Psalm 24:1-6; 1 John 3:1-3; Matt. 5:1-12

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Does the world understand you? If so, what does it understand about you? Does it see you as a child of God or just another person on this planet? By our righteous lives will the world understand us to be Christians. This will disturb the world, because it does not know God, but fear not (cf. 1 John 3:1) open wide the doors to Christ!

In today’s first reading we are presented with an angel marching from the East (heaven) holding the seal of the living God (Rev. 7:2). The angel commanded the angels given control of nature to not destroy anything until the seal of God was placed on the servants of God (7:3). The point of this is to remind Christians that they are and will be protected from the coming turbulence. As servants of God, we are under His Divine Protection even in death.

We are sealed in God through the Sacraments, primarily Baptism and Confirmation. This should give us confidence to press forward! Christ recognizes that we are human, and thus knows we will experience various hurdles that could lead us to despair. Our Lord lays out that we don’t need to have perfect lives to inherit the Kingdom in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-11). In fact, Christ even prepares us for persecution. But fear not! Christ tells us to rejoice and be glad because our reward will not be a worldly one, but a Godly one in heaven (5:12)!

Today we celebrate this reward and those that currently reside in it. The saints have run the race and entered the grace of God in heaven. As John puts it, the saints are "the ones that survived the time of great distress," (Rev. 7:14). They, along with the angels, are in the presence of the Creator of the Universe! They have God’s ear and are ready to intercede for us. Let us turn to them as examples of holy living for our Lord and His Kingdom. Amen amen God is certainly good!

Remembering the saints should stir up joy! These examples of holy living should give us confidence and hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The reason we should be confident is because these saints are human! They experienced the same senses, feelings, and emotions that we do. They are filled with the same Holy Spirit that we are! Let us press forward and keep running the race with the hope of one day joining them.

God is good!

Deus Invictus! Credo Domine!

Catechism Wednesday: Sin and the Last Things

Below is the outline of my lesson. Certainly my weakest, but I think it's important to reflect on during Lent, so I figured I'd share. Pax.

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A Reflection on Jesus Cleaning House... His House.

Today's Gospel reading comes from the Gospel of St. Luke chapter 19. Glory to you, O Lord.

"Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, 'It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.' And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words."

The temple is the central place for the Jewish worship of God. It had a place of prominence in the city of Jerusalem. It was the place where God touched Earth, the Holy of Holies. So what does God find in this place of worship? Christ finds disorder and chaos. He finds a place that is more conducive to human wants and greed than to the worship of the Almighty God. So what does Jesus do? He cleans house. His house.

What is the significance of Jesus cleaning His house? First, it is frees it from the distracting chaos. It reestablishes a place of peace and order. Second, it allows us to truly be free to worship God. By casting out the distracting chaos, the unfair merchants, the junk we don't necessarily need, we can experience God fully. While God is bigger than the biggest spectacle, He presents himself to us in profound silence. Cleansing the temple allows us to see the true purpose of the temple, God.

So let's expand on this then. We hear often that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. This is certainly true since we have a soul, and God seeks union with us. As Jesus cleansed His house, allowing for us to freely experience God, we too must cleanse our temple. By allowing Christ to enter our hearts, we too can clean house. When our souls are clean, we are free to experience God more fully. We are more in tune to God's call for us.

The Church is to be the road to Heaven. Christ founded the Church to lead people to God. There is more to it though. While the road is neatly paved and maintained, it does no good if the car driving on it is not in good condition. The Church is our path to Heaven to meet our Maker. To travel on this path requires us to be in good condition also. Praise be to God that He is seeking to keep us in good condition. He is seeking to clean His temple, His rightful place in our hearts. Amen. Credo Domine.