Readings: Rev 7:2-4. 9-14; Psalm 23(24); 1Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12
Father Tomislav: Today we celebrate the feast of All Saints – not only of the canonised saints, but of all those who have attained the fullness of Paradise and the blessed life. Paradise and the holiness of God are a reservoir of the power of God, which pours out upon us and the whole universe.
What is holiness? It is the life of integrity in God; thus, it is the fullness of life. Therefore, our own calling can be nothing other than a call to holiness, to a life of integrity in God. On our part, it expresses itself through the offering of our life to God, by uprightly choosing God in order to receive the immaculate life, remaining in fraternal communion.
Let us try to draw from these readings what enlightens and helps us see ourselves immersed in the communion with the saints. In the Book of Revelation, it is written: “I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God.” He had the task of sealing the elect. What is this seal? It is the seal we received in the moment of our conception – the seal that defined our identity in God and our spiritual fullness. Throughout our life, we receive other seals that awaken the initial seal – the imprint within us – strengthening it and protecting what God placed inside us. It is crucial to understand that this seal is not something magical that comes from the outside; rather, it is pure grace, imprinted upon those who, as they grow, consciously choose God. This seal emerges and makes us all “the elect”: all those who are called become the elect!
In the vision of Saint John the Apostle, there is a multitude that is awakened in faith and proclaims: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Rev 7:10). This represents consciousness, the memory awakened through faith, hope, and love. How is it awakened? It is awakened through tribulations, as expressed here: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” This means, by participating in the sacrifice of Christ and in the shedding of the Blood of the Lamb!
To the proclamation of the elect, all the Angels join in, saying in a liturgical manner: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen.” Thus, the entire people of God and all Angels confirm that salvation comes from God and is bestowed upon those who have faithfully participated in the life of God.
The Apostle John emphasizes in this passage from his first letter that we are called children of God. We are such by faith, but we have also become aware of truly being children of God. We are aware of our identity and our nobility! Therefore, we can be happy and blessed even here on Earth, because this awareness is alive within us. At the same time, we are on a journey towards the full realisation of ourselves at the end of time.
“But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” Our task now is to look upon Him with faith! This is what Our Lady has set forth as the immediate future: participation in spirit. “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” Those who possess this awareness are purified and liberated from the darkness.
Tell me, who can make you blessed? Who can make you elect? No one! Being part of a spiritual group does not make you blessed, nor does the physical anticipation of the arrival of faithful brothers and sisters. Not even all the Saints can make you blessed; not even God Himself can make you blessed. What matters is your response. This is the cornerstone of our certainty and awareness. Our inner depth, all the beauty that God has placed in each of us, in our own unique way, can only emerge when we immerse our inner selves in a continuous living relationship with God, who is the source of life and holiness. No one can take our place on this journey; no one can grow on our behalf.
All the saints, all instruments of God, are given to us to secure our path, if we want it. Today, in communion with all the Saints, God awaits our response; yet, not merely in words, but as a profound choice, carrying the responsibility that no one can take away from us, no matter if we walk in pairs, in groups of four, or as part of a small community. Everything becomes a deception if our uniqueness (the seal, or imprint, placed upon our spirit at the creation of the world) is not awakened within us. This seal must be stirred by our sense of responsibility and lead us towards a response to God, which is itself a proclamation of God’s greatness.
Now I would like to return to what Saint Peter said – I touched it yesterday. He testifies that the Apostles could not have remained steadfast without the prayer of Our Lady; think about it! Consider the importance of a person who awakens to a deeper relationship with God and, through prayer, bestows Apostles upon the Church! Think about this, especially you, sisters, who offer yourselves for the sake of the new priesthood!
Let us look at Saint Paul once again. He was an Apostle who did not walk with Jesus. He did not know Him as a man, yet he allowed himself to be awakened, and in turn, he awakened other apostles. Think about those who become priests: they cannot simply be men recommended by others; rather, they must be individuals whose innermost selves are awakened to their identity in God. They are people who receive an immense power of holiness from the saints, and they are ready to embrace it, embody it, and pour it out upon the people. Simultaneously, they gather the spiritual fruits the people bring and lift them up to God, thereby further increasing their own holiness. For the future, no figure can emerge according to our desires or concepts, but only according to God’s choice. God examines and fosters what exists from the beginning: the anointing He bestowed in the very moment of a person’s conception. This applies to those who serve as priests, and it applies to everyone – to every woman and every man – so that our fatherhood and motherhood[1] towards others may be divine rather than merely human.
Today I would like us to ask in our prayer to all Saints that they may awaken in us the awareness of the responsibility of being immersed in the Holy Spirit, and the desire to live this immersion in a disciplined way so that the Holy Spirit may use us as His instruments, both individually and as a nucleus[2], to continuously pour out holiness upon humanity.
[1] Note of the translator: Here, the terms fatherhood and motherhood are not limited to biological parenthood but extend to the way we care for, guide, nurture and help others grow spiritually.
[2] A nucleus can be called a cell, which is made of a group of two or more people, who are spiritually united with God.
