by Fr. Tommy Lane
Today’s feast is a beautiful feast. We are celebrating all the saints in heaven, those canonized and those not canonized. We hope that our departed relatives and friends are among the saints in heaven. In case they have not yet arrived at this most blessed state, we pray especially for them during this month that they may quickly reach the destination which we all hope one day to reach: heaven.
Anyone who is in heaven is a saint. We honor them all today. There must be billions of saints in heaven not canonized. Our first reading (Rev 7:2-4, 9-14) was John’s vision of the saints in heaven. Not only do we honor the saints today and thank God for his glory which we see reflected in their lives on earth, but we also ask the saints to intercede for us, to pray for us. We adore God and only God, but we venerate the saints. As well as praying directly to God, we can also pray to the saints to ask them to intercede before God for us.
Our ease with praying to the saints is a great blessing that we enjoy in the Catholic Church unlike most other Christian denominations. Others recognize saints and are happy to pray with them to God as brothers and sisters, but we pray to the saints, asking the saints to intercede for us, to pray for us to God, to present our petitions to God, to represent us to God. This is a great blessing that we enjoy. Perhaps many of us are already aware of the power of the intercession of the saints for us. How many have received blessings from Our Lady. How many have received favors from saints such as Padre Pio, who is now St. Pius of Pietrelcina. How many have received blessings from St. Thérèse of Lisieux. And there are countless other canonized saints that we can invoke to help us. Exorcists invoke the intercession of the saints, and an exorcist, in a talk that I heard, said the demons fear the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II. The intercession of Pope St. John Paul II must be very powerful. The exorcist also said demons fear the Rosary, so the rosary is very powerful.
On this feast of All Saints, as we thank God for the saints, I would like to suggest that we reflect on the importance and power of the intercession of the saints. I say this because I am not sure if we fully appreciate the power of the intercession of the saints for us. Find a saint friend in heaven if you do not already have one. May I suggest that we cultivate a friendship with one saint in particular if we do not already have a saint friend. Read about his or her life, some of his or her writings, ask him or her to take you under his or her protection. Ask your saint friend to pray to God for you, to intercede before God for you, to guide you. Saints are in heaven, so they are continually in the presence of God and see God. Our second reading said of the next life, “we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) The saints have been completely healed of all the things that hold us back: our sinfulness, and our weaknesses. The beatitudes of our Gospel today are fulfilled in them (Matt 5:1-12). There is nothing separating them from God. They have been saved from all their sins. They are uniquely positioned to pray and intercede for us. Surely, they would be honored if we ask them to present our petitions to God. Every time we pray the Rosary, we ask one saint, Our Lady, over and over again to pray for us, as we say,
Holy Mary,
Mother
of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2021
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for November 1: Solemnity of All Saints
The saints: friends in heaven interceding for us 2020
The saints, transformed in heaven, see God 2018
United with the saints in heaven during this Mass 2006
The saints remind us who we are
The saints have reproduced in their lives Jesus’ victory over evil
The communion of saints and our glorious future
Gospel: Homilies on the Beatitudes
Second Reading related: Love of God for us 2009
stories about saints and Halloween