The Holy Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints. Every Catholic man can grow in happiness by building the Virtue of Gratitude so he can joyfully and reverently observe Holy Days and by growing in the Virtue of Piety so he can be fortified by the Communion of Saints.
Liturgy
Solemnity of All Saints – November 1 – Mt 5:1-12a
Commentary
In Matthew 5-7, Jesus, God Himself, ascends a mountain in Galilee to deliver The Sermon on the Mount, a summary of the New Covenant, a perfection of the Old Covenant.
Jesus begins with eight Beatitudes (happinesses), revealing men can find happiness in this life and perfect happiness in the life to come. In this life, men must: rely completely on Almighty God’s mercy; mourn the scourge of sin and suffer trials; endure injustice with humble patience and kindness to others; make the pursuit of personal holiness their unrelenting goal; forgive and serve others; resist lustful and other evil thoughts; live peacefully; accept persecution by imitating Jesus. In the life to come, men who persevere in the Beatitudes will receive the perfection of peace and joy through the never-ending contemplation of God.
Those who have received the fullness of Jesus’ promise of the Beatitudes are the Saints in Heaven. Since the early days of the Church, those martyred or who have lived extraordinarily holy lives, were venerated on specific feast days during the year. As the Church grew worldwide over the millennia, the number of saints grew to far exceed the number of days in the year. The Solemnity (Liturgical feast of the highest rank and reverence) of All Saints Day was formalized in the 8th century to honor the saints in Heaven, both those canonized (recognized) by the Church for their obvious miraculous deeds and those unknown saints who have not been canonized.
Be awed by Jesus Christ
Marvel at Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as He proclaims the Beatitudes: Divine Knowledge, Jesus offers supernatural insights from His first-hand experience into the mysterious reality of Heaven; Divine Mercy, in His perfect Compassion, Jesus gives men the Beatitudes to Inspire Hope of the happiness to come to those who suffer in the world but believe in Him.
Joyfully and reverently observe the Holy Days
Realize: Today’s diseased culture has disgraced traditional holy days by turning them into unholy parties: the Vigil of All Saints (Halloween, morbid, childish, greed for candy), Christmas (Santa Claus, commercialism, sentimentalism), St. Valentine’s Day (sex, romance), St. Patrick’s Day (Irishness, drunkenness), and Easter (bunnies, eggs, and candy). For millennia, Holy Days have been designated by Christ’s Holy Catholic Church as special liturgical days to give special praise and glory to God, and to draw all men back to Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
Believe: Reflect upon Holy Days of Obligation (CCC 1163, 1173, 1195, 2042, 2177, 2180, 2185, 2192-2193).
Pray: All the Saints, pray that I grow in the Virtue of Gratitude (part of Justice) so I am always filled with thankfulness for God’s many blessings in my life and I am inspired to always honor and praise Him, especially on Holy Days.
Be fortified by the Communion of Saints
Realize: The Solemnity of All Saints confirms the astounding reality that every Catholic man has a real supernatural union with the Saints in Heaven, the greatest humans who have ever lived, including the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist, the Apostles, every Doctor of the Church, every martyr who died for the faith, and every other saint in Heaven; every saint has the charity and power to intercede for every Catholic man.
Believe: Reflect upon the Communion of Saints (CCC 946-962, 2683).
Pray: All the Saints, pray that I grow in the Virtue of Piety so I remember to honor and give thanks for the saints in Heaven and I seek the intercession of my patron saints and other saints who can help me with my particular battles in the Spiritual Combat.