The Solemnity of All Saints falls on a Sunday this year.  On this day of celebration, we celebrate all the men and women through the centuries who have loved Jesus with a radical love.   The Church celebrates all the saints, including both formally canonized saints and ordinary faithful Christians who lived holy lives.    

The Solemnity of All Saints is part of the three-day Allhallowtide triduum starting with Halloween on October 31.  On All Hallows Eve (Halloween), many of our children dress up as superheroes like Superman, Spider-man, Wonder Woman, Captain America, and SuperKitties (heroic cats – eek!).  With the saints, we celebrate God’s superheroes, who put Christ at the center of their lives and made Him known and lived out of their faith with their personalities and gifts. 

Allhallowtide ends with All Souls’ Day on November 2 where the Church offers Masses and prays for the faithful departed who are believed to be undergoing purification in purgatory.  By offering our love and prayers for the faithful departed, we can speed them along their way of being with the Lord forever in heaven.    

In our first reading from the Book of Revelation today, John sees quite a bit of activity surrounding God’s throne.  God’s throne is a symbol of His authority and divine majesty.  God is the source of life, the object of worship, and the goal of creation.  The saints refused to give their hearts to any throne on earth, but only to God and His throne.

For atheists, there is no throne.  For agnostics, there may be a throne, but we cannot know anything about it.  For secular humanists, there is a throne, but they sit on it.  For cats, they think that they belong on the throne.  For Christians, their whole lives are ordered around the throne, and therefore, their lives are rightly ordered.  

Around the throne, John tells us that there are four living creatures.   They symbolize all lower creation.   They also symbolize the four gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who testify to the life, suffering, death, and Resurrection of Christ.

Along with the four living creatures, John tells us that there are twenty-four elders around the throne.  They symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Apostles of Christ.  In other words, the entire people of God – those of the old and new covenants – are worshipping around God’s throne.  

 Additionally, John tells us that there are multitudes of angels around God’s throne.  The angels are God’s spiritual messengers, filled with light, ready to do God’s will and carry it out quickly.  They also assist us in loving God and serving Him, particularly, our guardian angels.  

John also tells us that there are 144,000 around the throne.  This is a symbolic number - 12 x 12 x 1,000 = 144,000 – which symbolizes all Christians and those open to doing God’s will, the espoused Wife of Jesus, or the Communion of Saints.  They are sealed with the Holy Spirit, imbued with divine life, and persevere through tribulation.

Finally, John tells us that there is a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.  They have white robes, a symbol of their baptismal garments and an expression that they share in Christ’s Resurrection.  They hold palm branches, a symbol of victory over sin and death.   They are all engaged in liturgical worship, and crying out with joy and gratitude that God is their salvation.  

In short, the Book of Revelation presents all of creation – the four evangelists, the people of the old and new covenants, countless angels, and a whole multitude of saints - worshipping the living and true God, who lives and reigns forever and ever.  And they reign with Him because they love and serve Him!  

Naturally, the Lord invites you to always keep Him at the center of your lives, every day, so that you may participate in this heavenly choir of worship.  You add to this heavenly symphony of praise with your unique personality and personal love.  

May you be inspired by the saints who kept the Lord at the center of their lives so that like them, you may be fully alive in Christ in this life and the next for the praise, honor, and glory of God.  
                                                            ~All Saints in Heaven, pray for us!