Homily for Sunday of All Saints, 15 June 2014--A Great Cloud of Witnesses

Homily for 15 June 2014:  Sunday of All Saints

(Hebrews 11:33-12:2)                    (Matthew 10:32-38, 19:27-30)

 

Today is the Sunday of All Saints.

Of course we remember and honor certain saints by name every day of the year—some are famous, some are not.  We remember and honor certain saints by name in the prayers and services of the Church.  And we have our personal devotions to certain saints—maybe those for whom we are named, maybe according to family or village traditions, maybe because of personal experience or inspiration.

But today the Church reminds us that all Christians—all of us, and all of those who have gone before us, and all those who will come after us—are called to be saints:  the “Holy Ones” of God.

St Paul reminds us of this when he calls the saints a “great cloud of witnesses.”  He also reminds us of what we have to do in order to join that great cloud of witnesses.  And in today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus Christ gives us some very clear—and also pretty difficult—advice on how to live holy lives.

When St Paul calls the saints “a great cloud of witnesses,” he’s telling us two very important things.

First, like a cloud, the saints are sort of above us and around us.  Sometimes they are closer and heavier; sometimes more distant and fluffy (if we can imagine fluffy saints!).  Sometimes they storm; sometimes they provide shade.  Like the droplets of moisture that form a cloud, the individual saints form this great cloud of witnesses.

Second, the saints are a cloud of witnesses:  they have a function, to be examples to the world and to us—examples of Christian faith and life.  Like the people of the Old Testament that St Paul describes, different saints have different talents, different experiences, different ways of witnessing.  But all their words and actions and trials and sufferings and deaths are meaningless unless they are connected to faith.

This is true for us, too.  Jesus says, “Whoever acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father,” but “whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

We can’t call ourselves Christians unless we live as Christians.  We have to live in a way that joins us to that “great cloud of witnesses”—God’s holy ones.  This takes determination and effort.  It’s not going to happen unless we work at it all the time, every day.

First, according to St Paul, we “must rid ourselves of every burden and sin” that holds on to us and holds us back from living holy lives.  This means we have to look honestly at ourselves, discover and admit our shortcomings and failures, and repent—turn ourselves around in the right direction.

Second, that right direction is following the lead of Jesus Christ.  We have to “persevere in running the race, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.”  He has done it; He is showing us how; He wants us to succeed.

Third, we have to follow Jesus openly, not secretly.  We should never be afraid to thank and praise Him for creating us, loving us, guiding us, saving us—in whatever situation or company.

Fourth, we have to put Jesus first in our lives.  It’s kind of hard to hear Jesus say, “Whoever loves father or mother, or son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me.”  But our family is not God; we must not worship them.  They are gifts from God, so we must treasure them.  The best way to do this is by living holy lives and setting a good example.  Parents have to be witnesses to their children, showing them how to put Christ first, ahead of selfish desires.  Let your children see you pray, teach them to enjoy coming to church, share with them the goodness of helping others.

Finally, we can’t expect rewards in this life.  Being Christian is not easy or comfortable or profitable in worldly terms.  The only reward that counts is the joy of eternal life in God’s love.  That is the reward that awaits us when, by God’s grace, we join all the saints in that “great cloud of witnesses,” giving thanks and praise and glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever and unto ages of ages.  Amen.