Homily for the Solemnity of All Saints

All Saints Day, which we celebrate today, is not simply a day on which we honor those who have attained sainthood; it is also a day when we celebrate our call to follow and become disciples of Jesus, our call to live the lives of the saints.

The late Trappist monk Thomas Merton was once asked, “How does one become a saint?”

There are many answers to that question: the proof of a miracle and the living out of a holy life. Of course, technically, one isn’t made a saint by the Church; the Church recognizes the sanctity of the person’s life and the belief that the person is in heaven.

But sainthood is the byproduct of a larger goal – to know and to love God with all our hearts, with all our minds, and with all our souls. Such a strong and pure desire is what each of us is called to possess, and those who live out that passion in every aspect of their lives achieve that byproduct of sainthood.

But sanctity is something that we should all strive for in our lives. The lives of the saints that we celebrate today and throughout the year are models of inspiration for us in our pursuit to be one with God.

Let us pray that the saints will be examples of holiness for us and that their lives will give us the inspiration we need to truly live as God’s holy people.