Sermon: All Saints Day

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The Book Ecclesiasticus is from the Apocrypha, and the 44th chapter begins,

Let us now sing the praises of famous men,
our ancestors in their generations.
The Lord apportioned to them great glory,
his majesty from the beginning.

So, on this All Saints Day, let us.

About the year 115 a.d. there lived a man we know as Ignatius of Antioch. Except for a brief history, all we know of him comes to us through legend and seven letters he wrote. Concerning the legend, do you remember the story of the little boy that Jesus picked up? Having brought the child into the midst of the disciples, Jesus said, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mark 9:37) Well, the legend of Ignatius tells us that he was this child. Legend/history tells us that Ignatius would go on to become Bishop in Antioch. During one of the many persecutions, he was captured and taken to Rome for trial. He would be tried and executed for treason. However, during the journey between Antioch and Rome, his guards treated him somewhat civilly and were sympathetic to the elderly man, so they allowed him to write letters to the believers back home. Seven of those letters survive to this day, and through them, some of the foundational stones of the Christian Church were laid, especially as they relate to Holy Scripture, the Creeds, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, and the liturgy. Ignatius of Antioch is clearly a Saint in the Christian Church. Let us sing the praises of Ignatius.

Let’s change one word of the verse from Ecclesiasticus and say, “Let us now sing the praises of famous women.” The Blessed Virgin Mary is the most famous, but many others exist. During the time of Emperor Septimus Severus in the early third century, it was illegal to convert to Christianity. This likely deterred some, but not all. If the officials became aware, the convert was arrested and given the opportunity to recant. They were then required to make sacrifices to the Roman gods. Only then could they go about their business. If they refused, they were put to death. Felicity and Perpetua were two women who refused to recant their faith even though they had both only recently been baptized and both had just had children. On the day of their execution, they were given one last chance to recant, and when they refused, a wild bull was released into the cage where they were and trampled. Wounded by the animal, they gave each other the kiss of peace and were then put to the sword. Felicity and Perpetua are martyr saints in the Christian Church. Let us sing the praises of Felicity and Perpetua.

We could do this all day and not even hear the tip of the iceberg because the Church recognizes more than 10,000 official Saints. And when we begin to include individuals such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Martyrs of Uganda, C.S. Lewis, and Evelyn Underhill, the list seems endless. However, we are still not done singing praises. Why? There are many more in the making. Today, my question for you is, “How are you becoming a Saint?” For becoming a saint should be the desire of us all. How do you go about it? My friend, St. Josemaría Escrivá wrote, “Do you really want to be a saint? Carry out the little duty of each moment: do what you ought and concentrate on what you are doing.” (The Way, 815)

Follow in the footsteps of the Saints, and in the end, not only will you hear others sing your praises, but you will hear Jesus as well when He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant…. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21)