Solemnity of All Saints
In 2009, Abbot Gregory gave a homily on the Beatitudes that I find quite fine and worth offering for our reflection. Here is the gist of it:
We begin to see God’s blessed ones in places it would not have occurred for us to look. We begin to see that the poor in spirit, the meek and those who mourn are not just people we can help, but the very people who can help us, and that their hunger and thirst for God are not voids to be filled, but appetites to be envied. … we see that peace-makers today are really physicians who heal both body and spirit, lawyers who fight for justice, farmers who feed us, police who protect us, teachers who incite us to learn; parents who never stop being parents; and the list could go on….And to make its mark, when all these things are done with love, compassion, patience, and generosity, we know this world’s peacemakers are only handing out what they have already received in abundance. These are “the people that long to see [God’s] face,” and find the face of God in those who are in need; who rejoice in being known as “children of God,” who desire to be called God’s holy ones.
In summary, “Jesus redefined the good life in nine short sentences and held them out for all of us to see.”
Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections