Holy Family of Bordeaux - Province of Ireland and Britain

The message in today’s Gospel is an uncompromising statement on the cost of discipleship. To be a follower of Christ is not something we should consider lightly, because the demands it makes are heavy ones. It is our nature to avoid the cross, but we must keep in mind the words of Jesus : “You cannot be my disciple unless you carry your cross.”

In all of his encyclicals, Pope John Paul II pointed to the witness of the martyrs from all christian denominations as a sign of the unity of the Church. The martyrs are witnesses of radical discipleship because they were prepared to lay down their lives for their faith. One such martyr was Dietrick Bonhoeffer who refused to recant his faith and defied the Gestapo during World War II.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to live good, holy and pleasing lives, and this will require dedication, focus, application and a sure and solid foundation.

The feast of All Souls commemorates the faithful departed, those who die in God’s faith and friendship. We are encouraged to remember and pray for the faithful departed, those members of our families and friends who have gone before us. From the beginning the Church has honoured the memory of the dead, and offers up prayers, petitions and intercessions for the repose of their souls.

Through baptism we have begun to share in the life of Christ, and so we prepare for the fullness of that life in heaven. Faith in the victory of the cross lifts us to a new vision, a new future where death is not the end, but simply a passage to a new life.

The prophet Isaiah gives us a vision of a sumptuous meal prepared by God for his people. All are fed with the richest of fod and the finest of wines and all are satisfied. This is Heaven.

Today we celebrate the feast of all the Saints who have died and gone before us marked with the sign of faith. They have passed from this life to the next and are in God’s presence.

A priest once asked a group of children if anyone could define a saint. One youngster, thinking of the beautiful stained glass window in her Parish Church said : “A saint is a person whom the light shines through.” The Apostles, martyrs, virgins and other holy men and women allowed God’s light to shine through their words and actions.

The values of the Kingdom are about humility, meekness, submitting to God and putting others first. This feast challenges us to live the Beatitudes in our daily lives, and today’s Gospel passage gives us a deep insight into the qualities that marked the lives of the saints. Their example spurs us on to follow the road of holiness, and to live so as to bring God’s light into a world that knows all too much darkness. May the light of the Lord shine through us all.