Why I Love November 1

 

I love November 1!

I think I have loved it since I have been a kid, but really I am only starting to grasp it

more and more as I age.

Why do I love November 1?        It is All Saints Day!

What is there not to love about the saints? Ordinary men, women  and children who struggled with life at times, who were sinners, who gave all they could, who tried each day to be the best they could be, who tried to reflect Christ in their actions and words and when they failed (like we do) they tried again. What is there not to love about that? Remember they did not get their halos until after they died!

I have carried an anonymous quote around with me for years that says:

Saints are saints, because they are cheerful when it is difficult to be cheerful; patient when it is difficult to be patient; because they push forward when they want to stand still; they keep silent when they want to talk; they are agreeable when they want to be disagreeable. That’s all. It’s really quite simple.

 

I love this quote for it reminds me to keep my focus on Christ. It is not about being a pushover, or boasting, or being dull. No, it is all about being a reflection of Christ in all that I do.

This past week in one of my classes, one of my classmates said this about our journey:

We are called not be of our time, but to be of Christ.

Again another reflection of how we are called to be saints. We are called not to get caught up in the fixings of everything that is presented to us, rather we are called to keep focused on Christ to utilize those fixings. So we can help heal our corner of our broken world, to be cheerful, patient, a do-er, a listener, a supporter, to have an attitude of thanksgiving, to have a being-attitude.

And again this past week a priest remind us at Mass:

Thanksgiving should shape who we are.

 

Again the saints shine through with this thought and so can we. We are called to give thanks to God always, to realize that God is present in all parts of our life. The priest also reminded us that in the word thanksgiving is the word give. We are called to give. How do we give of ourselves? How do we give to build the kingdom?

This leads me to the gospel for All Saint Day which is the Beatitudes. Their message is the challenge to live a life of being, to work at our call to sainthood. Being agents of goodness, of change, of kindness, being who God created us to be.

As the Beatitudes remind us we are blessed, no matter who we are, where we are, what we do. God loves us that much, for we are all Saints in the making.

And that my friends, is why I love November 1!

Holy Saints,

Help us to walk with Christ,

Help us to be ourselves, the gift that we each are,

Help us to claim our blessedness.

We give you thanks for your great witness and inspiration.

You help point the way to Christ, so we may drawer near.

Thank you.

Amen.

As November unfolds, I encourage you to find a saint or several saints and read about them, and pray with them, maybe 1 a week, or one every couple of days. Something I do each night is I end with a prayer to a saint for the day. I like that I get to connect with the great company of heaven. I hope you will too. Don't forget to pray for our deceased loved ones during this month of Holy Souls, they too are counted among the saints.

St. Michael...

St. Francis…

St. Br. Andre…

St. Clare…

St. Kateri…

St. Elizabeth…

All Holy Men and Women…

                                                            Pray for us