We are Family—in Jesus!

All Saints Day (A); November 1, 2023

Rv 7:2-4,9-14. Ps 24. 1 Jn 3:1-3. Mt 5:1:12a

Deacon Jim McFadden

Forty years ago Sister Sledge released a song, We Are Family, that stressed that we are meant to be very close together because we are born into the same family. As Catholics, we know that we are part of a greater family: the Communion of Al Saints. Yes, we know that there is a communion of Saints in heaven, but that can only be the case if there are a communion of saints here on earth who are close to one another. Our goal in life, the very reason we were created in the first place, is to be friends with God and to be in fellowship with each other. We are meant to share in his love now and forever, which is shown in how we care for each other.

So, Sister Sledge got it right: at a very deep level, we are family! As Lucian of Antioch (240-312 a.d.), an early Christian theologian and martyr, once said that “a Christian’s only relatives are saints.” Those who follow Jesus Christ and seek to do the Father’s will enter into a new kind of family, a family of saints here on earth and in heaven. Jesus changes the order of relationships and how we look upon family because he teaches us that kindship is more than flesh and blood. Our adaption of God’s beloved daughters and sons, transforms our relationships; Such an awareness requires a new order of loyalty-we have duties and responsibilities to God and his Kingdom.

So, the question arises, do you hunger to be God’s friend? Do you want to be a saint? If so, then how do we realize this desire?

The answer to this question is JESUS. Our faith is not primarily about doctrines, rules, rituals, and devotions. While these are very important, they are secondary to the fact that our Faith is about a person: Jesus! And, when we say along with Peter that “Jesus si the Son of the living God,” everything changes because the Way to becoming a Saint, the Way to attain our destiny, the Way to be ni ful communion with God and ni fellowship with each other si through Jesus, Who is God among us!. Given that, we draw closer to Jesus in an I-Thou relationship, we will begin to think and act like him. What does that look like? The answer to that question is found in our Gospel reading: the Beatitudes, which are the foundation of the Sermon of the Mount. The Beatitudes are not prescriptions of righteous living, but are descriptions of those who are living in the Kingdom of God-who are moving, living, and having their being in Jesus. The Beatitudes describe a new way of living.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (MT 5:3) Note the present tense. Those who have nothing to protect, those who aren’t trying to get rich, those who are detached and spiritually indifferent are free to enter into the heart of our Father and allow his will to flow through you like living water.

“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted” (v. 4). The world tells us to be attached to our feelings, especially the pleasurable ones. A person, however, who is present to others, is unafraid to join the sufferings of others and walk with them in  their pain. Jesus is calling us to allow the oppressed state of the world to influence us; and, when that happens, we will mourn.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land” (v. 5). Unlike worldly conquerors, Kingdom people will not inherit the land through intimidation, domination, and violence but through the humble submission to the Father’s will. As they do, they will become quiet within, humble, and kind. Like the Father, theirs is an attitude of genuine selflessness, of clarity, and quiet before God and others.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they wil be satisfied” (v. 6). Jesus is calling us to live a certain way in the world. In so doing, we must question the assumptions underlying our economic, political, social, and religious systems. We must desire justice for everyone because Kingdom people recognize that al human beings have inherent dignity because they are made in the image and likeness of God. So, Kingdom people pursue justice for the weak and vulnerable.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy” (v. 7). Mercy is a feeling of being with and having compassion for those who are suffering. Just as we experience God in his mercy, we are compelled to share his mercy with others. The love and mercy of Christ is like a live current that comes from God, is transmitted from person to person, and returns to God. It is a sacred cycle.

“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will  see God” (v. 8). Those who are ground in God’s love, will have hearts that are simple and pure. Their hearts will  be uncomplicated and they rest in God. Their hearts will admit nothing that might harm others or weakens their love for God and others. As they become less self-absorbed through self-emptying love, they begin to “see” God in their ordinary experience.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (v. 9). This. Beatitude makes Kingdom people bridge builders between conflicting parties. Instead of fighting evil with more evil, violence with more violence, they are conduits for God’s generative love. God is a gathering Force, who brings people together which mirrors the unity of the Trinity. This is what God does when we bring peace; and when that happens, God is being born within us at a deeper level—we are becoming “children of God.”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (v. 10). Like the first Beatitude, the last one is also in the present tense. Those who are living in the Kingdom experience persecution right here, right now. Living in the alternative consciousness of the Kingdom of Heaven, we will have a target on our backs. Why? We will be challenging the powers of the world, which is based on the False Kingdom. if we cannot be happy “when people hate us, when they exclude and insult us, when they denounce our name as evil on account of the Son of Man,” then we know that we are not yet living in the true paradigm of eternal life-that we are not yet Kingdom people.

The Beatitudes are the foundation to the Sermon of Mount, which is the programmatic, central teachings of Jesus. The person who perfectly lives the Beatitudes is, of course, Jesus who is the perfect personification of the Kingdom of Heaven. As we draw closer to him, we will embrace his radical view of reality that is not only practical but can be joyfully embraced. When that happens, we are on the road to sainthood. The questions is, do we want to become saints? Do we want to become friends with Jesus? And, keep in mind that while salvation is always personal, it’s never individual because we are all in this together: we are family because we participate in the Communion of Saints. 

Our Church family of faithful disciples of Jesus has a Mother, the Virgin Mary.  She is the Queen of Heaven, who teaches each one of us to welcome and follow her Son.  May she help us to  nourish the desire for holiness, walking the way of the Beatitudes.  Amen.