20261101 SAINTS ARE CALLED TO SHARE IN THE LIFE OF GOD BY LIVING OUT THE BEATITUDES OF CHRIST
01 November 2026, Sunday, All Saints
First reading |
Apocalypse 7:2-4,9-14 |
I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language
I, John, saw another angel rising where the sun rises, carrying the seal of the living God; he called in a powerful voice to the four angels whose duty was to devastate land and sea, ‘Wait before you do any damage on land or at sea or to the trees, until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.’ Then I heard how many were sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel.
After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, ‘Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four animals, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words, ‘Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen.’
One of the elders then spoke, and asked me, ‘Do you know who these people are, dressed in white robes, and where they have come from?’ I answered him, ‘You can tell me, my lord.’ Then he said, ‘These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 23(24):1-6 |
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.
Second reading | 1 John 3:1-3 |
We shall be like God because we shall see him as he really is
Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us,
by letting us be called God’s children;
and that is what we are.
Because the world refused to acknowledge him,
therefore it does not acknowledge us.
My dear people, we are already the children of God
but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;
all we know is, that when it is revealed
we shall be like him
because we shall see him as he really is.
Surely everyone who entertains this hope
must purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 5:1-12a |
How happy are the poor in spirit
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
‘How happy are the poor in spirit;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle:
they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers:
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’
SAINTS ARE CALLED TO SHARE IN THE LIFE OF GOD BY LIVING OUT THE BEATITUDES OF CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [REV 7:2-4, 9-14; 1 JN 3:1-3; MT 5:1-12]
“Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.” It is truly a great privilege of ours to be called and chosen as God’s children. In other words, John tells us that we are all created to share in the intimacy of God’s life. Our origin and destiny lie in our relationship with God, and our calling in life is therefore bound to that destiny. This means our life on earth is but the flowering of the divine life already given to us at birth, and especially at our baptism. We are called to live out our divine sonship in this life so that, one day, we will attain the fullness of sonship and become like God, sharing in His life fully–which is another way of saying that “we shall see him as he really is.”
This presents a real challenge because living out our sonship is not easy. We constantly face trials and sufferings, and we are repeatedly called to choose between sin and God. The reality is that some of us have chosen against Him because we have forgotten our origin and destiny. That is why St. John says, “because the world refused to acknowledge him, therefore it does not acknowledge us.” By choosing against God, we choose sin, evil, and ultimately death. Because none of us is living our lives fully as children of God, we must purify ourselves in love. Like the saints and martyrs before us whose robes were washed white by the blood of the Lamb, we too must be purified by that same blood.
How, then, are we purified by the blood of the Lamb? We should not take this expression too literally, as though the physical blood of Jesus washes us clean. Rather, it is a metaphorical way of explaining how Jesus, through His life and death, showed us the path to holiness. This path is revealed in today’s Beatitudes–the blueprint Jesus provides for our journey toward the Kingdom, which He lived out in His own life. What Jesus teaches us is rooted in His deepest convictions, for which He ultimately surrendered His life on the cross. What, then, is this blueprint?
First, we are called to be poor in spirit. This simply means that only those who are receptive to the Spirit can find true happiness. This docility requires openness and a humble recognition of our limitations. As long as we remain open to growth and learning, we will receive opportunities to conform our lives to God’s. Conversely, those who think they know everything cannot grow, blocked by pride and self-sufficiency.
Second, we are called to be gentle. In the Gospel, gentleness implies meekness and sensitivity. Unless we are sensitive toward ourselves and others, we cannot live in communion with those around us. To be sensitive is to be aware of our own actions and feelings; in doing so, we become attentive to the feelings, needs, and dignity of our fellow human beings. Without gentleness and sensitivity, we cannot treat others with genuine love and respect.
Third, to live in the communion of saints, Jesus tells us we must mourn. Those who mourn will be comforted. To mourn is to repent of our sinfulness and our lack of love. It means recognising our weaknesses and resolving not to repeat them. Mourning requires us to understand the true depth of our sins, so that conversion springs not from mere guilt, but from authentic sorrow for our actions.
Fourth, the Beatitudes call us to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Striving for truth, justice, and righteousness is a clear sign that we are in communion with the saints. If we fail to stand up against the oppression of our brothers and sisters, we have not fulfilled our role in this communion. There will be no peace and joy in our lives if we turn a blind eye to the suffering of others; how can we pretend everything is fine when our neighbour suffers? Indeed, it is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing what is wrong, and not doing anything to defend the rights of others is a sin of omission.
Fifth, we are told, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” There is profound truth in this beatitude: we experience the mercy of God only when we learn to extend mercy to others. To be merciful is to be compassionate, identifying with others and walking with them in their sufferings. As we grow in mercy, we also learn to appreciate and thank God for our present circumstances. Compassion reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles. Thus, in showing mercy to others, we also show mercy to ourselves, recognising the vast mercy God has shown to us.
Sixth, the saints of God must be pure in heart, for only then can they see God. Purity of heart requires purity of mind. When a person’s intentions and thoughts are pure, they are neither malicious nor judgemental. A pure heart belongs to one who maintains a clear conscience and strives to live according to the Gospel. Those who lack purity of heart and live with unresolved guilt will inevitably live in fear. They become afraid not only of facing God, but also of looking others in the eye, knowing deep down that they are not being truthful. They are trapped by guilt, greed, and anxiety. However, the person with a pure mind and heart moves through life freely. Freed from internal conflict, they carry no heavy burden of guilt and are able to recognise God’s goodness both in others and within themselves. Thus, the pure in heart see God in everyone and, most of all, within their own souls.
Seventh, Jesus tells us that a saint must be a peacemaker. Why? Because as members of the communion of saints, we do not live in isolation. To truly reflect Christ is to care deeply for others. If a member of our own family were alienated, we would naturally want to reconcile them. Living the life of the communion of saints necessarily makes us peacemakers. We avoid causing disunity or suffering, choosing instead to build unity through mutual respect. Furthermore, we carry the responsibility to help reconcile those who are estranged from one another or from God. In doing so, we are called children of God, for Jesus, the Son of God, is the ultimate mediator of our reconciliation with the Father.
Finally, Jesus teaches that true happiness comes to those who are persecuted for His sake. To suffer persecution for truth is to suffer on account of Jesus. Even when we face opposition for proclaiming His name and living out the Gospel, we can rejoice, knowing we have done what is right. It is far better to die in the service of life than to die a selfish death or live as an accomplice to evil and social injustice. There is immense joy in knowing we have suffered for Jesus, because the deepest fulfilment in life comes when we give of ourselves for the salvation of others. No greater love can a man give than to lay down his life for his friends–and better still, for his enemies.
As we celebrate All Saints’ Day, let us thank God for the gift of divine life He has bestowed upon us. We pray for His grace to bring to completion the good work He has begun in us, so that the seed of divine life within us may flourish into the fullness of His Kingdom. As John tells us, when that day comes, we will share in the fullness of life far beyond human imagination. One thing is certain: there will be total joy and total love as we dwell with God in His Kingdom forever.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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