November
Wednesday

SAINTHOOD
...I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. -- Revelation 7:9

Our first impression of All Saint's Day is the annual trek to memorial parks and cemeteries to remember our departed ones and reflect on our own mortality. What do the saints have to do with our dearly departed?

In Paul's letter to the Romans, he says to the people there, "...to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. " (Romans 1:7) Which meant that, as believers, they were set apart and made holy for God. Those who have preceded us in death are now part of the multitude in today's versesaints in the kingdom of God.

Some saints, by God's grace, have been such true examples of their calling that the Church elevates them as models for Christians to follow. But every professing Christian is called to sainthood-living a life dedicated to the Lord and serving Him alone.

Today, as we remember our beloved dead, let us send up a prayer to the Saints that the Church has honored; asking them to pray that we might live according to the calling that God has `given us as saints on earth. Cindy G.

REFLECTION:
The best way to honor a saint is to follow his or her example.

When I remember the Saints, the Heroes of faith, I am moved to love You more, O God.

St. Austremonius,
bishop,
pray for us.