The Gospel for the Feast of All Saints is taken from Matthew fifth chapter, first through the twelfth verse. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
Jesus giving his disciples a list of what he would call blessings, things that come from the love of God for us. And it’s interesting because they are not always things that we would want, but they are the things that we need. And so what Jesus is trying to describe as living in the kingdom of God is not living in a place of judgment and condemnation and what’s going on in ourselves or the world, as much as it’s a searching for what is valuable in everything. The good things, the difficult things, the bad things. We are blessed because God is with us. The Holy Spirit inspires us.
We’re both enjoying all that we are given and accepting all the pain that is part of that process. After your reflection, I will close with a prayer. SA Satan Satan Sam Sa Closing prayer Father, awaken us to a disposition of acceptance, even curiosity and wonder about all the things happening around us, both positive and negative. Help us to have the conviction that you are in charge and that nothing, nothing will keep us from your kingdom. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.