LATEST HOMILY
SOLEMNITY of ALL the SAINTS
November 1, 2026

Since the end of the 2nd century, the early Church has venerated the saints, especially during the great persecution under the Roman Empire. Tertullian wrote in his Apologeticus: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” The practice of the veneration of saints began in the early 4th century with the Eastern Orthodox Church. In 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Mother and all the Martyrs on May 13th. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III transferred the solemnity from May 13th to November 1st when he consecrated a chapel to all the saints in Saint Peter’s Basilica. In the 9th century, Pope Gregory IV issued a mandate making November 1st the Solemnity for all the Saints within the entire Latin Church. The necessity for the veneration of saints is evident in the way the Church, throughout time, not only established a date for all the saints, but also a need to remember the lives of those who left an example of how to have life in Christ. 

The saints and martyrs throughout the life of the Church have always been the model of Christian excellence! They illustrated what it meant to live an extraordinary life in Christ. Many of the saints and martyrs were great heroes and heroines who gave up everything they had, even their lives, for the sake of Christ and the gospel. It was never the Church’s mission to only recognize Saints who did grandiose and glorious deeds for the Church, but rather those whose lives made a difference in the world because they knew Christ. This is the definition of a Christian and the necessity of one who longs to be a saint. Being a saint is not only about great works of charity and performing heroic deeds; sometimes such good works can cause one to fall into the temptation of egoism and self-gratification. The paradox is actually what draws more souls to Christ. The quiet one, like Saint Therese of Lisieux, who does little things with great love, is one who causes even great theologians to wonder: where is it we find the love and mercy of God? Is it in the great philosophy of Aquinas or in the Confessions of Augustine? Of course it is! But it is also in the task we do out of humble obedience that God’s Mercy moves us to love more. Are we all called to be like Ignatius of Loyola to establish an entire Society of Jesus to promote evangelization and education across the world, or are we called to be like Saint Joseph Cupertino, who was not the brightest but lived an immense life of holiness to the point that he levitated into God’s glory? I say we are called to be like both, not simply because of what they have done, but because their lives made a difference in the world because they knew Jesus Christ. My friends, if we have not figured it out as yet, the greatest aspiration or achievement in this life is not simply to do good works so that we may experience heaven, but rather to know Christ and be changed so that we may experience heaven from within. 

The blessed life of the Saints and martyrs is only possible because they came to know Jesus! They followed the true path of discipleship found in Mary, his mother, and realized the life they lived was far smaller compared to what God was calling them to. Everything they once had in their lives did not matter once they found Christ Jesus. Every earthly pleasure, every earthly possession did not matter and never mattered once they found the blessed life in Christ. No matter the deed, no matter the mission, and no matter the trial, everything was worth it because they loved Jesus. So, we must ask ourselves the question: Is it easy to be a saint? I do not think so. But do the saints inspire us to be like them? Without a doubt! Because they have achieved the same reality we are striving for: to love Christ with our entire being. To understand and live out that Jesus is all that matters in our lives, and because of him, may good deeds be as fruitful as his love for us! Good deeds and extraordinary lives are the beauty of the Saintly life, but a life that recognizes it is nothing without Jesus and loves him with a disinterested love, a love that has no alternative motives or prerequisites, is the foundation of a life in Christ that will last forever. So, strive for the highest vocation in life, friends, which is to be saints, but above all strive to love. 

AMEN.