Today, we celebrate a singular feast in recalling all those who have been designated as "saints" as well as those who share God's heavenly kingdom with them -- but without a formal proclamation of their sanctity.
This feast day is a most gracious gift from our Church. Why? Simply answered: this day is a reminder to us on earth that we are, all of us as children of God are recipients of an extraordinary font of grace ... the community of saints.
Through the intercession of those in heaven with our God, sharing in the wonder of his presence, we, as God's children, are the recipients of so many blessings.
Consider the love God has showered upon just the saints you can recall by name or whose life actions you may remember from your reading or study. Realistically, no doubt, there are many whose lives on earth and in heaven have been marked by an abundance of divine love. And these same blessed men and women remind me and you, hopefully, that we do not progress on our faith journey alone. God travels with us and graces us because there are member of the community of the saints who ask God to protect us, to enlighten us and to help us achieve your mission in life.
Therefore, today the first day of the month when our cultural mores focus upon pilgrim progress, we are brought to gratitude. Today ours is a duty to give thanks for the gift of the saints and their care for us in so many known and unknown ways that bring us closer to our God.
