Brief synopsis of the readings: Today, November 1st, is the Solemnity of All Saints and has its own readings. Our first reading is from the New Testament book of Revelation. The entire books tells us about a dream the author (John) had. Here he saw an angel tell other angels not to damage anything on earth until a seal is placed on the foreheads of 144,000 people who had been selected. John then saw a “great multitude” wearing white robes and chanting that salvation comes from God. When asked who they were, an elder said these are the people who have survived a distressing time and have “washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus spoke to a crowd from a mountaintop. He proclaimed blessings on those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek and those who hunger for righteousness. They will be satisfied. Blessings will also fall on the merciful, peacemakers and those who have suffered for their belief in Jesus.

Each year our calendar marks dozens of feast days (e.g. St. Patrick on March 17) and sometimes an important day falls on Sunday. On November 1st we celebrate All Saints Day and our readings replace our normal readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. And our first reading requires some background.

The book of Revelation belongs to a type of literature we call “apocalyptic literature.” It is written during times of great suffering or oppression when the audience fears they are doomed. Books like Revelation are written to assure the readers that salvation is coming, that it comes from God. Because of that, they need not worry that they aren’t good enough or strong enough for victory. Unfortunately, of all the books of the Bible this one is probably the most misunderstood. I can’t say this clearly enough: Revelation isn’t supposed to “plant seeds” or give clues about the future. The figure 144,000 simply means “everyone,” as does the “great multitude” in white robes. The idea of using Revelation to frighten people and sell books is a recent and unfortunate occurrence.

But if we are told our salvation doesn’t depend on our actions our Gospel reminds us that we are also not to wait around and do nothing in the meantime. Our Gospel begins Jesus’ first major address, commonly known as the “Sermon on the Mount” and he tells us some pretty astounding things. In a world that values strength he tells us to be poor in spirit. In a world that values domination we are told to be meek. We’re more used to people like the 20th Century oil baron John Paul Getty who once said: “The meek shall inherit the earth but not its mineral rights.”

Meekness allows us to see value in another; it moves us away from demanding our rights, our voice and our outcome. It gives permission to allow another person to tell their truth and articulate their needs. In a place of meekness we are all guaranteed those things we need.

In the same way Jesus blesses us when we seek righteousness. This is not a justice where we demand what we think we are owed, but a place where all are dealt with justly. Last week I spoke about the Greek tradition of offering hospitality without deciding if the stranger is worthy of our generosity. So often today I think we decide if someone is deserving of justice or mercy and it normally ends with something being just for us. We’re almost never left out of a pecking order of our own design.

We celebrate All Saints Day because saintliness demands that seek justice for those least able to advocate for themselves and believe that it will work out for us in the end. This may take an unexpected turn but I think we can learn something from those in the military.

When we’re flying somewhere we’re told that in the unlikely event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure air masks will drop and we can breathe through them. And we’re told that if we’re helping someone else we should place the mask on our own face before helping someone else. In an emergency this makes sense because we don’t want to pass out while helping someone else. But I recently had a conversation with a young soldier who told me that while he understands the logic there’s no way he could follow that direction. He told me that he would help the other person first because at his core he simply can’t take care of himself first and he can’t respect anyone who does.

We live in a world where there is much to fear and nobody argues we should ignore that. But the people around us are not competitors for limited resources and they are not the enemy. If someone doesn’t look like us or sound like us that doesn’t mean they wish ill for us. Meekness demands a level of trust toward the other and a belief that we’re all in this together. And on this day where we celebrate “all saints” we recognize those who have gone before us to show us the way.

Whether it’s the humility of St. Augustine or the intellect of St. Thomas Aquinas or the dedication of Mother Teresa we are blessed to be surrounded by men and women who listened to today’s Gospel and took Jesus’ words seriously. But I also think we can look to the people who formed us who aren’t so well known. For some it’s parents, or grandparents, or teachers, or neighbors. While they may no longer be with us here, they continue to live in our memories and our hearts and our choices.

I think today’s readings were chosen to remind us that while only God will save us, we have the opportunity to embrace the Sermon on the Mount and to recognize that we, too, can be saints for that will come after us.

So let us commemorate All Saints Day not only by remembering those who have gone before us but also by living in a way that we will be remembered with that same love.