I Love The Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Who Lives Within Me, Now and Forever. Amen

Friday, December 01, 2006

Honoring Our Supernatural Hero's - All Saints Day

By Juan Rodriguez – dedicated to St. Athanasius

By Juan Rodriguez – dedicated to St. Athanasius

Superheroes, everyone has one! Children love to see their favorite superheroes on cartoons, youth still read about them in comic books, and we young adults see them on the movie screen. What is so fascinating about a superhero? They can leap over mountains, fly faster then a speeding bullets, they have strength greater than a thousand people, they’re great detectives and crime fighters, they can be mysterious, or they take on the attributes of animals; no matter what they can do, the fact remains they are different than your average person. The best quote I have heard of a superhero comes straight out of the movie “Spider Man 2”, where Aunt May discusses the importance of heroes with her Nephew Peter Parker. She says that heroes are “Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer.” She goes on to tell Peter, “I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.” Little did she know, she was calling Peter to become what he was meant to be, Spider Man. Is God calling you through others to be Holy?

Courageous and Self Sacrificing:

We as Christians believe in superheroes too, but they aren’t characters in stories, comic books or in movies. They were real, wholesome and down to earth human beings, but in special ways God used them to do extraordinary acts, far greater then a superhero can do. You’d be surprised how many saints there were and how many there are today. They have walked into our parishes, through our neighborhoods, and through areas where we least expected them. They have even gone to places where no one has ever thought of going before. They were courageous in facing all sorts of evils – spiritual, physical or natural, social & political and more. They have faced death, offering themselves for another. We call this act of faith “Martyrdom”, that is when a saint freely gives of themselves to be a witness to Jesus Christ. Our first example of one who laid down His life for us was none other then Jesus and the first to follow Him was St. Stephen, a Deacon who gave his life for the Gospel (Acts 6 – 7). They are the ones that sometimes sit next to you in church. They are the ones who take the true meaning of being the “Body of Christ” to highest level. They are Christ for us as they see Christ in us. They are transformed by the living Gospel and the Sacraments. Their power comes directly from the Trinity, and they are responsible for sharing their gifts with others in need. Their stories go as far back as the Old Testament, beginning with Adam and Eve who were made in the image and likeness of God, to the present saints of today.

So why celebrate the lives of the Saints? What’s the history behind the feast of All Saints Day?


The feast of All Saints day goes back to the 4th century where Catholic Christians of the East celebrated the memory of the Martyrs of their time. This feast of course started like most ancient feasts as a church celebration, to a diocesan celebration, and finally a universal celebration. Later, the Church decided to include non-martyrs to help the faithful understand their purpose and example in the Church. The feast of All Saints was celebrated between Easter and Pentecost, about the Octave day before Pentecost. The word “Octave” means “Eight”, which was the length of days the Church celebrated a feast day, starting from the day it began and then ending eight days later. This practice was done by our Jewish brothers and sisters when it came to celebrating the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles.

In the west, the relics of Martyrs were transferred from the catacombs to the Pantheon, which later, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the building in honor of All Martyrs and All Saints and of Our Lady. This was done on May 13th, 610 A.D. It was in 835 that Pope Gregory IV changed the feast of All Saints day to November 1st and has stayed that way up to the present.

The Feast of All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation (This year it falls on a Sunday). It is also called the feast day of Halloween (The Vigil is on October 31st).

What can youth and young adults learn about the Feast of All Saints?

We learn that everyone is called to be holy, but even more, we as Christians are the first to respond to the vocation of holiness in Christ. No one is excluded from this call. Youth and young adults in New York are called to “live the fullness of Christian Life.” To live Christ in our hearts, to be Jesus in the world, to be a living testimony of charity – love that is in action, given to us as a spiritual strength by God Himself, so that we may come to Him as Love and later, to love our neighbor as ourselves.

In the Gospel of Mark (12:29-31), Jesus says “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second – you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Saints know and want to surrender to God’s love, because they need Him. It is in the second – the love of neighbor - when we love each other, we imitate Him who loves us, and by doing this we follow His command. Hence, we will be in His Love. To be holy is to be in His love and to know that He loves you. Holiness is perfection in God. Jesus Himself said “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5:48)

I can hear it now “OH MAN, that’s tooooooo hard! No one can be as perfect as our Father is perfect – It’s impossible!”

Don’t think or say it’s impossible - all things are possible for God, ESPECIALLY in making you holy. It becomes impossible when we reject our Father’s invitation to know and love Him. That’s when it becomes a struggle, a hassle, and a problem. But are you up for the challenge to be Holy? Are you willing to let God change your life? If so, then let’s learn from the example, Christ.

What does the word “Saint” mean?

It comes from the word in latin “sanctus”. It means Holy or Sacred – literally it means to be set apart. So the Christian is set apart from the world, but that does not mean he or she escapes it or rejects it completely; we simply see that the world and everything on it and in it belongs to God. We give testimony that God made all things good! Sin has no place here on earth or in heaven. Hence why we need to surrender totally to God so that we may reject sin and surrender ourselves to our Father.

A saint is a person called to holiness – called to live for God. We who live on earth are called to be holy, to be the original supernatural hero’s of the world. Our light should burn brighter then any comic book or TV super hero; the reason being, we have someone real by our side, someone real who lives in our hearts and makes Himself known through our actions, that is Jesus – Yahweh who saves you and me.

To be a saint is to imitate Jesus Christ, the one who came in the flesh to be one of us. Christ should be the example for me. It’s not that he “was” or “should”, but that He is my One and only example to be holy. He shows me how to be a true child of God our Father. If am a follower of Jesus, I am a Christian, and being a follower means I want to know Him, Love Him, Adore Him, Surrender to Him my life, my very being, because He came to save us from a world plagued by confusion and despair. To follow Jesus is to be a saint.

How can we help our youth and young adults learn about the Saints?

First – Learn about the patron saint of your parish. DHT has found that youth and young adult leaders who study about their patron have created strong groups or ministries. It also builds a stronger connection between group and parish life. You can also create themes for retreats, talks or reflections on the patron saint of your parish. For example: St. Peter – Rock, Faithfulness, Courage, Confirmation, Baptism, etc.

Second – Encourage your members to go to this Holy Day of Obligation. So many youth and young adult leaders know little about these important feast days. It is our calling to teach, and pastorally form our members in the Catholic Faith. Prepare your group or ministry a week before the feast day with prayers, reflections, and teachings on the saints. The lessons should encourage members to enter the Mass with reverence, reason, and devotion.

Third – Have a movie night in your parish on the lives of the saints. Invite not only the members of your group, but also their families. If people can sit down and watch “Spider-Man”, they definitely can watch a film like “Pope John Paul” or the classic “A Man for All Seasons”. Instead of a movie night, how about a drama of the life of your patron saint - a great way to do fundraisers and to promote devotion to the patron saint of your parish.

Fourth – Ever thought about looking up your saint name? You may have received a saint name at your Baptism, and your Confirmation – try looking up that name and see the saint that fits your life. What about your own name? It doesn’t hurt to learn about the saints.

Like the saints in heaven, we as youth and young adults are called to share in God’s life, His Glory and His Happiness – But in order to live in God’s presence, we must recognize that God is truly our Father. To be holy, a saint, is to know that I am His most precious child!

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