
All Saints Day is a celebration of holiness. The Saints model aspects of the perfection of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. They show us how to be a faithful follower and disciple of Jesus. We also ask the Saints to pray for us. Being already with God, the Saints can intercede powerfully for us.
Bl John Paul II wrote about giving glory to God for what he has done in every century by granting his Church a great host of saints and martyrs right across the world. He said that holiness is a message that convinces without the need for words. It is a living reflection of the face of Christ.
While only St Mary of the Cross MacKillop has been formally canonised, we all know of many saintly people who have positively witnessed to the faith and passed on the precious legacy of Catholic faith and culture to their children and grandchildren. Some have been prominent in public life, others in ministry, in teaching and catechising, in living their ordinary lives with great faith and devotion. Many of our immigrants have fled persecution in their native lands and have brought the precious gift of their faith and culture which has enriched our local church communities.
These stories of people's perseverance in the faith, which we have all witnessed, call and challenge us to holiness.
Our Year of Grace in Australia called us "to contemplate the face of Christ" and "to start afresh from Christ" borrowing from Bl John Paul II's letter at the start of the New Millenium (
Novo Millennio Ineunte .) Linked to this is Chapter 5 of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Church (
Lumen Gentium) "The Universal Call to Holiness." We are all called to be saints – to live our lives in union with Jesus Christ and ultimately to enjoy his presence forever in heaven.
In our diocese and in our parishes on this All Saints Day, we recall outstanding and inspiring members of our Church, be they remarkable lay Christians in families, in teaching and social outreach, in business and industry, or Clergy, Religious Sisters and Brothers.
So many have made and are making remarkable faith-filled contributions in public life, in works of outreach, charity and mercy, in education or the arts.
As we give thanks for the models of faith, hope and charity we have experienced in our lives, we can celebrate the way God has blessed our local church with inspiring people who love Jesus Christ and have taken the Gospel to heart.
Yours in the Lord
Most Rev Peter W Ingham DD
Bishop of Wollongong
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