“Seeing the crowds, Jesus went onto the mountain. And when he was seated, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them.” (Matthew 5:1-2)

Regarded as Saintly

From very early times, certain Christians have been singled out for honoured remembrance as having shown conspicuous obedience to God in their life and death. Their fellow Christians have honoured such people with the unique title of "Saint" and believe they have a special place in the presence of God. Some of them have their own day of remembrance, but there are countless others for whom there is no room in the Church's calendar. On All Saints Day, we honour these heroes of the Church, known and unknown.

When St Paul originally wrote to his young churches, however, he commonly addressed their members as saints, even if the things he had to say in his letters about certain of them did not suggest that they were necessarily "saintly". Nevertheless, there is a sense that all Christians may be called saints, holy people, set apart by their baptism and dedication to God.

Mark tells us that, after his baptism, Jesus begins proclaiming the message that “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel.” (Mark 1.15) Imagine Jesus sitting down, his disciples with him, and the first thing he begins to talk about is the people in the kingdom of God. The blessed ones – the saints!

Jesus looks lovingly and longingly at his disciples and over the crowd and sees their potential as God’s kingdom people. He is saying to them, ‘You are the chosen ones; you were created to populate God’s kingdom’. And he is about to reveal to them who they were created to be. Years later, St John says it so beautifully when he writes, “You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God’s children – which we are!... My dear friends, we are already God's children, but what we shall be in the future has not yet been revealed." (1 John 3:1-2)

Can you feel Jesus’ loving, longing gaze upon you today and his heart’s desire that you take on more fully your citizenship in God’s kingdom? 
Please take a moment to feel and experience his presence and his gaze. 
If it is also truly your heart’s desire to be a more active and effective child in God’s kingdom, express it to him today and invite him to work in your life to make God’s image shine afresh from you.  

Thank you, Lord, for your great love for me
and for seeing in me the potential to be a worthy child in your kingdom.
Please work in my life and show me how to become more and more ‘saintly’.
Make your image shine in and through me. 

Amen