All Saints

A great solemnity today as we honor All Saints, those canonized by the church, and those who may be in heaven without a halo or without holy pictures. These could very well be our own parents, grandparents, spouses, brothers and sisters, children and many dear friends. There are hundreds of canonized saints in heaven, but there are many who have been canonized recently, mostly unknown to us until we read their biography and learn something about their lives. This was the case with many saints with whom I was not familiar with, until I shared their life story with the people in a brief homily during the week. Yes, there are some incredible stories of courage, martyrdom and deep faith and commitment. These include the courage of St Gianna Beretta Molla, who sacrificed her life for her newborn daughter, instead of committing an abortion to save her own life. These include the great sacrifice St. Maximilian Kolbe did to help a married man survive and be reunited with his family, while the martyred friar died in his place in Auschwitz. These include St. Josephine Bakhita, a colored girl who was abused until saved by an Italian family, becoming a much-beloved nun and saint. These include St Louis and Zelie Martin, the couple who were married with the intention to remain celibate. But they followed their spiritual director’s advice and had 9 children, with the surviving 5 all becoming nuns, including a saint, Therese of Lisieux. These include the first Maltese Saint, George Preca who started a movement to teach young people about the Catholic Faith. These include many other newly-canonized saints and others who are beatified, among them the much loved Carlo Acutis, whose love for the Eucharist made him spread its devotion through the internet, and died at the age of 15, now beatified.