The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Every November 1st growing up, the second graders at my Catholic school would come to Mass dressed up as a Saint and prepared to tell a memorized snippet of their Saints’ bio to all the school students and families gathered there on this feast. I distinctly remember the day it was my turn. Father held the mic up to my mouth (I couldn’t hold it because I was clinging to a crucifix, some rosary beads, and a bouquet of plastic lilies) and I said, “My name is Saint Maria Goretti. I was born in a small town in Italy…” When I was done, I did a little curtsy-bow in my homemade costume and someone dressed as a Pope was next. Now, over 15 years later, I live in a house where a first-class relic of little St. Maria Goretti lives in the next room. She’s never left my side.
Why do I share this? Because this little anecdote, for me, is a tiny glimpse into the gift of the communion of Saints. And today, on this All Saints Day, we celebrate not only the many hundreds of Saints we recognize by name in the Church, but also the many holy men and women who stand before the Lord in Heaven who are unknown to us. The Saints teach us, befriend us, cheer us on, and persistently pursue us by way of their intercession from Heaven. They are the ones who “have survived the time of great distress” and who stand before God, ready and able, as St. Therese once said, to spend their Heaven doing good on earth.
In times of distress and suffering, we can look to the Saints for guidance and help. In times of celebration and consolation, we can imitate the radiant joy of the Saints, who teach us perfect gratitude. When we’re struggling to pray, we can lean on the Saints who have experienced the dark nights of desolation. When we’re finding it hard to accept God’s mercy, we can look to the Saints who fell and kept trying. The beauty of the Saints is that they were simply ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives of virtue.
You and me, as pilgrims, and as people who long to see the face of God, can imitate the Saints’ extraordinary virtue in our everyday lives by choosing the good, leaning into discipline, and becoming people of prayer who live out the beatitudes in real, concrete ways. Little by little, with our eyes fixed on Jesus, we too can become Saints — and we are not alone in the journey. All you Holy Men and Women, pray for us, that our reward will be great in Heaven.
Laurie Medina is a graduate of Texas A&M University and a second-year participant in the Echo Graduate Service program with the University of Notre Dame. She loves spending time outside, getting creative, having heart conversations over coffee, and finding beauty in the holy ordinary. You can find her curled up on the couch re-reading Joy of the Gospel, arranging flowers on the dining room table, or reacting to the latest drama on the Bachelor. You can also find her on Instagram or read her latest blog posts for Life Teen.