ALL SAINTS’ SUNDAY – 2nd NOVEMBER 2025
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Readings: Ephesians 1: 11-end and Luke 6: 20-31
Today we keep All Saints’ Sunday. The actual date for the All Saints’ observance is 1st November; but these days the festival is allocated the nearest Sunday. But November 2nd is also known as All Souls’ Day, or the day for The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. All Saints’ Day celebrates men and women in whose lives the Church as a whole has seen the grace of God powerfully at work. It is an opportunity to give thanks for that grace, and for the wonderful ends to which it shapes a human life. It is a time to be encouraged by the example of the saints and to recall that sanctity may grow in the ordinary circumstances of life, as well as in the extraordinary crises of human living. The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed celebrates the saints in a more intimate way, such as at our service this afternoon. It allows us to remember with thanksgiving before God those whom we have known more directly; those who gave us life, or who nurtured us in faith. While we think of the Church ‘triumphant’ – as we call that gathering of the redeemed in heaven, we also sense – as we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews, that it is a fearful thing to come before the unutterable goodness and holiness of God, even for those who are redeemed in Christ. So we appeal to God’s mercy for ourselves and for those who have gone before. And this is expressed in the words used on All Souls’ Day.
There has been much excitement in the Roman Catholic communion about the canonization of Carlo Acutis on the 25th September this year. He has been referred to as the ‘patron saint of the Internet’ and ‘God’s influencer.’ Carlo died aged 15, from leukaemia, in 2006. Born in London and raised in Milan, he developed an early interest in computers and video games, teaching himself programming and web design and assisting his parish and school with digital projects. Carlo was very active in parish life; he inspired several people to convert to Catholicism and created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles and apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
Two miracles were attributed to Carlo’s intercession following his death. He has indeed been fast-tracked to sainthood, a process that has led to some scepticism amongst both catholics and non-catholics. Some people have noted that his short life offered few extraordinary actions. I wouldn’t presume to comment on whether he was worthy of the honour bestowed on him, but it is an interesting comment – that the life of a saint must include extraordinary actions.
Whilst in Ross-on-Wye this week I noticed a sign to St. Frances Church – Frances not Francis. I thought this must be a spelling mistake, but a few hundred yards further on, there was the catholic church of St. Frances of Rome. I hadn’t heard of her, so thought I would do a little research. Rather a different life from Carlo Acutis. Frances was born to wealthy and aristocratic parents in Rome. She wanted to be a nun but at the age of 12 she was forced to marry Lorenzo Ponziani, commander of the papal troops of Rome. We might well shudder at the idea of a 12-year old being forced into an arranged marriage, but the marriage was a happy one, lasting for 40 years. Frances visited the poor and took care of the sick, inspiring other wealthy women to do the same. When she fell ill, her husband summoned a man who dabbled in magic, but Frances drove him away, saying “Begone, thou servant of Satan.” She appealed to St. Alexis, who appeared to her and cured her. Various legends surround the story of Frances, but she endured sorrow in her life, losing two children to the plague. When the city of Rome was in a low state and wolves entered the streets, Frances opened her home as a hospital. She was given gifts of healing, and over sixty cases were attested to during her canonization proceedings. Just as an aside, in 1925 Pope Pius XI declared her the patron saint of automobile drivers because of a legend that an angel used to light the road before her with a lantern when she travelled.
So there are the sketchy details of two people the Church has recognised as saints; names you may have never heard of. And maybe that is a significant point. Last Tuesday we celebrated the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude – apostles. Both feature in the lists of the twelve Jesus called at the start of his ministry, but, really, little is known about them. It seems poor Jude was rarely invoked in prayer as his name was similar to Judas Iscariot, and because of this interceding through him was a final resort when all else failed. He became known, therefore, as the patron saint of lost causes. But a prayer for that day makes something of their obscurity. It reads: “Lord Christ, we give thanks that you chose as your apostles some ordinary and obscure men such as Simon and Jude. Teach us by their example that it is more important to be faithful than to be prominent; and help us to serve you at all times with holy and humble hearts.”
At this season of All Saints we’re encouraged by the saints and we’re encouraged to be saints. But it’s not about wanting to be remembered as a hero, or as courageous, and certainly not about wanting to be known as holy or pious, though if other people considered us holy that might be a good thing. It is about wanting to be a force for good in God’s world; about wanting to follow Jesus Christ as closely as possible; about not giving up, but trying again if things go wrong or we know that we have grieved the Lord by some aspect of our lives. It’s about wanting to shine his light in dark places – and we can all do that. All Saints – says one writer –reminds us of the destination of holiness; All Souls of the mercy that gets us there.
In today’s gospel Jesus warns the disciples that this road won’t be an easy one to travel down. People may revile us, exclude us and defame us on account of the hope within us. That is often the way of the world. He reminds us, too, that the world’s values are turned upside down in God’s kingdom. “Woe to you,” he ends, “when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” The false prophets said what they thought people wanted them to say – they weren’t always honest. They didn’t always challenge the evils prevalent in the society of their day. If you want an example, read Jeremiah chapter 28, where Jeremiah confronts Hananiah. Hananiah was predicting success and prosperity for Judah and Jerusalem, whereas Jeremiah had a sterner message from the Lord. He didn’t have an easy time of it, so often challenging the accepted values in his society and urging repentance. As Christians, we should be distinctive from the main flow of society, though very much immersed in it. Other translations of the word ‘holy’ would include ‘being consecrated’ – ‘set apart’ – not in any superior sort of way, but set apart for pursuing God’s way, holding onto the Christian values the world often disregards. So, the way for us will be hard, but, Jesus says, “Blessed are you…” when you adopt this way.
In the passage from Ephesians today, St. Paul takes a wider view and considers what will be the final outcome of the Christian calling: the pledge of our inheritance; the hope to which we have been called; the riches of a glorious inheritance among the saints. All this is possible through the immeasurable greatness of God’s power for those who believe.
Paul’s words remind us that we stand in a long line of Christian believers through the ages. There have been saints in every generation, some known through their lives, some known through their deaths, many others unknown. They – the ‘Church triumphant’ stand as an encouragement to us – the ‘Church Militant’, who are called to carry on this great work of shedding light in dark places and bringing the world to know more of God’s love as made known in Jesus.