All Saints: By the Blood of the Lamb
“they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger.” (Rev. 7:14-16)
Who are the saints? Today is All Saints Day, and it is an opportunity to reflect on this important subject. Are saints the heavenly congregation we read about in Revelation? Or is it the special people that the Pope has beatified and canonized? What do you mean when you confess in the creeds: “I believe in the communion of saints”? Is it true, as Donnie McClurkin sang, that a saint is just a sinner who fell down, and got up? The Scriptures have answers to such questions and much more; it is not enough to listen to traditions or even our own thinking. Today’s prayer reminds us that God has knit together His elect into one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of His Son. Let us find out more about who are the saints.
God is served by believers here on earth alive today (who are called the Church Militant) and faithful ancestors in glory, already in heaven (the Church Triumphant). All these are the saints we refer to today. We are able to read about both in the Scriptures; those already in glory were partly seen in John’s Revelation – they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. The details of how they serve Him are not clearly known to us, but it must be an excellent place to be; they are in the presence of God where there is endless joy and peace. There is no want: no hunger or thirst, no suffering and no pain. The qualification to get there is to ‘wash your robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb’ – this is the same message of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ: repent and believe the good news. Jesus Christ is the good news and by putting our faith in Him, we are prepared for the eternal glory.
We are reminded to follow the blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living – I hope you say Amen both in word and deed! When you sing ‘when we all get to heaven’, sing with your voice and with your actions. The difference between the saints in heaven and the saints here on earth is that while we are still here on earth, we face difficulties, temptations and obstacles – these will forever be absent ‘across the bridge’. But we also have the opportunity to endure and keep ready for the paradise we look forward to. Rejoice that the Lord is here to hold your hand when you receive Him. Don’t miss the eternal communion.
God bless you.