Overview:

The Solemnity of All Saints

A Reflection for the Solemnity of All Saints

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them…”

Find today’s readings here.

The Solemnity of All Saints, celebrated every November 1, nudges us to be mindful of our calling to be like the saints. I know: That sounds trite. We are not all destined for sainthood. But we are supposed to choose our life path carefully and prayerfully.

And so we pray. In the Confiteor at Mass, we ask “all the angels and saints” to intercede on our behalf, to pray with us. Today we may send our prayers to the saints who especially speak to us, St. Francis of Assisi or St. Mary Magdalene or any of the other thousands of canonized people. We reflect on the circumstances of their lives, some dramatic, some mundane. We are heartened by the many paintings, murals, statues, songs, prayers, litanies and writings inspired by the saints through the 20 centuries of our Church. The presence of the angels and saints in our lives brings us closer to God. Just sensing their sacred orbit around us encourages us to be better people.

Many of the saints are documented in history. Some remain unknown. Some walk among us today. We recognize a saint when we meet one. Some folks are so good and faithful, so just and compassionate, so kind and committed, that we can almost see their halo. We see the face of Jesus in their faces. I have a couple of people in mind whom I think of as living saints but who would be the first to laugh away such an idea. I imagine you do, too.

Our Gospel reading today mentions the qualities of a saintly life: poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, mercy, peacemaking, a clean heart, a thirst for justice. When we go about God’s work here on earth, when we call ourselves children of God, we try to embody these holy ideals. We won’t always succeed. We won’t always be welcome in our own land. We likely won’t be rewarded. We may even be insulted and persecuted, although perhaps more often only ignored. But today’s reiteration of the Beatitudes can strengthen us in our saintly endeavors, giving us a little push toward the Kingdom of God.

“Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? / or who may stand in his holy place?” asks the psalmist in today’s responsorial psalm (Ps 24:3) Our answer: We’re lacing up our boots. We are the people who long for God in our lives. We are believers. We choose love. Our communion with the saints shows us that the climb up the Lord’s mountain is steep, but it is possible with God. We will stand on holy ground when we stay true to our soul’s calling. All you holy men and women, pray for us, today and every day.

Correction, Nov. 3, 2025: A previous version of this article stated the church is two centuries old.

Valerie Schultz is a freelance writer, a columnist for The Bakersfield Californian and the author of Till the Moon Be No More: The Grit and Grace of Growing Older. She lives on the Oregon Coast.