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In 2018, Pope Francis wrote an Apostolic Exhortation called “Rejoice and be Glad” (Gaudete et Exsultate) in which reminded us that holiness is not for special people or a particular vocation but a universal call to all believers. On the feast of All Saints, we celebrate the lives of all who have demonstrated holiness in their lives. Some of them are canonised saints, but many are ordinary people, But there is something else we remember today. We remember our own calling to be saints. Each of us is called to be holy. It is a calling we receive in baptism, when we become members of the Communion of Saints. Although we probably do not go around calling ourselves “saints” very often, being a saint is actually at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. Because to be a saint—to be holy—is at the heart of what it means to follow Jesus. We all carry our own failures and wounds. And yet we are called to be saints. But what does that actually mean: to be a saint? What does it mean to be holy? We may think of people who were martyrs, who lived extraordinarily virtuous lives, or who spent their days in prayer. We can easily imagine saints as people who were somehow different from ordinary human beings. But All Saints’ invites us to see holiness differently. For Jesus, holiness is not about being separate from the world. Instead, it is about entering more deeply into it. Jesus does not spend his life keeping his distance from human suffering, human failure, or the people others consider unclean or unworthy. Instead, he moves toward them. As Rowan Williams former Archbishop of Canterbury puts it, “Holiness … is Jesus going right into the middle of the mess and the suffering of human nature. Being holy is being involved, not being separated.” The call to be a saint is very much a call to be present in this world—to be absolutely involved in it. This means showing the values of Jesus, instead of the values of empire. As disciples, we are called to live the way of the kingdom instead of the way of the world. This is how we are called to be “ involved.” This is part of what Jesus is teaching in today’s Gospel, the Beatitudes. There, Jesus names those who are blessed in the kingdom of heaven. In Jesus’s time, to be blessed was closely connected with holiness. A blessed person was a holy person. Yet notice who Jesus calls Happy: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Jesus does not say, “Blessed are the perfect.” He does not say, “Blessed are those who never fail.” Instead, he points toward people who are deeply engaged with the realities of human life: people who know what it means to grieve; people who long for justice; people who practice mercy; people who make peace; people who are willing to suffer for what is right. This is a way of living that is in the world, but not of the world. This is the holiness Jesus calls us to. It has something to do with mercy and justice and peacemaking,to enter into the places where human life is most difficult. In other words, the saints are not people who have escaped the messiness of human life. They are the people who have learned how to meet that messiness with the love of God. And that is good news, because it means that becoming a saint does not require us to become perfect. God does not need perfect saints. What God needs are saints who are willing to make their lives a place where God’s kingdom can take root and grow; saints in whose hearts the Beatitudes take on flesh and blood. God needs saints who strive for holiness, even when they know they will fall short. Those who seek after the better way, even when they know they will never fully achieve it. And that’s where more good news comes in: We are not alone on this journey. In fact, we will never be alone. Gathered into the Communion of Saints, we join a big family of other saints. A family that includes everyone gathered here, people who are far away, and even people who have died—the people we remember today. They aren’t physically here with us, but we can trust that they are present in the mystery of God, rooting for us in our own journey toward becoming saints.

IceyP HeavenSeeker XIX MIssyP Rachael Budge Papist MissionSeeker Jamie xtrishaxlynnx who else?

So cool! Congratulations!!!! Blessings upon Blessings!!

This video also proposes an important question in regard to the closing of churches. If one expression is losing attendance but another is growing, then wouldn’t it be right to let the expression of the liturgy that’s growing to take over the church thats struggling instead of selling it?

Congratulations! God bless!

Can't find your phone that you just use five minutes earlier and have to ask someone to call you so you can find it

time zone

Have we talked about the joys of naps yet? Or the beauty of finally reaching bedtime? I can’t remember.

G2.9 Je vous salut Marie, pleine de grace, le Seigneur est avec vous, vous etes benie entres toutes les femmes et Jesus, le fruit de vos entrailles est beni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pecheurs, maintenant et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen

G2.8 Je vous salut Marie, pleine de grace, le Seigneur est avec vous, vous etes benie entres toutes les femmes et Jesus, le fruit de vos entrailles est beni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pecheurs, maintenant et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen

G2.7 Je vous salut Marie, pleine de grace, le Seigneur est avec vous, vous etes benie entres toutes les femmes et Jesus, le fruit de vos entrailles est beni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pecheurs, maintenant et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen

Neutral zone

net neutrality

G2.6 Je vous salut Marie, pleine de grace, le Seigneur est avec vous, vous etes benie entres toutes les femmes et Jesus, le fruit de vos entrailles est beni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pecheurs, maintenant et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen

G2.5 Je vous salut Marie, pleine de grace, le Seigneur est avec vous, vous etes benie entres toutes les femmes et Jesus, le fruit de vos entrailles est beni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pecheurs, maintenant et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen

That's a little horrific for my taste 'cause it's true...

Congratulations!

Children learn at an early age to measure success by how well they succeed at tests. You are taught to study hard and to engage in class discussions along the way, seeking the necessary insights to excel in your coursework. But often there is one kid in the class—whom others might tag as the “class clown”—who asks the questions not to get the answers, but to get a specific reaction from the teacher. Sometimes the questioner knows the correct answer; other times the conversation is designed purely to provoke a response in the one being questioned. We see echoes of this familiar scene in the 22nd chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. The Pharisees and the Sadducees take turns asking Jesus what they believe are stumping questions. Are they looking to provoke a response—to anger Jesus? Or are they trying to make him pause, unable to immediately provide an appropriate answer. Now the Pharisees turn to Jesus with the toughest “gotcha” question of all, which they have designated an attorney in their midst to ask. His question: “Teacher which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Perhaps they expected Jesus to take a while, to ponder all of the Jewish laws, to think through all the rites and rituals observed in their community, before giving them a well-thought-out answer. Jesus instead immediately responded with this statement, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” He continued with further instruction “This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets.” The answer was resolute: No hesitation and no caveats were offered by Jesus. That must have silenced the crowd. These two commandments offer as much a guiding light for contemporary Christian followers today as they did the moment Jesus uttered them to the Pharisees and Sadducees. We might spend our entire lives trying to find answers to all sorts of questions. Some questions will require great theological reflection, like: What is the meaning of life? Or: Where is God in the midst of floods, storms, fires, and natural disasters? There are no easy answers to these questions. Some questions might demand a great deal of study. Other no amount of study seems able to answer. Wisdom, perhaps, suggests an acceptance that we are not privy to all the answers. And even when we do have the answers…. Well, it’s not that simple, is it? When Jesus describes the most important commandment—loving God with all your heart, soul and mind—it seems straightforward. Jesus calls us to put God ahead of everything and everyone. But will there be challenges to living out the greatest commandment? Without a doubt! For instance, how do we follow and trust God when we are confronted with pain, suffering, and loss? How do we lean into God in those particular moments, believing that we serve a God who will provide the strength and comfort we need, even if we do not like the outcome? When Paul writes to the Thessalonians, he is congratulating them on the good example they are setting of Christian living and this is surely a reminder to us, we can make a difference if we go to the heart of the gospel and strive to live a life of love. Jesus reminds us there is no commandment from the Law and the Prophets that is not caught up in the mystery of love. In his letter to the early communities, Saint James insists it does not make sense to talk about faith unless you do good works (2:14f) and, of course, the same is true of love: it is not a concept to talk about, but a life to be lived. Jesus demonstrates this by reaching out to all those who come to him in need.

When your wife says, "I knew you were on your way in here for more coffee because I heard your knees".

G2.4 Je vous salut Marie, pleine de grace, le Seigneur est avec vous, vous etes benie entres toutes les femmes et Jesus, le fruit de vos entrailles est beni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pecheurs, maintenant et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen

Safety Net

safety rules

G2.3 Je vous salut Marie, pleine de grace, le Seigneur est avec vous, vous etes benie entres toutes les femmes et Jesus, le fruit de vos entrailles est beni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pecheurs, maintenant et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen

G2.2 Je vous salut Marie, pleine de grace, le Seigneur est avec vous, vous etes benie entre toutes les femmes et Jesus, le fruit de vos entrailles est beni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pecheurs, maintenant et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen pour ma grande amie Liza, toute sa famille et surtout pour son pere qui vient de deceder...

The Second Glorious Mystery The Ascention Le Second Mystere Glorieux L'Ascention Notre Pere, qui est au cieux, Que Ton nom soit sanctifier, Que Ton regne vienn, Que Ta volonter soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel, Donnes nous aujourd'hui, notre pain de ce jours, Pardonnes nous nos offenses comme nous pardonnons aussi a ceux qui nous ont offenser. Ne nous soumet pas a la tentation, mais delivres-nous du mal. Amen G2.1 Je vous salut Marie, pleine de grace, le Seigneur est avec vous, vous etes benie entres toutes les femmes et Jesus, le fruit de vos entrailles est beni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pecheurs, maintenant et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen