From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   On Resisting Temptation  [7]   
      
      Some suffer great temptations in the beginning of their conversion,   
   and some in the end. And some there are who are much troubled in a   
   manner all their life time. Some are but lightly tempted, according to   
   the wisdom and equity of the ordinance of God, who weighs the state   
   and merits of men, and pre-ordains all for the salvation of his elect.   
   --Thomas à Kempis --Imitation of Christ Bk 1, Ch 13   
      
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   November 1: All Saint's Day   
      
   Each day of the liturgical year, the Church celebrates the lives of   
   one or more saints—men and women recognized for their holiness and   
   contribution to the faith. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All   
   Saints—the day on which the Church celebrates all the saints—those   
   whose names we know, and those purified in heaven:   
      
   “After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could   
   count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before   
   the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm   
   branches in their hands.... [One of the elders] said to me, ‘These are   
   the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have   
   washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’”   
   (Revelation 7:9,14)   
      
   The feast of All Saints inspires us with tremendous hope—hope that we,   
   too, will achieve sainthood in heaven. For, it is certain that among   
   the saints in heaven are those who we have known on earth. Some we   
   have read about. Some we have modeled our lives after or aspired to be   
   like. Some we have personally known, and they have gone before us   
   marked with the sign of faith. We are reminded today, especially as we   
   read the Beatitudes in the Gospel, that there is one true way to   
   achieve happiness on earth and sanctity in heaven: by faithfully   
   following the teachings of Jesus Christ, as the saints and martyrs   
   before us did!   
      
   Pope Benedict, on All Saint’s Day (2008) proclaimed the following words:   
      
   “With great joy, we celebrate today the feast of All Saints. Visiting   
   a nursery garden, one remains taken aback at the variety of plants and   
   flowers, and spontaneously begins to think of the Creator's fantasy   
   that made the earth a marvelous garden. These same sentiments come to   
   us when we consider the spectacle of holiness: the world appears to us   
   as a "garden," where the Spirit of God has sustained with remarkable   
   wonder a multitude of saints, male and female, from every age and   
   social condition, of every tongue, people and culture.   
      
   Each is different from the others, with the uniqueness of their own   
   personality and their own spiritual charism. All, however, were marked   
   by the "seal" of Jesus, the imprint of his love, witnessed upon the   
   Cross. All now are at joy, in a feast without end as, like Jesus, they   
   reached this goal across toil and trial, each one encountering their   
   share of sacrifice to participate in the glory of the resurrection.”   
      
   So, today, we celebrate and honor the saints and martyrs of the   
   Church—both known and unknown. While there are thousands of canonized   
   saints in the Church, we know there are an incalculable number whose   
   names have not been recorded—from early Christian martyrs to those in   
   our communities who lived quiet, humble lives in service to the Lord   
   and one another. We ask for their prayers and intercessions, and   
   appreciate our deep communion with them—that is, that all of God's   
   people, on heaven, earth, and in Purgatory in the state of   
   purification, are connected in a communion. The saints of God are just   
   as alive as you and I, and are constantly interceding on our behalf.   
   As with Our Blessed Mother, the saints are not all-knowing or   
   all-powerful. However, because of our common communion with and   
   through Jesus Christ, our prayers are joined with the heavenly   
   community of Christians.   
      
   From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "...as Christian communion   
   among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion   
   with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and   
   head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself: We   
   worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's   
   disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless   
   devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their   
   companions and fellow disciples.” (CCC 956, 957)   
   by Jacob   
      
      
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   Today, on this most holy of days, we raise our voices with the saints   
   and martyrs—known and unknown—and praise the Lord! May all the holy   
   saints and martyrs of the Church pray for us, on this their solemnity!   
      
   "The glorious company of the apostles praise Thee.   
   The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise Thee.   
   The white-robed army of martyrs praise Thee.   
   All Thy saints and elect with one voice do acknowledge Thee,   
   O Blessed Trinity, one God!"   
   (Te Deum)   
      
   Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,   
   today we rejoice in the holy men and women   
   of every time and place.   
   May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love.   
      
   We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,   
   who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,   
   one God, for ever and ever. Amen.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)