All Saints (Solemnity)

Blessing and glory . . . be to our God forever and ever.

St. Thomas Aquinas once said that grace is “nothing else but a certain beginning of glory within us” (Summa Theologiae, II–II.24.3).   It’s this glory that we’re celebrating today on All Saints Day—the glory that all the saints in heaven are enjoying right now.

Did you catch the connection in Aquinas’ quote?   God’s grace is the beginning of glory in us.   It’s what paves the way for each of us to experience the glory of God in our lives.   This is the grace we were given when we were baptized.   It’s as we build on this grace day by day that we start to experience the heavenly life that the saints now enjoy fully.

What might this grace look like?

• A moment of grace to move beyond a resentment and take active steps to seek healing of a strained relationship.

• A moment of grace to rejoice in seeing God at work in your life and to share that joy with someone else.

• A moment of grace to recognize an area of weakness or sin and start the hard work of changing ingrained habits.

• A moment of grace to interrupt your own life in order to take care of an ailing relative or a friend in need.

Each moment you say yes to grace adds to God’s glory in your life.   Each step of trust, faith, or obedience brings you closer to the full glory God wants you to experience with him in heaven.

It may be hard to believe, but you are destined for the same glory that all the saints are experiencing!   Heaven is your true home, and God is fully committed to helping you get there.   He has given you all the grace you need;   now he asks you to grasp hold of it and take another step forward today.

“Jesus, I want to cooperate with your grace so that I can experience your glory.”

Psalm 24:1-6
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

Word Among Us