"Behold, a great multitude..."

St. John the Divine was nearly a hundred years old when he was exiled to the island of Patmos. It was there that he had his great vision: “I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!’”

This was his vision of all the saints, and they were standing there because of everything that has gone before. Their holiness is the fruit of all the events in Christ's life, from His Conception and Nativity, to the Resurrection and the Ascension and Pentecost – all those things happened to make saints.

Saints aren’t born; rather, they’re made. We are all born with the potential to become saints. The only difference between those who aren’t saints and those who are, is the difference between people who repent and confess after sinning, and those who refuse to repent and so purposely continue in their sin.

Because one of the purposes of the Church is to make saints, so the characteristics of the saints are the characteristics of the Church. In the Creed we confess that we believe “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.” These words which define the Church, also define the saints.

The saints are One because they are united with one another through their union with Christ. We call this the Communion of Saints. Although saints live in different centuries, come from different nations, and follow different paths in life, they belong to one family in Christ. Death doesn’t divide those who are united in Him.

The saints are Holy because they have allowed God's grace to transform their lives. The very word “saint,” from the Latin sanctus, means holy. Their holiness didn’t come from their own strength or perfection, but from Christ working within them. Through the sacraments, prayer, repentance, and daily faithfulness, they allowed God to make them more like His Son.

The saints are Catholic, meaning universal. Their holiness isn’t confined to one nation, culture, or period of history. We celebrate men and women, young and old, rich and poor, from every nation and every walk of life. Their circumstances are different, but their faith is one. Their lives remind us that the call to holiness belongs to everyone.

And the saints are Apostolic. They received the faith handed down from Christ through the Apostles, and they faithfully passed it on through their teaching, witness, and example. Their holiness was never merely a private achievement; it becomes a blessing to the whole Church and to the world.

So as we remember the saints, we shouldn’t regard them simply as remarkable people whose lives we admire from a distance. They are examples of what God's grace can accomplish in ordinary human lives. Their holiness is an invitation to us.

We ask their prayers and follow their example, so that we also might grow in holiness and take our place among that great company, united in Christ as His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic people.