Category Archives: All Saints Day

All Saints B

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Thoughts on the Lectionary readings for All Saints B, Nov. 1, 2024

The readings for All Saints Day may be moved to the following Sunday, Nov. 3, 2020.)

The Raising of Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus (1304-1306), fresco by Giotto di Bondone (c.1266-1337). Cappella degli Scrovegni nell’Arena, Padua, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

We are an Easter people. All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.” On All Saints Day, as when we bury our dead, we dress the altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return; yet we celebrate the communion of saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas all come together in the Lectionary readings for All Saints Day, beginning with Wisdom’s promise that peace, love and joy with God await God’s faithful people.

Alternate First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9

On All Saints Day we dress our altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. On this day we celebrate the communion of all the saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas are all knit together in today’s readings, beginning with the Prophet Isaiah’s vision of a banquet table that will welcome all the people of all the nations, a delicious feast of rich food and aged, clear wines for a people united at last in a kingdom “where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.” It is no coincidence that these verses are also often chosen for our burial liturgy.

Psalm: Psalm 24

The psalm designated for All Saints Day, like the first readings, celebrates the rewards for those who live as God would have us live. Originally it was an ancient liturgy, a responsive chant sung by priests and people as they approached the Temple for worship. The priest calls out, “Who can stand in his holy place?” The crowd roars back, “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts!” The priest responds, “Who is the king of glory?” “The Lord of hosts,” the crowd shouts back with joy.

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a

Our second reading is also frequently read at funerals, as one of the readings used in the liturgy for celebration of a life. Continuing the All Saints Day theme of a glorious life after death for those who love God, it describes a holy city coming down out of heaven, a new Jerusalem. This shining city stands in stark contrast to the dark and demonic earthly city of Rome, portrayed in Revelation as Babylon. We hear that death and pain will be no more in this heavenly city, for God will be with us every day, wiping the tears from our eyes.

Gospel: John 11:32-44

Lazarus has died, and Jesus weeps. Jesus knew his friend was dead, so he took his time getting to Bethany, which angered Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Maybe he could have done something, if only he had hurried. So often death in the family brings not only sadness but anger and rage. And then, whispering a quiet prayer to God, Jesus calls out and Lazarus answers. Jesus says “No” to the death of Lazarus, just as God will say “No” to death for Jesus and for us all on Easter Day. Death does not have the last word.

All Saints A

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 5, 2023 (All Saints A)

First Reading: Revelation 7:9-17

The Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount (1598), oil painting on copper by Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625). J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. (Click image to enlarge.)

We remember all saints, known and unknown, on All Saints Sunday. The Episcopal Church recognizes that saints are not only historic figures recognized by the early church, but that Christ makes it possible for us to be saints as we share his life. Sunday’s readings begin with the apocalyptic vision of John of Patmos, who imagine all the saints, robed in white and gathered in a heavenly throne room. A countless multitude of every race and nation, they are all assembled to praise the Lamb, Revelation’s allegorical image for Jesus as both sacrificed sheep and messianic shepherd; victim and victor, the loving protector who leads us as a single multitude that shows all Earth’s glorious diversity.

Psalm: Psalm 34:1-10, 22

Most of the Psalms address God in prayer, but this portion of Psalm 34 is different: The Psalmist here, imagined as the voice of King David after he had feigned madness to escape a deadly threat, sings directly to the people, offering wise counsel: As God’s saints and as God’s servants, we praise and worship God. We are small and humble. God is great and powerful. Yet when we are in trouble, when we are afraid, when we are hungry, we place our faith and trust in God and need not fear.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3

Biblical scholars believe that the three short letters of John were written neither by John the apostle, John the evangelist, nor John the author of Revelation. After all, John was – and is – a very common name! Still, these verses from the first letter of John celebrate the abundant love of God that showers on us and makes us all God’s children in language that seems consistent with the theology of John’s Gospel and may have come from a later community devoted to John the Evangelist’s tradition. The glory of our coming adulthood under God’s love remains to be revealed, the author of this letter tells us. But from the beginning, we are assured, all of God’s children, all of God’s saints, are brothers and sisters through God’s creative love.

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

The Beatitudes, the beloved verses in Matthew’s telling of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, have become so familiar that we sometimes don’t pause to give them the deep reflection that they deserve. In eight quick statements, Jesus turns the world upside down: It is not the rich who are blessed, but the poor. It is not the successful and the proud who win God’s blessing, but mourners, the meek, the hungry; the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the oppressed. This is good news for the poor, and it is earth-shattering. It is also a theme that Jesus repeats again and again until it is difficult to understand why we have such a hard time getting it.

All Saints C

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Thoughts on the Lessons for All Saints’ Day, Nov. 6, 2022
(All Saints’ Day is celebrated on Nov. 1, but may also be celebrated in the liturgy for the following Sunday.)

First Reading (Track One): Daniel 7:1-3; 15-18

We remember all saints, known and unknown, on All Saints’ Day.

Jesus Proclaims the Beatitudes,

Jesus Proclaims the Beatitudes (1481-1482), fresco by Cosimo Rosselli (1439-1507). Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our Track One first reading might remind us of Revelation. Much of the book of Daniel (one of the latest books of the Hebrew Bible) is apocalyptic literature, an imaginative genre that remained popular during early Christianity. Like our science fiction and fantasy, writing in this genre was understood as symbolic, not literal. Daniel tells of a vivid dream about four scary beasts that represent earthly kings. In later verses, we meet a winged lion, a tusked bear, a four-headed leopard, and an iron-toothed monster with 10 horns! But the nightmare ends with reassurance that resonates as we recall all who have died and gone to their eternal rest: God will win and reign forever.

Psalm: Psalm 149

Psalm 149 is one of the psalms that celebrates warlike violence in language that reflects Bronze Age sensibility in the Ancient Near East. Listen, though, and we can hear its echoes all too well in the imagery of modern warfare, shock and awe. We sing to the Lord a new song, joyously dancing and shaking tambourines to celebrate God’s gift of victory in battle, while the enemy’s kings are bound in iron chains. Before we judge too harshly, recall that the Psalms, the bible’s ancient hymnal, offer a full human range of emotion, from this warrior shout to the protective love of the Good Shepherd.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:11-23

God has placed Christ at the right hand of the Creator and has given Christ great power to rule over us all, in the present and for all time to come. Thus the author of Ephesians assures his flock, writing in Paul’s name to the persecuted Christians of Ephesus in Asia Minor. From that time onward, all the people of God, baptized in Christ and sealed by the Spirit, are the saints of God. We are Christ’s body on earth, pledged through our inheritance through baptism to redemption as God’s own people.

Gospel: Luke 6:20-31

How well do you know the Beatitudes? Matthew’s narrative of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount comes to mind for most of us: These are memorable directions toward a life of service and neighborly love. Listen for the differences, though, in the evangelist Luke’s distinctly different view of the Beatitudes. Luke’s version in Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain is more directly focused on caring for the poor. By “poor,” Luke explicitly means those who have no money or resources, not only the “poor in spirit” who Matthew invokes. What’s more, Luke’s version expects us to give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty, not simply to stand with those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” as Matthew suggests. Don’t just turn the other cheek, says Luke: Forgive your enemies … and pray for them too.

All Saints B

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(The readings for All Saints Day may be moved to the following Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021.)

First Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

We are an Easter people. All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.”

The Raising of Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus (1304-1306), fresco by Giotto di Bondone (c.1266-1337). Cappella degli Scrovegni nell’Arena, Padua, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

On All Saints Day, as when we bury our dead, we dress the altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return; yet we celebrate the communion of saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas all come together in the Lectionary readings for All Saints Day, beginning with Wisdom’s promise that peace, love and joy with God await God’s faithful people.

Alternate First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9

On All Saints Day we dress our altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. On this day we celebrate the communion of all the saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas are all knit together in today’s readings, beginning with the Prophet Isaiah’s vision of a banquet table that will welcome all the people of all the nations, a delicious feast of rich food and aged, clear wines for a people united at last in a kingdom where where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting. It is no coincidence that these verses are also often chosen for our burial liturgy.

Psalm: Psalm 24

The psalm designated for All Saints Day, like the first readings, celebrates the rewards for those who live as God would have us live. Originally it was an ancient liturgy, a responsive chant sung by priests and people as they approached the Temple for worship. The priest calls out, “Who can stand in his holy place?” The crowd roars back, “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts!” The priest responds, “Who is the king of glory?” “The Lord of hosts,” the crowd shouts back with joy.

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a

Our second reading is also frequently read at funerals, as one of the readings used in the liturgy for celebration of a life. Continuing the All Saints Day theme of a glorious life after death for those who love God, it describes a holy city coming down out of heaven, a new Jerusalem. This shining city stands in stark contrast to the dark and demonic earthly city of Rome, portrayed in Revelation as Babylon. We hear that death and pain will be no more in this heavenly city, for God will be with us every day, wiping the tears from our eyes.

Gospel: John 11:32-44

Lazarus has died, and Jesus weeps. Jesus knew his friend was dead, so he took his time getting to Bethany, which angered Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Maybe he could have done something, if only he had hurried. So often death in the family brings not only sadness but anger and rage. And then, whispering a quiet prayer to God, Jesus calls out and Lazarus answers. Jesus says “No” to the death of Lazarus, just as God will say “No” to death for Jesus and for us all on Easter Day. Death does not have the last word.

All Saints A

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 1, 2020

First Reading: Revelation 7:9-17

What a stirring scene we have to begin the readings for All Saints Day, as the Lectionary turns to Revelation from the usual Hebrew Bible first reading.

All the Saints Assembled

All the Saints Assembled (c.1850). Detail from the Hexameron, a Russian Orthodox icon. (Click image to enlarge.)

The apocalyptic vision of John of Patmos reveals a countless multitude of people from every race and nation – indeed, all the saints. All the world’s people are gathered to praise the Lamb, Revelation’s allegorical image for Jesus as both sheep and shepherd, both victim and victor, and the loving protector who guides us as a single multitude in all Earth’s glorious diversity.

Psalm: Psalm 34:1-10, 22

Teach us how to pray: Many of the 150 Psalms address God in prayer, but this one is different. These verses from Psalm 34 are imagined as the words of David after he escaped a deadly situation, offering the people wise counsel in the way of prayer: As God’s saints and God’s servants, we should praise and worship God. We are small and humble. God is great and powerful. Yet when we are in trouble, when we are afraid, when we are hungry, we place our faith and trust in God and need not fear. Taste and see that God is good. Happy are we who trust in God!

First Reading: 1 John 3:1-3

The three short letters of John were probably written around the year 100 and not by the hand of the Evangelist we know as John. But they may have come from a community that had followed him. The spirit of these verses from the first letter of John does seem consistent with the theology of John’s Gospel. They celebrate the abundant love of God that showers on us and makes us all God’s children. The glory of our coming adulthood under God’s love remains to be revealed, the author of this letter tells us. But from the beginning, we are assured, all of God’s children, all of God’s saints, are brothers and sisters through God’s creative love.

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus reveals the Beatitudes in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (and in Luke’s similar but intriguingly different version in the Sermon on the Plain), he offers a promise of hope.

The Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount (1598), oil painting on copper by Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625). J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. (Click image to enlarge.)

This is a promise made in particular to those who are poor, those who mourn, those who are meek, hungry, and thirsty; the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the righteous, and the persecuted. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,” Jesus tells the multitude. Is Jesus promising a heavenly kingdom, a reward that comes only after we die? Or is he foreseeing a kingdom of heaven on earth, a glorious kingdom that may appear when people begin to live the Beatitudes? If we consider everything that the Gospels teach us about the Way of Jesus, we might hear him calling us to join in building a kingdom that comes on earth as it is in heaven.

All Saints C

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Thoughts on the Lessons for All Saints C, Nov. 1, 2019
(All Saints’ Day may also be celebrated on the Sunday following Nov. 1.)

First Reading: Daniel 7:1-3; 15-18

We remember all saints, known and unknown, on November 1, All Saints’ Day. As one of the seven principal feasts of the church year, its observance may be moved to the following Sunday.

The Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount (1598), oil painting on copper by Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625). The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. (Click image to enlarge.)

The first reading from the book of Daniel, one of the last books in the Old Testament, resembles the style of Revelation. Its contemporaries would have recognized its then-popular genre as symbolic, not literal. In these verses, Daniel tells of a vivid dream about four alarming beasts that represent earthly kings, a terrifying vision that left his spirit troubled. But the nightmare ends with reassurance as we recall all who have died and gone to their eternal rest: God will win and reign forever.

Psalm: Psalm 149

Shouting out praise for God’s glory, we join the Psalmist in a new song with full hearts and voices, worshiping God so fully that the people physically embody their prayer in dance, music and song. We rejoice that God takes pleasure in us; we praise God who lifts up the poor. But then the short Psalm takes a sudden turn that might remind us of an ancient vision of Judgement Day: It recognizes God not only as protector of the faithful but also as stern judge of all who’ve turned against God’s way.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:11-23

Christ is King, and God has placed him at God’s right hand to rule over us all, the author of Ephesians assures his flock, writing to the persecuted Christians of Asia Minor in Paul’s name. From that time onward, the author assures them, all the people of God, baptized in Christ and sealed by the Spirit, are the saints of God. We are Christ’s body on earth, pledged through our inheritance through baptism to redemption as God’s own people.

Gospel: Luke 6:20-31

As we hear Luke’s version of the Beatitudes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, compare it in your mind with Matthew’s familiar narrative in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew’s account shows Jesus guiding us toward service and neighborly love. We can find that in Luke’s view as well. But Luke’s version, as we might expect from the evangelist who told us of Mary’s Magnificat and Jesus’ first sermon in Nazareth, is more directly focused on caring for the poor and the oppressed; not just Matthew’s “poor in spirit” but those who actually have no money, no resources. Luke calls us to give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty as well as standing with those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Don’t just turn the other cheek: Forgive your enemies, and pray for them. In Luke’s Beatitudes, doing unto others is not easy, but it is essential. It binds us as the people of God.

All Saints B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 4, 2018

The Raising of Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus (1304-1306), fresco by Giotto di Bondone (c.1266-1337). Cappella degli Scrovegni nell’Arena, Padua, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

We are an Easter people. All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. On All Saints Day, as when we bury our dead, we dress the altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return; yet we celebrate the communion of saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas all come together in Sunday’s readings, beginning with Wisdom’s promise that peace, love and joy with God await God’s faithful people.

First Reading (Alternate): Isaiah 25:6-9

On All Saints Day we dress our altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. On this day we celebrate the communion of all the saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas are all knit together in today’s readings, beginning with the Prophet Isaiah’s vision of a banquet table that will welcome all the people of all the nations, a delicious feast of rich food and aged, clear wines for a people united at last in a kingdom where where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting. It is no coincidence that these verses are also often chosen for our burial liturgy.

Psalm: Psalm 24

Today’s psalm, like both alternative first readings, celebrates the rewards for those who live as God would have us live. Originally it was an ancient liturgy, a responsive chant sung by priests and people as they approached the Temple for worship. The priest calls out, “Who can stand in his holy place?” The crowd roars back, “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts!” The priest responds, “Who is the king of glory?” “The Lord of hosts,” the crowd shouts back with joy.

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a

Our second reading is also frequently heard at funerals, as one of the readings used in the liturgy for celebration of a life. Continuing the All Saints Day theme of a glorious life after death for those who love God, it describes a holy city coming down out of heaven, a new Jerusalem that stands in stark contrast to the dark and demonic earthly city of Rome, portrayed in Revelation as Babylon. We hear that death and pain will be no more in the heavenly city, for God will be with us every day, wiping the tears from our eyes.

Gospel: John 11:32-44

Lazarus has died, and Jesus weeps. Jesus knew his friend was dead, so he took his time getting to Bethany, which angered Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Maybe he could have done something, if only he had hurried. So often death in the family brings not only sadness but anger and rage. And then, whispering a quiet prayer to God, Jesus calls out and Lazarus answers. Jesus says “No” to the death of Lazarus, just as God will say “No” to death for Jesus and for us all on Easter Day. Death does not have the last word.

What are “Track 1” and “Track 2”?
During the long green season after Pentecost, there are two tracks (or strands) each week for Old Testament readings. Within each track, there is a Psalm chosen to accompany the particular lesson.
The Revised Common Lectionary allows us to make use of either of these tracks, but once a track has been selected, it should be followed through to the end of the Pentecost season, rather than jumping back and forth between the two strands.
For more information from LectionaryPage.net, click here.

All Saints A

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Thoughts on the All Saints Day lessons for Nov. 1, 2017 or the following Sunday

“The 144,000 Elect, Revelation 7"

Les 144000 Elus – Apocalypse VII (“The 144,000 Elect, Revelation 7), illumination on parchment by the 11th century scribe Martinus. In the archives of the cathedral at Burgo de Osma, Spain.
(Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Revelation 7:9-17

In the apocalyptic vision of John of Patmos, the author of Revelation, we see all the saints, a countless multitude of every race and nation, all robed in white, gathered in John’s idea of the heavenly throne room. They have come together to praise the Lamb, Revelation’s allegorical image for Jesus as both sacrificed sheep and messianic shepherd; victim and victor in one, the loving protector who leads us as a single multitude that shows all Earth’s glorious diversity.

Psalm: Psalm 34:1-10, 22

The Psalmist speaks directly to the people, offering us wise counsel as imagined from King David’s thankful point of view after he had feigned madness to talk his way out of a deadly situation. Bless and praise God at all times; exalt God’s name, we are told. No matter who we are – saints or sinner, nobles or servant – we all join in worship and praise. We are small and humble. God is great and powerful. Yet when we are in trouble, when we are afraid, when we are hungry, we place our faith and trust in God and need not fear.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3

The three short letters of John were probably not written by John the apostle, John the evangelist, nor John the author of Revelation. But these verses from the first letter of John do seem consistent with the theology of John’s Gospel. They celebrate the abundant love of God that showers on us and makes us all God’s children. The glory of our coming adulthood under God’s love remains to be revealed; but from the beginning, all of God’s children, all of God’s saints, are brothers and sisters through God’s creative love.

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus reveals the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount, he offers a promise of hope to those who are poor, those who mourn, the meek, the hungry and thirsty, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the righteous, and the persecuted. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,” he calls out. But think about this: Is Jesus promising a heavenly kingdom, a reward that comes only after we die? Or is he foreseeing a kingdom of heaven on earth, a glorious kingdom that may appear when people begin to live the Beatitudes? If we consider all that the Gospels tell us Jesus said, we might hear him calling us to join in building a kingdom that comes on earth as it is in heaven.

All Saints B

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons forNov. 1, 2015

The Raising of Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus, a medieval illumination (Folio 171r) in Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 1413-1489.

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9

It is All Saints Day! We dress the altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return; yet we celebrate the communion of saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. These ideas are all knit together in today’s readings, beginning with the Prophet Isaiah’s vision of a delicious feast of rich food and aged, clear wines at a banquet table that will welcome all the people of all the nations, united at last in a kingdom where death and tears are no more.

First Reading (Alternate): Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9

It is All Saints Day! We dress the altar not in the black of mourning but the white of hope and joy. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return; yet we celebrate the communion of saints, the living and the dead, all bound together in Christ. Today’s Preface and Collect remind us that God’s saints surround us with a great cloud of witnesses that gives us joy and inspires us in life and in the Body of Christ. These ideas are all knit together in today’s readings, beginning with Wisdom’s promise that peace, love and joy with God await God’s faithful people.

Psalm: Psalm 24

Bible scholars find hints of ancient liturgy in this Psalm, perhaps a hymn to be sung in procession toward the Temple, rhetorically asking how one earns the right to come in and worship. Hearing this Psalm with modern ears, perhaps we can take joy from the assurance that all who come “with clean hands and pure hearts” can count on the protection of God, the King of Glory.

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a

Do these verses seem familiar? We frequently hear them at funerals, as one of the readings used in the liturgy for celebration of a life. It is a worthy choice, with its phrases of hope for all God’s people in a new Jerusalem: a new heaven and new earth where God is with us, wiping away our tears, and banishing crying and pain in a place of joy, where death and mourning will be no more.

Gospel: John 11:32-44

We may have faith in the hope of an eternal life of joy and peace with God, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel sorry when a friend or loved one dies. Even Jesus wept when he learned that his friend Lazarus had died. But then, in this touching story, Jesus prays, Jesus calls out, and Lazarus rises! Jesus says “No” to the death of Lazarus, just as God will say “No” to death for Jesus and for us all on Easter Day.

All Saints A

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Nov. 2, 2014

Ancient All Saints painting from the Romanian Orthodox church.

Ancient All Saints painting from the Romanian Orthodox church.

First Reading: Revelation 7:9-17


What a stirring scene for All Saints Day! The apocalyptic vision of John of Patmos, the author of Revelation, reveals a countless multitude of people from every race and nation – indeed, all the saints. All the world’s people are gathered to praise the Lamb, Revelation’s allegorical image for Jesus as both sheep and shepherd, both victim and victor, and the loving protector who guides us as a single multitude in all Earth’s glorious diversity.

Psalm: Psalm 34:1-10, 22

Most of the Psalms address God in prayer, but this one is different: The Psalmist here sings directly to the people, offering us wise counsel: As God’s saints and as God’s servants, we praise and worship God. We are small and humble. God is great and powerful. Yet when we are in trouble, when we are afraid, when we are hungry, we place our faith and trust in God and need not fear. Taste and see that God is good; happy are we who trust in God!

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3

Biblical scholars believe that the three short letters of John were written neither by John the apostle, John the evangelist, nor John the author of Revelation. After all, John was – and is – a very common name! The first letter of John celebrates the abundant love of God that showers on us and makes us all God’s children. All of God’s children, all of God’s saints, are brothers and sisters through God’s creative love.

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

Ah, the Beatitudes! The familiar opening verses of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, this list of blessings gives us a hint of how Jesus wants us all to live. But wait a minute! When we pay attention, as we should, don’t the Beatitudes turn our usual, comfortable vision of the world upside down? Blessings go not to the rich and powerful but to the poor, the meek, the hungry; those who seek peace in a world of violence; those who are oppressed and persecuted because they fight for justice? There is a message here for all God’s saints and sinners.