The eighth weekend after Pascha, that is the first weekend after Pentecost, is call the Weekend of ALL SAINTS. This feast completes the cycle of moveable feasts. On this day the Eastern Church pays particular veneration to all those who are the fruit of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and, I believe, also highlights God’s plan for all Christians. We all have been called to be saints. I know that many will immediately think that this is truly an impossible task. It is not! I requires us, however, to embrace the WAY OF JESUS.
I think that one of the reasons why many people think that becoming a saint is impossible for them is that they think that they have to be perfect and feel that they can’t achieve this state. Sainthood does not involve perfection. It involves, rather, a desire to grow in the likeness of Jesus. It also requires that we have a true intention to live in a manner that we believe God has called us to live.
The veneration of the saints began with the death of the first martyrs of the Christian era. The cult of the Martyrs in later centuries incorporated also the cult of the apostles, bishops, ascetics and religious of both sexes.
Before long, the cult of the New Testament (NT) saints was extended to include that of the Old Testament (OT) saints. St. Cyril of Jerusalem in his fifth Mystagogical Catechesis attests that during the Divine Liturgy after the Anamnensis “we commemorate those who have fallen asleep before us and who have believed in God: the forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, ascetics and for every just spirit”, so that through their prayers and their intercession, God may receive our petitions. Our Church clearly believes that (1) those who have gone before us into the next dimension (1) are alive; (2) can have a positive relationship with us; and (3) care about us. There is an unbroken connection between all humans who believe in the reality of a God Who loves His creation and who desires humans only to grow in the likeness of His Son, Jesus, so that they might understand that they are His children, the heirs of His kingdom.
We humans have been created with “free will,” that is the ability to make choices about what we believe and how we act. This means we can choose either to believe in a God Who truly cares about us or we can reject the notion of a loving and caring Creator-God.
What is truly interesting in my estimation is that our human experience tells us that anyone who creates anything, takes pride in and cares about his creation. Why would this not be true about the creator of humankind?