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The
Community
at
Prayer
Reflection
by
Father
Paul
M.
Baca
November
1,
2009,
Solemnity
of
All
Saints
This
feast
of
All
Saints
has
always
been
intriguing
to
me
because
of
the
many
questions
that
arise
from
such
a
feast.
Since
I
was
a
child
I
was
taught
about
the
saints
and
in
our
Catholic
tradition
every
one
of
us
was
nam
ed
after
a
saint
or
two.
One
of
the
first
questions
that
arose
was,
"What
makes
a
person
a
saint?",
then
I
heard
that
saints
were
canonized.
I
remember
many
times
in
church
as
I
looked
at
the
statues,
I
wondered
about
those
who
lived
long
ago
and
were
canonized
by
the
pope.
Needless
to
say,
in
my
child's
mind
I
figured
that
canonization
was
some
kind
of
magic,
and
all
of
a
sudden
like
you
or
me
would
be
declared
a
saint
and
they
would
start
making
statues
of
that
person.
I
know
life
is
a
process
and
we,
if
we
have
an
open
mind,
learn
and
relearn
and
continue
our
journey
of
life,
and
hopefully,
spiritual
growth.
It
was
in
the
midst
of
such
reflection
that
I
first
heard
that
there
was
a
special
day
when
we
honored
all
the
saints,
of
course
I
wondered:
If
we
honor
them
on
their
day,
why
do
they
need
one
big
day
to
honor
all
of
them?
It
was
quite
a
rude
awakening
when
I
was
told
that
it
was
not
the
pope
and
canonization
that
really
and
truly
made
them
a
saint.
Canonization,
I
found
out,
was
only
the
assurance
that
these
women,
men
and
children
had
lived
a
very
special
life
modeled
after
the
life
of
Jesus.
This
gave
rise
to
a
bolder
question:
What
about
all
those
women,
men
and
children
who
lived
that
special
life
and
are
never
recognized
for
their
sanctity
or
saintliness?
Are
they
not
saints?
Well,
not
formally,
so
we
throw
them
all
into
the
category
of
All
Saints
and
then
they
would
never
be
formally
recognized
as
saints.
I
wonder
if
some
of
these
undeclared
saints
minded
the
fact
that
they
did
not
receive
the
recognition
of
those
who
were
canonized.
Well,
a
saint
is
already
in
heaven,
so
why
should
they
care?
That
I
am
sure
is
radically
different
from
us
here
in
life
and
in
the
world
when
we
are
passed
over
or
slighted.
I
remember
priests
who
felt
quite
hurt
because
they
were
passed
over
for
the
monsignorship.
I
remember
my
dear
friend
Monsignor
Pajot,
who
told
me
when
he
was
installed
as
a
monsignor
that
he
had
never
paid
so
much
for
nothing.
And
he
was
a
great
man.
It
is
all
so
different
now
because
my
favorite
saint
who
has
never
been
canonized
and
probably
never
will.
I
remember
stories
of
the
legendary
Juan
Diego
at
Tepeyac
and
Miguel
Pro,
the
Jesuit
who
was
martyred
in
the
religious
persecutions
in
Mexico.
In
their
case
it
has
come
to
pass
that
they
were
finally
given
the
honor.
What
about
Archbishop
Romero?
Will
he
ever
be
canonized?
Judging
from
the
way
he
lived
his
life,
I
don't
think
he
really
cares.
He
professed
his
faith
by
his
actions
and
was
martyred
for
living
his
faith.
But
more
than
these
famous
persons,
I
think
about
the
many
moms
and
dads,
nuns
and
other
seemingly
ordinary
persons
that
I
saw
living
lives
that
would
probably
put
to
shame
some
of
those
who
have
formally
been
canonized.
Their
sanctity
and
saintliness
was
evident
in
almost
everything
they
did
and
said.
It
was
quite
obvious
that
the
teaching
of
Jesus
was
their
way
of
life.
I
feel
that
it
was
these
unsung
heroes
that
influenced
and
inspired
me
in
my
journey
of
life.
Happy
All
Saints
Day
to
the
many
of
you
who
are
already
there
and
those
who
daily
are
trying
to
live
the
teaching
of
Jesus
more
perfectly.
Click
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Reponse: Personally
, I can think of one we all know. He probably will not let you print this. TonyHome