“HAGIOS FOR YOU”
Saint Matthew 5: 1-12
All Saints Day: 1 November Anno Domini 2020
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
“And seeing the multitudes, The Holy One went up a mountain: and when The Holy One was set, The Holy One’s Holy Ones came unto The Holy One. And The Holy One opened His mouth and taught them saying…”
“I AM your Rock and your Fortress!” Whether you dear brothers and sisters end up white or red, you are and will be martyrs. A martyr is a witness, one who confesses and testifies to truth. You belong to The Lord and thus you speak His truth; you witness The Christ Who is The Truth. There were Holy Ones who came out of the great tribulation. Saint John, on the isle of Patmos was given to record The Lord’s Words about the “red” martyrs—those who were slain in bloody death to witness to The Lord’s bloody death at Calvary for the sins of the world. But all Holy Ones, martyrs to the sword, spear, bullet, or forced starvation…as well as those who are persecuted, marginalized, mocked, and spitefully entreated in other ways (the “white” martyrs) come through the tribulation—the trials, temptations, and struggles, which are your lives under the Cross.
The devil wants The Holy One’s children quibbling over words and definitions. Resist the urge to condemn your brethren—even if they belong to the heterodox false teaching Roman community. Yes, the current Pontiff is seeking to beatify one of his predecessors, who objectively speaking was quite sub-par and un-heroic, even by Vatican standards (Paul VI). But their view of Saints is not entirely wrong: one who was an heroic, courageous, and historically significant warrior for The Faith and The Christ. We agree. We honor and love Sts. Polycarp, Irenaeus, Cyprian, Basil, Leo, Ambrose, Augustine, Benedict, and Bernard, as well. (Luther had a soft spot for Bernard of Clairvaux)
Melanchthon writes in the Apology: “Our Confession approves honor to the Saints…we concede that, just as, when alive, they pray for the Church universal in general, so in heaven they pray for the Church in general.” [Ap. XXI]
We know Saints because The Saint knows us. The six-winged Seraphim in the presence of The Lord (Isaiah 6) sing “Hagios, Hagios, Hagios.” The Church’s language for close to 2,000 years translated that Septuagint Greek into its own “vox populi” as “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.” That means, as you sung, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” but it also means “Saintly, Saintly, Saintly, or Saint, Saint, Saint.” To be holy, sanctified, saintly, or Hagios, is to be pure, spotless, sinless, perfect, immaculate, designated unique and special, chosen, anointed, and separated out from to be united to. To be made God’s children, The Lord’s brethren.
Only God the Trinity is Holy. We call the Godhead, thus, The Holy Trinity. The Holy three-in-one and one-in-three, has manifested Its fullness in the Incarnated (flesh wearing, blood circulating) God/Man Christ Jesus. Only Jesus is Holy—Saintly. He makes His martyrs (witnesses) Holy by uniting them to Himself; and by dwelling in them even as He places them into Himself. Holy Groom makes Holy Bride. Holy Head makes Holy Body. Holy God makes Holy Church/people by Holy + Washing (you are + Baptized) and by Holy Eucharist (the Sacrament of The Altar is Holy Communion). Baptism makes Saints. The Mass keeps Saints, Saintly.
Your robes have been washed in the Blood of The Lamb: “redeemed me…from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil…with His HOLY precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” [SC II.2]
In His righteousness (He is The Righteous One) you have been delivered—declared Holy, yes, but also Made Holy.
Though still weighed down by daily sin and moral flesh, decaying, the beginning of your future weight of glory is made sure and manifest in His Word. You martyr The Faith for the world to see. The Holy One is both your author and your perfector. Not just the physical visible world sees Saints, Holiness, but also the spiritual invisible world.
All Saints’ Day is Holy + Baptism Day. Those blessed Saints who have gone from this Church Militant (the Kingdom of Grace) to the Church Glorious—“in waiting” (The Kingdom of Power) do cry out “How long O, Lord?” They are Saints. You pray daily “maranatha” come quickly Lord Jesus (in Table Prayers “Come Lord, Jesus”) You are Saints. There is only one faith, one Lord, one Baptism, and One Church. The Saints compass you about with a great cloud of witnesses. God is not the God of the dead, spoke The Holy One, but The God of the living.
The Law? You want the Law? Well, you need it. The Law shows your sin. You struggle with the fact that the Saints with Christ, waiting, (under the altar) can not be seen and touched by you, the Saints with Christ’s Word (in front of the altar). You chafe at death, absence, doubt, fears, loneliness, and past & present sins. But He opens His mouth and breathes His Grace and Peace and Sainthood upon you. The “Beatitudes” are His attitudes, His favor to and for you. He was poor in Spirit, i.e. He was the humiliated suffering servant Who kept the Torah and paid the price as the dying Lamb of God. But now blessed are you (Holy are you). He mourned, He was meek, He hungered and thirsted, He was merciful, He was pure in heart. He saw The Father at His Baptism, and now you whom He has made Holy, in Him, see God when you hear His Word, are washed in His Word, and taste His Word.
The Invocation, Holy, as His Name is Holy. The Introit, Holy, as all His songs, His Psalms were written by His Holy Ones, David, the Sons of Priest Korah, and others. You are fed by the Holy Evangelist Saint Matthew with The Holy Gospel. The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Saint John feeds you also with The Holy One’s Revelation, The Apocalypse of His Church to keep you Holy until His great reappearing.
How long, O Lord? Not long at all. Ye watcher and ye Holy Ones. You join today with bright Seraphs, Cherubim and Thrones. Your parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses, and all the Christians who have gone before you, are with you IN CHRIST. With Dominions, Principalities, Angels, and Archangels and all the host of heaven—here, now, this morning. How long, O Lord? The twinkling of an eye. The flutter of an angel’s wing. The foretaste of the Feast to come has come. The resurrection of all flesh and the life of the world to come, is at the door.
“Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven.” Great is your reward at this communion rail. Holy. Holy. Holy.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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