Solemnity of All Saints - November 1st

"When I invite you to become saints, I am asking you not to be content with second best. I am asking you not to pursue one limited goal and ignore all the others. Having money makes it possible to be generous and to do good in the world, but on its own, it is not enough to make us happy. Being highly skilled in some activity or profession is good, but it will not satisfy us unless we aim for something greater still. It might make us famous, but it will not make us happy. Happiness is something we all want, but one of the great tragedies in this world is that so many people never find it, because they look for it in the wrong places. The key to it is very simple - true happiness is to be found in God. We need to have the courage to place our deepest hopes in God alone, not in money, in a career, in worldly success, or in our relationships with others, but in God. Only he can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts."

-- Pope Benedict XVI (read more of the sermon here)

A couple of reflections and links for this special day:

• The Domincan students in the UK post at Godzdogz
• The New Theological Movement reflects on the Feast of All Saints, hidden in the Mass
• Rev James Martin SJ challanges us and reminds us that the Saints Were as Strange as You Are - And You Can Be as Holy as They Were
• Archbishop Timothy Dolan from New York reminds us that we are members of the Greatest family of all
• The Dominicans at Blackfriars have also posted their homily for the feast.
• The great bloggers over at Why am I a Catholic? have put together their regular Monday post of music which is appropriate for the day that is in it with various beautiful and reflective versions of the Litany of Saints and the Te Deum.

And to round out this celebration of that holy cloud of witnesses