More Reflections for All Saints

On Married Saints, on the Hall of Holiness, and They Lead the Way.

This additional reflection, from "Talks for Children," is titled:

All Saints - Your Page in the Book

"Rejoice and exult, because your reward is great in heaven." St. Matthew, 5:12.

I want to tell you about a little girl called Kathleen - Kathleen Morrison, who later became a great movie actress. Later I'll tell you her name in the movies.

When Kathleen was still a little girl she was showing a friend some of her treasures - her dolls, her books, her dresses and all those things a girl likes. She thought she had nothing more to show her friend until Kathleen's dark eyes noticed her scrapbook. You know what a scrapbook is. It is a big book usually, where you paste in pictures and stories and things you want to keep, especially clipping from the papers and magazines. Kathleen's scrapbook had pictures of movie stars, all kinds of movie stars. She showed them all to her friend.

But there was one page that was blank. It had no picture or writing on it at all. Kathleen explained:

"That is where my picture is going to be when I am a great lady. I will cut out my picture and paste it right here, and if they say nice things about me I will put them right there."

Several years later Kathleen's name and picture were shown all over the land. She had changed her name to Colleen Moore. She had become a great actress. Perhaps your mother or father or grnadma or grandpa will remember her.

I'll bet her scrapbook is full now. I'll bet she has her page all covered with pictures and nice things. Oh, no, she hasn't. She still keeps that scrap­book, but her page is still blank. Why? Wel1, she says she wants to do still more wonderful things, and when she keeps that page blank she thinks about the better things she wants to do and tries much harder to do them.

Today, boys and girls, Mother Church shows us the "scrapbook of the saints," God's heroes. This is All Saints' day. Mother Church shows us the names and remarkable deeds of the heroes and heroines of God. She tells us to think about the many special friends of God whose names are not known. You may think that there are lots of saints, and there are, thousands of them.

But there are many thousands of people in heaven, saints, whose names are not known to us. Mother Church wants us to honor them today.

At the same time she leaves one page blank - for each one of you, a page where your name will be if you try to love and serve Jesus. Whether you ever become a great movie star or baseball star or any other kind of earthly star is not so important.

But it is important that every single one of you becomes a star for God, one of God's stars. And you can. Today Jesus tells us how. He tells us how we can get our names in His book. Jesus gives us the eight beatitudes, the eight blessings, the eight ways we can be happy with Him.

1. Jesus tells us we will be happy if we are poor in spirit. That means He wants us not to be thinking only about money and what money can buy.

2. He tells us that the meek will be happy and that they will own the land. Who are the meek? They are the gentle and the kind, those children who don't fight and quarrel, who try to let others have their way when it is possible.

3. Jesus says that those who are sad will be happy. Everyone of us at some time is sad. Jesus will make us glad.

4. Our Lord tells us that those who are hungry and thirsty because someone has been unjust to them, will also be happy in heaven. Perhaps some of your fathers do not make much money and you can't have all the good things you would like to have or even the good things you need. Don't worry. Jesus says you will be happy.

5. The merciful, our Lord says, will obtain mercy. If you forgive others, Jesus will forgive you. He tells us that many times.

6. Then He tells us something very important. He tells us that the pure of heart shall see God. If you try to think pure thoughts and talk pure and live pure, you will see God some day. That, is a wonderfu1 promise.

7. Peacemakers will also be happy and blessed. You know what a peace­maker is. A peacemaker is a boy or girl who tries to settle quarrels and fights and keep friends with everyone.

8. Those who suffer persecution will also be happy. Sometimes others make fun of us Catholics. They laugh even about our religion. You will even meet people who will not hire you for a job because you are a Catholic. That is persecution. Don't worry about it. Jesus will reward you.

In fact, Jesus will reward you for doing all these things He asks of us today. Doing them will make it sure that your name and your picture will be in God's book, the book of all those who loved and served Him. Those whose names are in that book, - and I do hope and pray that the name of every boy and girl here will be in that book - those whose names are in that book will live with Jesus forever. Amen.
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Adapted from Talks for Children
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (© 1948)