Solemnity of All Saints
November 1, 2023
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
Today the Church commemorates all the saints–that is all the saved joined eternally to the life of the triune God. Their number is first given as 144,000–that is the square of the twelve tribes of Israel multiplied by a thousand, symbolizing the new Israel.
Then comes another vision of a multitude beyond number from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stand before God praising and thanking him for the salvation that he has conferred on them all.
This reading assures us that the number of the saved is not small. It’s beyond counting and it includes people of every sort. This great gathering of praise is still going on. We hope to be part of it some day.
