His Excellency,
The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Ph.D., STD
Bishop Emeritus
Diocese of Belleville
Solemnity of All Saints
November 2, 2026, 10:00 AM Mass
Saints Peter & Paul Parish
ALL SAINTS DAY
“The Church Does not Make Saints; Saints Make the Church”
(This is the text as originally written. During the actual delivery, some passages were omitted and other comments were added spontaneously. Nota bene: This text has not been thoroughly proofread. Therefore, there may be errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
The Church does not make saints; saints make the Church. “Are you a saint? Am I a saint?” Are the individuals for whom you plan to vote saints?” Your likely response, “No, of course not.” We think it would be presumptuous for any of us or any candidate for public office to think of ourselves as saints. But if we are not saints, we ought to at least be on the road to becoming saints. After all, the saints did not become saints after they died. They were saints during their lifetime. Our goal of becoming saints is not something impossible to attain because we are not “perfect” the way St. Peter, St. Catherine of Siana, St. Charles Lewanga, St. Thomas More, and St. Theresa of Calcutta are NOT perfect. Saints are not venerated because they are perfect, but because of their heroic fidelity to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Only God is perfect. Saints are redeemed sinners just like each of us. St. Mary, Mother of the Lord, is the only saint without sin. (It is important to remember that the vast majority of saints have not been formally canonized by the Church.) The Church does not make saints; saints make the Church.
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On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd, millions of American citizens will vote for governors, senators, and members of the House of Representatives. Millions of other Americans, including millions of Catholics, will not vote believing voting is a waste of time because they think corruption prevents politicians from accomplishing anything worthwhile. Meanwhile, the Vatican announced last week that our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV made history by becoming the first Roman Pontiff to vote in a United States election. After voting by mail in Chicago, the Bishop of Rome said he always votes and Catholics should not be unengaged spectators of elections. Voting is a kind of “civic sacrament.” Catholics should become well informed about the important issues facing the state and the country and, guided by the teachings of the faith, they should make prudent judgments and vote for those they think are the best candidates.
When candidates for office are criticized for holding positions that are inconsistent with Christian morality, some Christian voters argue this does not matter since they are not voting for a saint, they are voting for the person who supports policies that agree with their personal convictions. However, shouldn’t a Christian in public life be a person striving to be a saint? And shouldn’t each one of us who votes be striving to be saints? Today’s celebration of All Saints’ Day reminds us that while we may not think about it, Catholics in politics and Catholic voters should exercise their civic duties in ways that are consistent with their baptismal vocations to be saints.
On All Saints Day, Catholic politicians and Catholic voters are reminded that we do not live out our political and civic lives in some secular world apart from our Catholic faith. We live our political lives as members of the Communion of Saints, the communion of all the faithful united with Christ. This includes all of us learning our faith, loving our faith, and living our faith, as the pilgrim People of God; all of those who have died in faith and do not yet share in the joy of heaven because of the need for purification; and those who have attained the joy of Eternal Life, the blessed in heaven.
When we are baptized, we experience a rite of purification and initiation by which we are joined to the Body of Christ and called to put on Christ. When we are confirmed, we are sealed with the sign of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we receive the Eucharist, we are fed on the Body and Blood of Christ, the spiritual food we need for our journey from God to God. We are initiated into our vocations to be saints and make Jesus Christ present in the world as husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters and brothers in all walks of life. This is the vocation of every Christian voter and elected official, no matter what political positions we hold. We should all be striving to be saints each day.
The Church celebrates All Saints’ Day on November 1st, before the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed on November 2nd. In this way, we are reminded that in the Sacraments of Initiation we are all called to live our lives now as saints. Sanctity is our destiny. We need not die to fulfill this destiny. We can be saints alive! Sadly, All Hallows’ (Saints’) Day has been completely obscured by the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween. Children think only of weird costumes, carved pumpkins, and the delicious morsels they receive trick or treating. Many Catholic children are unaware that October 31st is really All Hallows’ Eve. As a result, children may find it difficult to appreciate that they should strive to make All Saints’ Day their feast day, since they are called to BE saints. When All Saints’ Day is diminished, the true meaning of All Souls’ Day is obscured as well and we lose sight of our Christian hope that those who die in Christ are also be numbered among the saints. Ideally, the Christians who are elected on Tuesday to serve our communities should think of their political activities as their road to sanctity.
The Church does not make saints; saints make the Church
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In this morning’s gospel, Matthew 5:1-12, Jesus gives us a roadmap to becoming saints in the Beatitudes during the Sermon on the Mount reminding voters and candidates for office how challenging it is to live as saints. He teaches, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” (Recall that in his Gospel, Luke 6:17-26, gives us only four Blessings and parallels them with four stark woes. He begins with “Blessed are the Poor” without adding Mathew’s spiritually weaker expression “in spirit”).
In the second reading, 1 John 3:1-3, John elaborates on what Jesus means when He says peacemakers will be children of God. “Beloved: we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is.” These amazing words are difficult to comprehend. If we and those who hold positions of responsibility in our government dedicate ourselves to the work of bringing true peace to our families, our neighborhood, our place of work, our parish, our diocese, our city, our country and, our world, (including war ravaged Ukraine and Iran), as children of God we face the paradoxical challenge that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.
Then our loving relationship to God will be as close as the loving relationship between loving parents as His children. John says we shall be like God and see Him as He is!
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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
We all know that when Catholics vote Tuesday, they will not vote for the same candidate or for the same ballot initiates. But, hopefully, ALL Catholics will vote in a manner that is faithful to their call to be saints.
Catholics disagree about many challenging political and social issues so much so that many Catholics avoid discussing their views with family members, friends, and fellow Catholics in order to prevent painful arguments. Nevertheless, every Catholic should vote in a manner that is faithful to their call to be saints. All Saints Day is a good day for Catholics involved in politics and for Catholics voting on Tuesday to examine our consciences and ask ourselves: What are we doing and saying that are preventing us from being saints? What changes do we need to make to put the Beatitudes in practice in our personal lives in order to truly be “children of God”? What sins have we committed that need to be confessed and forgiven to bring us closer to our vocations as saints? The Church does not make saints; saints make the Church! Without living saints right here in this parish, in your families, and in politics, the Church finds herself struggling to be the Church.
Take a few moments this damp, November afternoon to think about the true meaning of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Meditate on these words from the Book of Revelation. “Behold, I saw a great multitude (of saints) from every nation, every race, every people, and every language standing before the throne (of God) and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. The saints worshipped God exclaiming: Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14)
Are you a saint? Am I a saint? Are those for whom you will vote Tuesday saints?
The Church does not make saints!
Saints make the Church!
Praised be Jesus Christ Both now and forever. AMEN!