The Saints: "Cloud of Witnesses"
20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)
The Letter to the Hebrews has two parts. In the first part it speaks of Jesus as the high priest of the new covenant, and in the second part it speaks of the faith necessary to live out Christian life in the face of persecutions. To illustrate this faith, the author reviews a litany of saints from the Old Testament: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Rahab, and many others, and describes their heroic deeds (cf Hb 11).
And then he urges the Christians to follow their example, assisted by their living presence: “Since therefore we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also… run with perseverance the race that is set before us” (Hb 12:1).
This is an important verse in the New Testament, because it underpins the Church’s traditional practice of venerating the saints and invoking their assistance for our Christian journey. At the time of the writing, the only saints were those from the Old Testament. Today, however, we have added to their number countless more, including so many from that first generation of Christians.
This verse speaks of the ancient biblical saints in the present tense: “we are surrounded.” They are alive in the church, and are present when the church gathers. Death is the not the end of someone, they continue to fulfill a role in God’s plan for salvation, particularly those to whom He entrusted a special mission. Jesus himself emphasized this when he proclaimed that the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” is not God of the dead, but of the living (cf. Lk 20:38). The saints live in the presence of the church, and in the liturgy, we are surrounded by a cloud of heavenly witnesses.
It is for this reason that we decorate our churches with statues, images – and even relics – of those saints, to remind us that every Mass is a celebration of heaven on earth. Throughout the year we observe in the liturgical calendar their feastdays. Saints play an essential role in our discipleship of the Lord because we follow in their footsteps. No one undertakes this journey alone, and they are the best helpers because they have the perspective of the finish line which we on earth do not yet possess. Many holy men on earth have strong faith, but the saints have demonstrated the perseverance of faith (12:1) that must endure to the end.
There are two important words for “saint” in the New Testament: “Holy One” (hagios), and “Witness” or “Testifier” (martyrios). Saints therefore exist both in heaven and in the church on earth. In heaven the race is complete; on earth it is still unfolding. Holiness is present in heaven and on earth, but in heaven the holiness is perfect, whereas on earth (and purgatory) the holiness is still unfolding through a process of purification. Witness is also present in heaven and on earth, but in heaven the witness is complete, sealed by the totality of a life totally sacrificed (often through the act of dying for the faith), whereas on earth the witness is ongoing. In heaven, the saints witness to God such that His grace and glory shines fully through their life and actions; the jewel is fully polished to reflect God, whereas on earth the jewel which magnifies the Lord is still emerging from sin and darkness.
With all the saints we look to Jesus, the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Hb 12:2), and to his mother Mary, united deeply with him in his work of redemption. Of all the saints she is most “full of grace” (Lk 1:28), whose soul perfectly “magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46), and whose supreme holiness we celebrate in the Solemnity of the Assumption. Let us be inspired by their example, encouraged by their victory, and assisted by their active intercession!