ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Brother Bishops, Dear Priests and Deacons,
Dear Sisters of Mother Katharine,
Dear Friends in Christ,

I offer a warm welcome to Bishop Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, as well as a special greeting to Sister Patricia Suchalski, President of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, to the Leadership Council and to all the members and associates of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. I congratulate you and I express my delight at being with you for this joyful anticipation of the 150th Birthday of Philadelphia’s beloved Saint Katharine Drexel. How fitting it is that, on this day when we celebrate the victory of all of the Saints, we can add to their chorus the voice, deeds and heroic example of the Foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament!

Our Liturgy of the Word transports us to that blessed vision of heaven where all those who are victorious stand before the throne of God, joyfully crying out the praises of the Most Blessed Trinity. In the words recorded by Saint John, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev 7:14). They are the ones described by the Psalmist as those whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean (cf. Ps 24:4). They are those who, full of hope, made themselves pure, as God is pure (cf. 1 John 3:3).

Beautiful, too, is the vision described in the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, which we shall hear shortly: "Around your throne the saints, our brothers and sisters, sing your praise for ever. Their glory fills us with joy, and their communion with us in your Church gives us inspiration and strength as we hasten on our pilgrimage of faith, eager to meet them" (Preface 71).

This great solemnity, then, not only celebrates all those who have gone before us and now rejoice in the Beatific Vision. This feast also reminds us that we, too, are called to be saints. All that we do in this life must be geared toward the service of God, the spread of the Gospel, the rendering of charity and mercy to our neighbor, the assistance given to all as we—all together—continue eagerly on our journey to heaven. In Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council teaches this clearly: "The holiness of the Church is constantly shown forth in the fruits of grace which the Spirit produces in the faithful and so it must be; it is expressed in many ways by the individuals who, each in his own state of life, tend to the perfection of love, thus sanctifying others; it appears in a certain way of its own in the practice of the counsels which have been usually called ‘evangelical.’ This practice of the counsels prompted by the Holy Spirit, undertaken by many Christians whether privately or in a form or state sanctioned by the Church, gives and should give a striking witness and example of that holiness" (no. 39).

Jesus, in the Gospel passage which was just proclaimed, offered to His disciples a profound teaching, a daily method by which we would be identified with Himself, a recipe for true holiness. "Blessed are the poor in spirit .... Blessed are those who mourn .... Blessed are the meek .... Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness .... Blessed are the merciful.... Blessed are the clean of heart.... Blessed are the peacemakers.... Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness .... Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven" (Mt 5:3-12).

The Beatitudes, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ’s disciples; they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints" (no. 1717).

This great solemnity of All Saints reminds us, therefore, that we have our goal of eternal life in heaven with God. We also have the means - our holy faith and charitable works and steadfast witness to the Death and Resurrection of Jesus - which will lead us to obtain the prize of everlasting life. As this has been realized in so many ways in the multitude of Saints whom the Church celebrates today, so it is reflected for us especially in the life of Saint Katharine Drexel.

There is no need to go into details about the life of this great Saint. As we know, Katharine Drexel was fortunate in so many ways. Her greatest fortune, however, was that faith, hope and charity were instilled within her deeply from her Baptism, and nurtured within a devout family life. The selfless generosity radiated by the Drexel family was the fruit of an intense sacramental and devotional practice within the Drexel household. This prepared Katharine to be completely immersed her vocation to the consecrated life, and to the particularly challenging mission for which God had lovingly chosen and prepared her.

The Servant of God Pope John Paul II remarked on this in his homily during the Canonization of Mother Katharine on October 1, 2000: "From her parents she learned that her family’s possessions were not for them alone but were meant to be shared with the less fortunate. As a young woman, she was deeply distressed by the poverty and hopeless conditions endured by many Native Americans and African-Americans. She began to devote her fortune to missionary and educational work among the poorest members of society. Later, she understood that more was needed. With great courage and confidence in God’s grace, she chose to give not just her fortune but her whole life totally to the Lord. To her religious community, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, she taught a spirituality based on prayerful union with the Eucharistic Lord and zealous service of the poor and the victims of racial discrimination. Her apostolate helped to bring about a growing awareness of the need to combat all forms of racism through education and social services" (no. 4).

How beautifully Saint Katharine Drexel embraced and lived the Beatitudes. Her desire was union with Jesus through the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist - the Presence and Love of Christ Himself - impelled Mother Katharine to heroic witness, to fervent compassion and charity, to total giving of self in service to God in the poor, the afflicted and the oppressed. When misunderstood, Mother Katharine never wavered from her mission. Even when she could no longer physically go out to the missions, her heart, united with the all-encompassing Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, never left the mission of her community. In her ardent prayer, Saint Katharine remained an active participant in the mission of her community as well as the universal mission of the Church.

How many wonderful things did Mother Katharine obtain by her sufferings as well! These, too, greatly supported the mission of her sisters. In her own words, Mother Katharine made it clear: "Let us often contemplate Jesus our Lord on His last journey. He bids me follow Him. There is no other way to heaven. No one’s face is toward heaven when it is not toward Calvary." She also prayed: "Grant that I may never throw away my cross until my sacrifice, like Yours on Calvary, is consummated by death" (Reflections on Life in the Vine found in the writings of Mother M. Katharine Drexel, p. 7). Whether engaged in her mission, in her prayer, or in her infirmity, like all the saints, Mother Katharine was blessed with the great gift of perseverance.

The Solemnity of All Saints, as well as our celebration of this milestone anniversary of the birth of our beloved Saint Katharine, will serve as a call to all of us, clergy, consecrated religious and lay faithful, to renew within ourselves our desire for heaven. But, if we desire the glory, we must also welcome the tribulations and trials with patience. We must persevere in our mission of making known the face of Jesus. We must persevere in prayer and in service.

Like Saint Katharine Drexel and the multitudes of those who behold the vision of God, we must find our strength in prayer and in the sacraments—especially the Sacrament of Penance, in which we turn away from sin, and the Most Holy Eucharist. In receiving the Eucharist, we are given the nourishment which we need to persevere in our Christian vocation. Through Eucharistic Adoration, we find rest to be renewed for our labors as we abide in the presence of Love Incarnate. If we love Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, we can accomplish great things for Him as did Mother Katharine. We will be able, first to absorb and then to share, the generous love of Jesus Himself.

Once more, I borrow a sentiment expressed by Pope John Paul II at the Canonization of Saint Katharine Drexel: "May her example help ...people ... to appreciate that no greater treasure can be found in this world than in following Christ with an undivided heart and in using generously the gifts we have received for the service of others and for the building of a more just and fraternal world" (no. 4). This we are called to do humbly, joyfully, faithfully, and in total day-by-day perseverance, in the name of Jesus, in those tasks both great and small which are our lot in life. This is the secret to sanctity embraced by the saints. Saint Katharine herself instructs us: "Out of our common todays and yesterdays we are building for eternity" (Reflections on Life in the Vine, p. 23). Amen.