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One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited is the Grand Canyon.
It is an endless pit of color.
The cliffs, the peaks, the ridges rise from every angle, never seeming to end.
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I entered the park by the Northern Rim Trail, which spans part of the canyon’s edge. From there you can descend into the canyon itself.
When I first saw the Grand Canyon, I nearly lost my breath; I was overwhelmed by the canyon’s beauty.
But after absorbing the view, I reached out for my college buddies, whom I was travelling with.
Although the canyon never changed, somehow seeing it with my friends made it even more beautiful.
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(This picture is just an example.)
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I believe the same thing happens in heaven.
The Saints stand before God, much like my friends stood beside me. You might say they gaze upon the Lord from the Northern Rim Trail.
But they yearn to share the experience with us. Although God never changes, somehow seeing Him together makes the Lord seem all the more beautiful.
So, the Saints pray for us, that we may someday be blessed to join them.
Imagine that – an endless line of men, women, and children gazing upon God, longing to share that vision with us.
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So, who are these Saints enjoying life in the presence God?
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They’re the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers. The ones Jesus calls “blessed” in today’s Gospel.
Concretely, we might think of those who’ve changed the world:
Peter, the first pope. Paul, the greatest missionary in history. Francis of Assisi, who renewed the Church. Catherine of Siena, who experienced mystical visions. Or Teresa of Calcutta, a modern-day Saint who showed the world how to love the poor.
But most of the Saints were ordinary men and women like us.
For example, Saint Conrad was a doorman. He spent 40 years greeting pilgrims at a Marian shrine in Germany.
Saint Zita was a cook.
Other Saints were barbers, farmers, maids, soldiers, even soccer players.
There’s nothing extraordinary about what they did: welcoming strangers, cutting hair, or preparing meals. But they did these things with extraordinary love.
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One of my favorite Saints is Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. Like many others, he was a “blue collar” Saint; he did nothing great in the world’s eyes.
Joseph never went to college. He never wrote a book. He never owned shares in the stock market.
He never held public office. He never made the news. He never lived in a major city or even journeyed far from his home.
The only time Joseph left his homeland was when he fled to Egypt as a refugee because King Herod was trying to kill the infant Jesus, and the baby wasn’t even his.
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Joseph was uneducated; a peasant; a refugee; a foster father.
A nobody.
But 2,000 years have come and gone, and we still celebrate his life, because he made his way to heaven by doing the tasks that God gave him to do.
Namely, to be a good husband, a nurturing father, and an undeterred believer.
That’s all God asks of us, to be faithful to the tasks we’ve been given.
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So, what has the Lord invited me to do in this life? Has he called me to married life? To religious life? To a life of service?
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Being a faithful spouse, a nurturing parent, an honest friend, a zealous priest can make us Saints.
Our reward for doing so is eternal peace, and a place along the Northern Rim Trail, as it were.
And as the old saying goes, “The more the merrier.”
So, the Saints who are already there pray for us, that one day we may join them, because seeing the Lord together somehow makes heaven all the more beautiful.
Saint Joseph, Saint Zita, Saint Conrad, all the Saints in heaven, pray for us.
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