Saint Callistus

First Reading: Revelation 7:2-4,9-14

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a

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Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. Many who have stood in the presence of the Gothic rose windows—brightly fashioned with images of the saints—have heard the windows sing. The Lord Jesus says, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt 16:25), and this wonderful loss of self happens when we listen to the singing of the rose window.

The rose is also an evocative symbol of what the spiritual masters refer to as the center. At the center is a depiction of Christ. Then wheeling around the Christic core is a harmoniously arranged amalgam of “medallions,” images, from the lives of the saints.

The medallions are often connected to one another and to the center by a series of spokes. This structured harmony is intended to be a picture of the well-ordered soul. When the divine power is the uncompromised center of our lives—as it is for the saints—then the myriad energies of our souls—intellectual, moral, physical, emotional, sexual—tend to fall into harmony around it. 

When Christ is the “ground” of the soul, the soul finds peace, order, and beauty. Make God’s will the center of your concerns, and your proximate needs, desires, and longings will tend to find their place.