Eight Routes Up The Mountain

As the majority of solemnities of the liturgical calendar which occur on weekdays are moved to the nearest Sunday in Tanzania, today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. The Gospel of today's liturgy speaks of Eight Routes up the mountain of God (The Eight Beatitudes).

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will 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
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 5:2-12)

Though the lanes are narrow and demanding, they surely lead to the destination without falter. It is up to you and me which path, which lane to choose and follow faithfully till the end. As we celebrate those who took these paths and succeeded in their lifelong safari, let us not forget about the saints living among us, who quietly and faithfully follow eight lanes of safari to heaven.