Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints and for some reason we get it stuck in our heads that saints are a completely different kind of human being - when instead, they are very ordinary people like you and I. So, while we may all take a moment to remember our favorite saints – what about all those who may have gone before us and are unrecognized as a saint? So, take a few minutes and see how people like Jessica Robles, Jimmy Willmert, Joe Shuba, and my friend Steve DiGregorio have helped open many eyes to what this Feast Day means. See what I mean…

1. Feast of All Saints’s Day Princeton, NJ November 1, 2021
Deacon Jim Knipper 1
It was back in the ninth century that this Feast Day was officially established, and perhaps the church
created this feast because in great part they recognized that no matter how many saints we might formally
canonize, it really doesn't do it justice. The first reading gives us the symbolic number of infinity, which it
says that 144,000 from every tribe and race were marked with a seal – meaning that somehow, "All of us
are in some sense the saints." And in fact, that was the correct use of the term for the first 1,000 years of
Christianity. To be a Christian was to be called a saint. It was not to have won some later canonization
prize after you died, which left most of us out of the race. In fact, people still use the terms – that you are
either a ‘saint’ or a ‘sinner’ – forgetting that every canonized saint was indeed a sinner at some point of
their lives! But, yet, we still have it stuck in our heads that saints are a completely different kind of human
being - when instead, they are very ordinary people like you and I - all trying each in our own way to be
faithful to love and hope.
Each year, on this Feast Day, we hear the gospel reading of the Beatitudes. Theologian and author
Barbara Brown Taylor in her book, Always a Guest says this about the Beatitudes. “[Have you ever]
noticed that the first words out of Jesus’ mouth are not “Blessed shall be” but “Blessed are.” “Blessed are
the poor in spirit” – not because of something that will happen to them later but because of what their
poverty opens up in them right now. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” – not
because God is going to fill them up later but because their appetites are so fine-tuned right now. The
second half of the sentences still matter – the future promises still hold – but the blessings in the first half
are not deferred. Heaven begins now, for any saints willing to sign up.”
So let me share with you some vignettes of modern-day saints who showed up…
Kerry Weber, author of Mercy in the City reminds us of the opportunities for another view of life by telling
us that the corporal works of mercy don’t always look like what we expect. For example, visiting the
imprisoned doesn’t always mean visiting those literally in jail. Sometimes the imprisoned are those
imprisoned by their bodies, those unable to do the things they used to do. Those who receive no visitors
from the outside world. Those imprisoned by depression, guilt, loneliness, grief, poverty. Take for
example…
Jessica Robles, an unemployed mother of three, who tried to steal $300 worth of groceries from one of the
Publix supermarkets in Florida. She was caught and, fortunately, was turned over to a sympathetic
policewoman, Vicki Thomas, who asked her why she did it. Jessica replied so she could feed her three
kids.
Instead of taking her to jail Officer Thomas gave her notice to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge
and then took $100 of her own money to buy groceries for the Robles family. Word got around and soon
another $700 was donated. Eventually a local business owner hired Jessica for a job.
Blessed are the hungry, for they will be nourished by God.
Jimmy Willmert is a fifth grade, special needs child with a learning disability at Franklin Elementary School
in Minnesota. It was not uncommon that at recess some kids pick on him and tease Jimmy because he’s
an easy target, because he’s different. Five close fifth grade boys noticed this, so they made it their plan,
from the beginning, to be friends to Jimmy, to accept him, include him, to be kind to him. They did it on
their own. They made a difference to Jimmy. It did not go unnoticed and other seeing this made sure that
those five boys received the Spirit of Youth Award at the end of the school year.
Blessed are you when they abuse you, for the Spirit of God will always embrace you.

2. Feast of All Saints’s Day Princeton, NJ November 1, 2021
Deacon Jim Knipper 2
Nobody remembers Joe Shuba of Youngstown, Ohio who died in 2014 at the age of 89. He did rate an
obituary in the New York Times but not because he played for the old Brooklyn Dodgers and had only an
average career. Rather, he was remembered for something that happened on the field back in 1946. Back
then, Jackie Robinson, the first black player in the history of organized baseball, was playing for the
Montreal Royals. He hit a homer that day. As usual, after he rounded the bases he ran to the dug out
where only some of his fellow players would greet him…but not one of them would give the customary
handshake to a black man – no one except George Shuba. It meant lot to Jackie Robinson. A cameraman
recorded the event and, later on, so did the rest of the world.
Blessed are those who are look down upon, for the hands of God will pull you up.
And lastly, a story that hits much closer to home for me. As some of you may know one of our dear
parishioners, Steve DiGregorio, lost his battle to cancer a few weeks ago. Steve was a loving husband,
father and an award winning football coach for over 30+ years at Nutley High School as well as Princeton
University. Just before he died, I visited him in the hospital where he asked if I would preach at his funeral,
which did not happen due to a family conflict. But even though I never played football, nor was ever
coached in the sport by Steve, at his hospital bedside he coached me on his wisdom of life and love and
asked that I be sure to pass on these, his words, to you and others:
- Remind my family how much I loved them and that they made my life complete. - Remember
if someone reaches out to you – to be sure you reach back to them. - And do something each
day to help another person – it doesn’t take much at all to do
- And then he promised that if he ever made it to heaven he would hug my grandson for me.
Well, I have no doubt that that hug took place. For…
Blessed are you who are dying, for you will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God.
You see – the lines of the Gospel Beatitudes, that we hear so often, function like billboards that guide us to
a life worth living. But we always need to keep our ears opened for the same pattern occurring in each of
our lives – for be assured that there are saints and their respective beatitudes circulating around each of us
every day – we just need to be open to seeing them.
For saints are everywhere – helping create more saints in seeing God’s work being done. So, trust me –
none of us can say, "We have done it right, we have earned it, we are better than anybody else." For all of
us are sinners who are saints in progress by reason of God's mercy and God's grace.
So, on this feast of All Saints – let us remember all of the beloved faithful who have gone before us…who
are never far away from us as they reside in the Communion of Saints – and for us to never forget the
connection that exists between us…giving thanks and praise for the communion that abides now and
forever….Amen.