Solemnity of All Saints: celebrating those defined by 'blood-stained robes' and what they suffered

"These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb." (Apocalypse 7:14)

How do we define a saint? Are they defined by what they achieve? The verse above from the first reading for the solemnity of All Saints gives a striking definition: saints are defined by what they suffer.

So whether we suffer at others’ hands or the inner assaults of the devil; whether we endure false words about us or false thoughts embedded within us, our trials are the raw material of our holiness.