Today is All Saints’ Day, November 1, 2022. The other day Professor Tom Nichols posted this image and comment on Twitter:
Having had a recent brush with death but with different ongoing implications, I too feel like the part of life that I am living right now is the bonus round.
Last week I had updated pulmonary function tests and a follow-up
visit with my pulmonologist. By now I have learned a thing or two about how to interpret
these tests and how to listen to my body, so I pretty well already knew what
the status is: the fibrosis has progressed, which was anticipated, but not as quickly
as it might have without the medication that I am taking. The clock is ticking
on the bonus round.
All Saints’ Day has always been one of my favorite days of the
year, and such a meaningful time to express our love and appreciation for those
who have died throughout the past year.
This particular All Saints, this year, has been especially hard
for me. The list of people whom I have lost this year is much longer than it
ever has been – former church members, clergy colleagues, high school friends,
and others. It seems as though almost every week or so I hear of another death.
So. Much. Death.
The classic scripture reading for All Saints is Hebrews 12:1-2, the
part after that great roll call of the heroic saints of old, where the writer
then admonishes us: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud
of witnesses…let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”
Well, I’m not running any races these days, and I am predicted to
be joining the great cloud of witnesses before too long. It may be ten years or
ten minutes, and my family is well aware of this and about as well prepared as
they can be. They are going to be just fine, and I am abundantly proud of them.
So I was glad that this special day would also be the day that I
would meet with my monthly online centering prayer group, and I was asked to
bring a brief meditation to lead us into our prayer. I chose an alternate
scripture text:
“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward
all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember
you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that
with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to
which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the
saints, and what it the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe,
according to the working of his great power.”
--Ephesians 1:15-19
The key word for this to me today is “remember.” Part of my spiritual
practice these past few months has been to remember in prayer the many departed
loved ones on my growing list along with their families. This calls to mind
these words from Nouwen and Buechner:
“It is central to the biblical tradition that God’s love for his
people should not be forgotten. It should remain with us in the present. When
everything is dark, when we are surrounded by despairing voices, when we do not
see any exits, when we can find salvation in a remembered love, a love which is
not simply a wistful recollection of a bygone past but a living force which
sustains us in the present. Through memory, love transcends the limits of time
and offers hope at any moment of our lives…One of the mysteries of life is that
memory can often bring us closer to each other than can physical presence.”
---Henri Nouwen
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“When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of
who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It
means that you can summon me back to your mind, even though countless years and
miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me.
It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my words and
speak o me in your heart.” – Frederick Buechner
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So this morning a clergy colleague posted the following reflection
which I believe pretty wells sums it up:
“Today is All Saints' Day, truly a moment to be still and reflect
upon that amazing blessing and truth -- we are the result of the love of
thousands. Parents and grandparents who came before us and prepared our way; teachers,
preachers, and mentors who helped shape our heart and faith. Their light shines so brightly in and thru
us, and we would not be the people we are today if it were not for their faith
and love.
I am a reflection of that love, and I hope that the others who
will come after me will be a reflection of the love that I show.
For all the saints who came before us, may God grant them eternal
rest and may perpetual light shine upon them.
On this All Saints' Day may we each remember the love that shines
thru us.
All Saints’ Day 2022” --
Rev. Blake Lasater (used with permission)
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