November 1

If the first ten months of this year has reminded us of anything, it is that a familiar tomorrow is never promised.

God has tried to teach me that lesson several times and in societal and individual ways. The day the Challenger exploded. The day my parents moved our family from Wisconsin to Arizona when I was 15. The day my first engagement came crashing down. The day terrorists made four airplanes fall out of the sky. The day I accompanied my dad to his doctor’s appointment and he was notified he had less than a year.

And yet, this year, every month seems to carry with it—and excuse the description a friend recently used— a new fresh hell. Anxiety over some distant virus. Worries over a potentially Biblical plague. The sudden arrival of Covid. Runs on grocery stores. Church shutdowns. Anger and angst over what could and should be done. Discord even within households over the proper level of precaution. Questions over what sources to trust. Masks becoming a visible sign of who each individual actually trusts. Political division. Televised tragedies. Arguments over race relations and law enforcement. Protests and riots. Political tensions somehow rising even higher.

And we’ve got the election this week. And God only knows (quite literally) what will come with it.

Today is the Solemnity of All Saints. The Gospel for the feast day is taken from the beginning of Matthew 5. Take comfort in these words: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.” It goes on. “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.”

All angels and saints, pray now for us and our nation.

Questions? Comments? Email David at dlins@oloj.org.