2024 Sun Nov 3

Nov 3 – 24^th Sunday after Pentecost – Mark 12:28-34

The religious leaders come forth to put Jesus to the test with a series of questions: the Pharisees and Herodians (12:13-17); the Sadducees (12:18-27); and one of the scribes (12:28-34). The latter is the Gospel this week The first two groups had asked their questions to try to catch Jesus out and fail. The scribe’s genuinely seeks the truth He askes “Which commandment is the first of all”. Jesus responds that the love of God is first and then loving your neighbor as yourself and together they are the most significant and even more important than ceremonies in the temple. . And Jesus, recognizing this, praises him – “you are not far from the Kingdom of God.” No one came up after the scribe.

Nov. 10- 25^th Sunday after Pentecost- Mark 12:38-44

In this story is the “widow’s mite,” Jesus contrasts the actions of many of the scribes with the action of a poor widow. Jesus criticisms are direct. “They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

This widow is very poor but gives all she has to the temple treasury.  Jesus calls us to give our lives to God, not just our money, not just our prayers, not just our talents, but all of who we are. This poor widow demonstrates that kind of faith and devotion. It’s not about one act or a set of actions, but about who we are and how we live our lives for God.

Nov. 17- 26^th Sunday after Pentecost – Mark 13:1-8

Mark assures us that—even in chaos—God remains in control.  Mark 13:1-8 tells of Jesus proclamation of the destruction of the temple. Jesus tells the disciples to turn from the apparent permanence and grandeur of the temple and instead to place their trust in God’s sovereignty.   The temple was eventually destroyed during the Jewish Revolt in 66-70 AD.

It is most important not to be misled by premature claims that Christ has come (13:6). False prophets were an endemic problem for the early Church. Mark’s conclusion in regard to Jesus’ second coming is: “Yes, not yet but soon—watch!” 

Nov. 24 – Christ the King-John 18:33-37

On Christ the King Sunday, Jesus offers final words before he is handed over to death, as he speaks of his coming reign.

Jesus tells Pilate that “my kingdom is not from this world.”  Jesus uses as a proof of his unworldly kingship the fact that he is in captivity. Were he a worldly ruler, his followers would have besieged the Praetorium. That, however, is not the case. 

Pilate, however, sees this as an indication that Jesus has admitted that is he is a king.  “So you are a king” which Jesus responds. “You say that I am a king.”  Jesus further responds that “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  Jesus provides another model -the Messiah as Shepherd -one who leads by gathering the flock, keeping them safe, looking out for the lost and the least.

In our Baptismal Covenant we, along with traditional Christians around the globe, profess in the ancient Baptismal Creed the words: “I believe in… the communion of saints, … the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” (Book of Common Prayer, page 304)

From its very beginning, the Church understood the Body of Christ to encompass all baptized persons, both the living and the dead. Christ’s kingdom transcends time and space; and not even death can sever the relationship that the faithful have in Christ.

All are united in a mystical communion with Christ by virtue of baptism (1 Corinthians 6:11). The term saint was used by Paul to designate all baptized Christians (Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1), even the unruly ones (1 Corinthians 1:2)!

In the New Testament, all those who believe and were baptized were referred to as saints. The word saint originally meant "holy".

On All Saints Day, we make celebrate this idea in the here and now by recognizing and celebrating our relationship, not only with those around us today, but also with all those who have gone before us in all times and place. They are connected in one communion. 

All Saints is also a time for welcoming new members. Traditionally baptisms are held in the Episcopal Church at the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord,  Easter, Pentecost,  and All Saints. 

It wasn’t until round about the third century that the church began using the word saint to refer to those who had been martyred for the faith

The early Church especially honored martyrs, those who had died for their faith. Praying for the dead is actually borrowed from Judaism, as recorded in 2 Maccabees 12:41-45 of the Apocrypha.

Local churches kept a record of their own martyrs and each year celebrated their “birthdays,” the dates of death when they were “born” into eternal life.

By the fourth century many parts of the Church had set a day of observance for their martyrs, their confessors (those who had been punished for their faith but did not die), and their virgins, all of those known by name and unknown.

The celebration of All Saints’ Day on November 1 began as a feast day commemorating all martyrs, confessors and virgin, including those whose names were not known. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV officially established All Saints’ Day in order to honor all the saints at one time.

It was originally celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost, and the Eastern Church still observes this date. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III moved it to November 1.

The confusing aspect of saints is that we have many saints that we honor on specific days. However, there are many unknown or unsung Saints, who may have been forgotten. On All Saints’ Day, we celebrate these Holy Ones of the Lord, and ask for their prayers for us.

Since they are endowed with holiness, saints are close to God, and may perform miracles on earth. Roman Catholics, and some other Christians, honor saints and ask them for guidance in daily life.

Not only is All Saints an occasion on which we might celebrate this communion of saints with prayer, it is also a reminder of God’s desire to sanctify the lives of all God’s people. Too often Christians have used the term saint to describe only those of extraordinary sanctity who have been officially recognized (canonized) by the Church.

But the life of each Christian is to radiate the love of God given to us in Christ so that all the world might know that this love transforms lives.

As the Western Church spread into northern Europe, it encountered pagan festivals held in late autumn to appease the evil spirits associated with the first killing frosts and the coming of winter, darkness and death.

The Catholic Church had a long-standing policy of incorporating non-Christian traditions into its holidays in order to bring people into the Catholic faith.

In any case, when All Saints’ Day moved to November 1, the church did begin to incorporate supernatural traditions into the holy day’s activities, ideas that don’t have much of a place in Christianity.

Many supernatural ideas persisted in All Saints’ Day Eve celebrations, making the occasion a remarkable combination of Christian and pagan beliefs. At the end of the 10th century, the church tried to give these traditions a little more direction by establishing All Souls’ Day, an occasion to recognize all Christian dead.

Thus, All Souls began with the emphasis on remembering those who had died, broader than just the martyrs. In addition it was cast wide into Catholic theology. In that tradition , the church commemorated all of those who have died and now are in Purgatory, being cleansed of their venial (forgiven) sins and the temporal punishments for the mortal sins that they had confessed and atoning before entering fully into Heaven.

The importance of All Souls Day was made clear by Pope Benedict XV (1914-22), when he granted all priests the privilege of celebrating three Masses on All Souls Day: one, for the faithful departed; one for the priest’s intentions; and one for the intentions of the Holy Father. Only on a handful of other very important feast days are priests allowed to celebrate more than two Masses.

All Souls originally was celebrated in the Easter season, around Pentecost Sunday (and still is in the Eastern Catholic Churches). By the tenth century, the celebration had been moved to October; and sometime between 998 and 1030, St. Odilo of Cluny decreed that it should be celebrated on November 2 in all of the monasteries of his Benedictine congregation. Over the next two centuries, other Benedictines and the Carthusians began to celebrate it in their monasteries as well, and soon it spread to the entire Church.

All Souls is celebrated with Masses and festivities in honor of the dead. The living pray on behalf of Christians who are in purgatory, the state in the afterlife where souls are purified before proceeding to heaven. Souls in purgatory, who are members of the church just like living Christians, must suffer so that they can be purged of their sins. Through prayer and good works, living members of the church may help their departed friends and family. There are two plenary indulgences ( full remission of the punishment due to sin ) attached to All Souls Day, one for visiting a church and another for visiting a cemetery.

Soul Cake!

In medieval times, one popular All Souls’ Day practice was to make "soul cakes," simple bread desserts with a currant topping. In a custom called "souling," children would go door-to-door begging for the cakes, much like modern trick-or- treaters. After its introduction, this holiday did sate many Catholics’ interest in death and the supernatural.

Here is a recipe for Soul Cake

There is a traditional song that accompanies soul cakes:

1. In 2009, Sting put out an album "If On a Winter’s Night". It had a rendition of "Soul Cake". This is a live version in England’s Durham Cathedral.

Here are the lyrics

2. Earlier in 1965 Peter Paul and Mary did "A Soalin"

But the unchristian idea of wandering spirits persisted in some areas, Conceding that they could not completely get rid of the supernatural elements of the celebrations, the Catholic Church began characterizing the spirits as evil forces associated with the devil. This is where we get a lot of the more disturbing Halloween imagery, such as evil witches and demons.

I. Theme –  The contributions of the saints

"Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."" – John 11:40-44

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9 
Old Testament – Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm – Psalm 24 Page 613, BCP
Epistle – Revelation 21:1-6a
Gospel – John 11:32-44  

Today’s readings acknowledge the life and witness of the saints of God, including you and all of St. Peter’s.

Isaiah imagines the final, celebratory feast that will be the reward of the faithful. The author of Wisdom  affirms that the dead, though gone from our sight, are at peace with God. The author of Revelation similarly depicts the jubilant end of suffering and oppression, replaced with victory and feasting. The gospel reading—the raising of Lazarus—points forward to the final resurrection of all God’s people.

Part of the Church’s genius is its chorus of saints. From the drama of Thomas More saying, “A man can lose his head and still come to no harm!” to the humor of St. Teresa of Avila dancing and singing about the nuisance of fleas in a wool habit, it is a rich mixture. Add to that the variety of the uncanonized-but-nevertheless-still-surely-saints, and we have little excuse to say they are a distant company.

Perhaps they are one way God shows us the multiple faces of the divine. From unassuming parents, who secure and launch a child, to leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and César Chavez, who fought for human rights, these people inspire and challenge us. As one pastor said, “In some ways, the saints were so ordinary. And yet they made it. So maybe I can, too.”

If you read today’s readings as personally addressed to you, and if you read them often enough, you may rise to the expectation. And your smallest attempts will be part of that extraordinary effort to bring, little by little, more light and life to a dark world.

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