Scripture: Revelation 7:14b – “Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’” (NRSVue)
Today is All Saints’ Day. The celebration dates all the way back to the 300s, recognizing the many, often unnamed martyrs of the Roman persecution. Later in Roman Catholic tradition, the day celebrated all the various canonized saints on top of their individual feast days. This was followed by All Souls’ Day on November 2, which remembers all the faithful departed. In Protestant traditions, which see all believers as saints, the two days are conflated and celebrated on November 1, All Saints’ Day.
While there is little direct evidence, I believe that All Saints’ Day settled on November 1 to compete with pagan fall holidays like Samhain, which marked a time when the barrier between life and death was thinnest. Today we see these beliefs in Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead.
So, while this is a time of ghost and ghouls and horror stories, it is also a time to remember those who have gone before us into heaven. Heaven is not a place that is often seen in the Bible outside of the Revelation to John, also called the Apocalypse. John of Patmos was writing at a time of great persecution, the type remembered by the earliest versions of All Saints Day. While Revelation is a book with strange visions, wars and natural disasters, and cryptic prophecies, it is primarily a book about overcoming adversity.
When we look back on our loved ones at this time, we focus on cherished memories and stories of love and laughter. But life rarely ends on a high note. The last few years of life are often ones of suffering and slow decline. As life expectancies increase, there are more of these “twilight years”, which can be difficult for families. The former pillars of the family now require great care, even constant care. They cannot move as they should, they do not enjoy life as much as they did, and for those with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, they lose their memories and even their personalities. In addition to the other struggles of life, age can become a great ordeal.
Revelation teaches us that heaven awaits those who have gone through the great ordeals of life. They have endured not merely persecution, but the other injustices and disappointments that chip away at our joys. Death means an end to suffering. By remembering the peace and salvation of heaven, we can slowly forget the sadness that so many of us feel in the present. We can let go of the pain and remember the good times, the smiles, and the joy of life that today invites. For those of us dealing with the struggles of complicated family relationships, today is a day of hope and comfort for all our struggles.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, through your love we are saved from sin, suffering, and sorrow. Bless our lives today and give us hope for tomorrow. Amen.
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