Whenever I think of the word “November,” I think of the famous poem about a foiled plot to blow up the House of Lords in 1605:
Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
The concept of remembrance is an interesting one. It is an especially relevant one to think about on this first weekend of November. Yesterday (as of this newsletter’s publication) was Halloween—or as it is known in the church calendar—“All Hallow’s Eve.” Today is “All Saints’ Day,” and both holidays carry with them an exhortation to remember.
All Hallow’s Eve reminds us of our mortality, hence the popular Latin saying commonly associated with it: Memento mori (translated “Keep death in mind” or “Remember that you must die”). All Saints’ Day, on the other hand, is an occasion to celebrate our brothers and sisters who suffered for their faith here on earth but who, by God’s grace, have attained to their eternal glory with Him in heaven. This weekend, therefore, has given us an opportunity to remember that we shall die, but also that death is not the end of the story—not if Jesus has anything to say about it.
Jesus Himself knows what it is like to die—momentarily—only to be glorified at an appointed time. He instituted the Feast of Holy Communion precisely so that we could remember Him and proclaim His death until His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:24-26). I have even heard it said that part of the mysterious, divine work which God does as we partake of the Lord’s Supper each week is that He re-members us into Christ’s Body. In other words, as members of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, we are more fully incorporated into the Body of Christ every Sunday as we memento Christ’s mortem through the Eucharist. Pretty cool.
What’s arguably even cooler is that we can count on Christ Himself to memento us. I am reminded of the repentant thief who was crucified next to Him and humbly asked, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42). Jesus’s response? “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Let us rejoice today because Jesus conquered the grave, because our deceased brothers and sisters are with Him in paradise, and because we ourselves will one day join them there.
Happy All Saints’ Day!