A Fierce Wild Beast & The Feast of All Saints

Today I had the pleasure to write this week's edition of The Epistle, the weekly letter from St. Paul's Within the Walls to our congregation and supporters near and far. The following is my reflection on the Feast of All Saints which will take place on November 1st.

“...And one was a soldier and one was a priest
and one was slain by a fierce wild beast!...”

Whenever I hear those words, I nearly jump with excitement. They appear mid-way through one of my favorite hymns, entitled "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" by the English lyricist Lesbia Scott. The anthem, which every year is enjoyed thousands in Episcopal churches around the world, describes lots of ordinary-seeming people of all sorts of everyday professions. In delightfully brief yet vivid detail, Mrs. Scott’s hymn reminds us that “all of them [were] saints of God” who were not any innately holier than the rest of us, but merely “toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew”. (I recommend this adorable video if you’d like to have a listen).

This Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of All Saints – the annual remembrance of the whole multitude of faithful people throughout the centuries whose faith continues to inspire us. We joyously recall that these holy people lived not just in ancient times, but have walked the earth with us across every continent and throughout every century since the founding of our faith. Even today there are living saints – perhaps even people we know - whose common humanity and uncommon witness to the Gospel help us to follow the path in their footsteps. Take a moment with me to remember those people in your lives – perhaps a parent or relative or friend or someone you’ve met along the way whose love of Christ brings joy to your heart.

While our congregation celebrates this special day on November 1st with the congregation of All Saints Anglican Church, I regretfully will not be with you. Instead, I will be in Washington DC to celebrate someone who has been a bit of a living saint in my life and in the lives of many others in our church. The Rt. Rev. Michael Bruce Curry will soon be installed that day as the twenty-seventh Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church at Washington National Cathedral. I have had the special honor to have him as my parish priest, as a dear family friend and as a mentor for more than two decades, and he has inspired my personal faith journey more deeply than any other living person. (Take a look at my article on Bishop Curry in the upcoming issue of Letters from St. Paul’s for more).

This week, pray with me for the saints past and present in our lives. And pray (sing!) with me the final words of Ms. Scott’s hymn: “You can meet [saints] in school, on the street, in the store, / in church, by the sea, in the house next door; / they are saints of God, whether rich or poor, / and I mean to be one too!”

Charles Graves IV