God Help us to Be Saints Too

On All Saints Day, two days before the election: the saints have a way of reminding us that our moment is just that, our moment. There have been moments like this before. There have been moments when hate has held sway over a large portion of the population. There have been times when violence and threats of violence were all around. The saints helped us survive. The saints helped chart the way through.

Easter, Rise Up

On Easter morning, we find Mary at the tomb, weeping. “Why are you crying?” she is asked. I suspect many of us know, know in our bones this pain, this grief. Easter is the story not just of Jesus rising up, but of Mary too. Mary goes to tell good news from the graveyard. Mary is sent so the world may know, hope is never finally dead.

Pride and Sacrifice

That is the other key difference in the stories. When Jesus died, the human authorities thought they had won, but they didn’t have the last word. God had the last word. The resurrection is a witness to the power of God’s love even over the machinations of death. Even when the world is loveless, even when the world would sacrifice some of our siblings, God will conquer. God will have the last word. As people who follow the loving, liberating, life giving God, it is our work to take the knives out of the hands of those who think they are enacting justice. And God takes pride when we keep on marching.