Withersfield News
Remember remember the first of November….
The time of November is a time for remembering.
On All saints Day (1st November) we remember the great men and women of the Christian faith who being faithful throughout their lives, some even giving up their earthly lives for the Gospel, are given crowns of eternal life and enter in Heavenly glory right away. Our church Patron, The Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus’ mother, is the most important of them all. We believe the saints in Heaven listen to our petitions and prayers and intercede for us to Jesus. The saints can help us and encourage us in our faith journey too. We can feel their presence in our lives as we meditate upon them and the trials and tribulations they endured to remain faithful. Some of them wrote inspirational word that we can read today. The saints are the lights of the Church, guiding our paths towards joining them in Heaven.
Remember remember the second of November….
But of course most of us are not going to lead such exemplary lives as the saints, or overcome great sufferings and persecutions. We must wait for our entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. The day after All Saints is All Souls Day (2nd November) when we remember and pray for the souls of the faithful departed, among them our families and friends who have gone before us through the gates of death.
Praying for the departed is a long standing tradition in the Christian Faith, and we believe God hears our prayers for our loved ones and we know He keeps them safe in His peace and love, until that time when we can join them.
Remember remember the fifth of November….
Yes its bonfire night, a night to remember gunpowder, treason and plot. A day when democracy was saved to keep the world as we know it today. Guy Fawkes and others wanted to change things by violent means (not unlike some today). But violence isn’t an answer to quarrels or disagreements or to bring about change. We need to remember that it is through peaceful solutions the greatest change come about.
But what about … Remember remember the thirty first of October…. Halloween.
Yes the remembrance on All Hallows (All Saints) eve (Halloween), that there is also a dark side to life. Evil is shown in many guises – as the masks and antics and spook costumes of the night remind us. But Halloween is a time when rather than taking witches, wizards, evil spirits and things that go bump in the night seriously, we laugh in the face of evil, we mock these things, because we remember that the Saints have triumphed over evil, our loved ones have passed through the gates of death into Heaven where there is no evil, and the plots of sinister people can and will always be uncovered and foiled eventually.
Remember remember the eleventh of November….
Remember the sacrifices of our brave men and women who have fought to protect our country, our freedoms, for the peace we now take for granted. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we shall remember them.
Remember this November, Halloween, All Saints, All Souls, Bonfires, Remembrance Day .
But never forget the promises of God, that He loves us no matter what, unconditionally.
Rev. Canon Ian Finn (Rector of Haverhill & Withersfield)