Autumn in the Kootenays has brought an abundance of fruit, with cooler temperatures, and a crispness to the air. The waters of Kootenay Lake no longer teem with salmon jumping as they head to spawn. Open-air markets have ceased, and much of the rhythm of nature and society is to prepare for the coming winter. In this milieu, I find opportunities for prayerful solitude, reflecting on the past seasons, and preparing for the year to come.
In this rumination, I consider the saints and souls that have transformed my life. In quiet moments, perhaps on a hiking path, sitting at a table beside a flickering candle, or in a sanctuary filled with memories, music, symbols, and scents, I recollect meaningful conversations, momentous occasions, and transformative friendships. There have been, and continue to be, life-giving people who reveal the Holy One to me, and those who help me to uncover who I am.
This autumn, in my journeys in ministry with others, I have been acutely aware of the lives and actions of these individuals and how they have shaped the world I inhabit. There are those, who through their expressions of love and sacrifice have shown me how to love, to forgive, to grow, and to rejoice. Some of these people have long since died; others I chat with and listen to each week.
For me, every November is a time when I reminisce, considering the saints and souls I have encountered, giving God thanks for their presence and witness in my life.
Who are the saints that you have encountered throughout your life? How have their examples enabled you to experience Christ more deeply?
Who are those for whom you grieve? What souls do you miss the most in your daily life?
All Saints and All Souls are transforming celebrations that the church holds each year. We set aside our busy lives so as to acknowledge the presence of God in individuals that sets them apart, offering hope and justice through their actions. We are also called to set aside regular routines to honour the dead, to sit in prayer and gratitude as we lift up the names and memories of those we have loved.
This year in Kokanee Parish we will be holding space for the community to acknowledge saints and souls, grief and celebration, through community liturgies of remembrance. We will open up our doors to hold space for all of any spiritual tradition or expression to find comfort, healing, peace and love.
Each year as we live our lives, we have opportunities for blessings and joys, pain and loss. Many of us are faced with illness, pain, and death in our immediate or extended family. Those who gather as the people of God recognize that families experience pain and grief in having to say good-bye. It is a very difficult journey that many travel when recovering from the loss of a loved one.
This is the time in the year to remember those persons who have made a profound impact on your life, in the past and in the present, including mentors, friends, and family. We gather to hold space because we believe that it is important to honour, to care, and to create a space of love for all who we have loved who have died, and are in the nearer presence of God.
Consider your prayers this month wherever you may have your spiritual home. Light a candle, share a conversation; be present with someone in grief, in celebration.
Take time to be with those that through their words and actions emulate the love of Christ. Hold on to the memory of those you have loved that have died.
This is our act of prayer. This is our act of anamnesis which is witnessed through the simple lighting of candles, sharing of names, and cherishing of customs. These repeating patterns, season after season evoke feeling and emotion, bringing the Holy One into the here and now.
Hug those who show you the deepest expression of love this month.
Hold a candle, offer prayer, and share the memory of your loved one with a stranger.
Be present in love.
