TODAY is the Feast of All Saints—those persons theologian Elizabeth Johnson calls “the friends of God.” It is a day to re-member ourselves to those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, hope, and love. We call to mind and heart all those dear friends of God—some whom we knew personally, others whom we know through their writings, and others who were “a cloud of witnesses” we became familiar with and inspired by whose lives merit telling and retelling.

Many decades ago, I taught high school literature and creative writing. One of the books I taught was Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. It would be fascinating to teach this book today—or have they banned the book on banning books— and to invite the students into a thoughtful conversation especially given that what once seemed merely Sci-Fi in the late 1970’s now has become a real issue that intersects with our children’s and grandchildren’s lives, education, and freedom.

If your memory has lapsed some, or perhaps if you never read it, the plot of Fahrenheit 451—the temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns—involves a time in the future when books—all books—were banned not merely from the classroom but from any room anywhere. If a book was found in the possession of a citizen not only would the confiscated books be burned, but the houses in which they had been hidden as well. Then, the owner or owners of the books would be arrested. The attire of the Nazi-like goons who showed up threateningly at the doors of people suspected of hiding literature was a cross between Darth Vader and your local firefighters. Only these lackeys were not hauling hoses to put out fires but flamethrowers ready to start them after collecting the contraband exported from now-closed libraries, bookstores, or family collections.

This story set my imagination going some years ago in which I imagined living in a world where owning a Bible was against the law. The powers that be, perhaps even more than those who called themselves Christians, understood the radical, subversive nature of Jesus’ life and teachings. I received a panicky phone call in the middle of the night from a fellow underground resister warning me that the Firestarter Brigade was on its way and would be at my door in a minute or two. Someone had ratted me out. With little time, I thought surely they would tear the place apart and eventually find the Bibles in the house. What was I to do? Hearing the approaching sirens and then seeing the flashing lights outside my house, I imagined having only enough time to grab a Bible hidden in the front closet. The question was, what part of the Bible would I choose to preserve at the risk of my own life? What passage or story would capture the essence of the life and message of Jesus? As the plot of my active imagination neared the end, I heard the loud pounding on the front door. I saw myself rapidly flip to Matthew 5:1-12, tearing that section from the page, bending down to stick it in my shoe, and then putting the book back in the closet before opening the front door.

Every year on this day, when we remember, extend our thanks for, and celebrate these exemplars of embodied faith, the church deliberately chooses to read the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:1-12). Each year and every year. Why? Because these verses capture the essence of what it means to live the Christ-life, what it means to become human and holy, and what are the promises of incarnating the qualities that fly in the face of what the dominant culture celebrates and rewards but that are at the heart of the reign of God which Jesus came to embody, express, and invite us. Here, sitting on a hill, speaking to a motley crew of hungry yearners, Jesus proclaims his radical, noble eight-fold path that leads us to a significant and enlivening way of living—albeit a countercultural one—and into the heart of God.

BLESSED ARE                              [the Promise]
• the poor in spirit                         theirs in the kingdom of heaven

• they who mourn                         they shall be comforted

• the meek                                      they will inherit the earth

• they who hunger & thirst for righteousness          they will be satisfied

• the merciful                                they will be shown mercy

• the pure of heart                        they will see God

• those who make peace             they will be called the children of God

• those who are persecuted
for the sake of righteousness      theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Calling All Angels

By Jane Siberry, featuring K.D. Lange

[Intro]
Santa Maria, Santa Teresa, Santa Anna, Santa Susannah
Santa Cecilia, Santa Copelia, Santa Dominica, Mary Angelica
Frater Achad, Frater Pietro, Julianus, Petronilla
Santa, Santos, Miroslaw, Vladimir and all the rest

[Verse 1]
Oh, a man is placed upon the steps and a baby cries
High above you can hear the church bells start to ring
And as the heaviness, oh the heaviness, the body settles in
Somewhere you can hear a mother sing
Then it’s one foot then the other as you step out on the road
Step out on the road
How much weight? How much?
Then it’s how long? And how far?
And how many times, oh, before it’s too late?

[Chorus]
Calling all angels
Calling all angels
Walk me through this world
Don’t leave me alone
Calling all angels
Calling all angels
We’re tryin’
We’re hopin’
But we’re not sure how

[Verse 2]
Oh, and every day you gaze upon the sunset
With such love and intensity
Why it’s, uh, it’s almost as if you could only crack the code
Then you’d finally understand what this all means
Ah, but if you could, do you think you would trade it all
All the pain and suffering?
Ah, but then you’d miss the beauty of the light upon this earth
And the, and the sweetness of the leaving

[Chorus]
Calling all angels
Calling all angels
Walk me through this world
Don’t leave me alone
Callin’ all angels
Callin’ all angels
We’re tryin’
We’re hopin’
But we’re not sure why
Calling all angels (Calling all angels)
Calling all angels (Calling all angels)
Walk me through this world (Walk me through this world)
Don’t leave me alone
Callin’ all angels
Callin’ all angels
We’re tryin’
We’re hopin’
We’re hurtin’
We’re lovin’
We’re cryin’
We’re callin’
‘Cause we’re not sure how this goes

♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦

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