Soul Food

Michele Marr

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of

God. The Gospel of Matthew 5:9

The tombstones and the goblins, the skeletons and the ghouls still

adorn the lawns of my neighborhood. But Halloween is over. Today is

Hallows’ Mass, or All Saints’ Day.

Hallow is simply an ancient word for saint. This is the day when

western Christians remember and give thanks for the faithful people of

God who have influenced their lives -- including those who have already

gone before them to their eternal rest and reward.

Eastern Christians do the same each year, but with less notice to

those outside the church because they commemorate All Saints’ Day in the

spring and not on the heels of the popularized and nonreligious

celebration of Halloween.

On All Saints’ Day Christians give thanks for the grace of God and for

the power of his Holy Spirit to make all of us saints as well.

In many churches today children will sing, “I sing a song of the

saints of God, patient and brave and true and I mean, God helping, to be

one too.”

Patience, bravery and loyalty -- each are a portion of the peace of

God. Today, Christians the world over will pray for God to work through

all of us to bring his peace into the world.

In our recent days of trouble we have seen many patient, brave and

loyal men and women willing to lay down their lives to contribute a

measure of peace to our world. They have set a shining example for us.

With reports of anthrax infections and death growing, and the tensions

and uncertainties of our war on terrorism escalating, it is hard to

remain patient, brave and steadfast. Just weeks after our commitment to

break the terrible hold that terrorism has on our world, we show signs of

weariness and doubt.

But we need to be unflinching. We cannot afford to despair.

And we have reason not to. Before Jesus left his disciples to go to

his father in heaven he told them, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I

give to you; not as the world has to give do I give to you. Let not your

heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The peace of God is not the fragile peace of treaties and armaments.

It is as solid as God himself and always within our grasp. It is

tranquillity, born of trusting God in all circumstances.

It is harmony with God, with ourselves, and with each other made

possible by God’s love for us. It is the peace of heart that allows us to

do unto to others and as we would have them do unto us. It is the peace

of mind that allows us to forgive those who trespass against us, just as,

we pray, God will forgive us our trespasses.

An old prayer for All Saints’ Day asks, “Grant us grace so to follow

thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to

those unspeakable joys, which thou hast prepared for those who

unfeignedly love thee.”

One of those unspeakable joys is his peace.

God knows our world needs peace. He blesses his peacemakers. They are

among the saints honored and remembered today.

And, like the children’s song says, “They lived not only in ages past;

there are hundreds and thousands still.” Thank God.

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer and graphic designer from

Huntington Beach. She has been interested in religion and ethics for as

long as she can remember. She can be reached at o7

[email protected]