Kristin Tovar

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure’—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”
—Revelation 19:6-8

Beloveds,

On this All Saints’ Eve, we remember the faithful departed. In today’s readings from the Wisdom of Solomon and Revelation, we hear that justice will come and that death is not the end of the story for the saints. 

Here is my confession: Over the years, I have learned that as a human, I tend to forget.

Regularly and often, I go about my life as if I am operating out of perfect truth until I am gently or not so gently reminded that I have once again forgotten. I have strayed just enough to miss the entire point—which is love. 

The Daily Office is a gift to us in our labors of remembrance.

A mix of gratitude and prayer shapes our hours and days, wielding a powerful tool against the bombardment of messaging we hear about what will lead to the “good life.” The practice nurtures us back into who we are, who God says we are, and how we are to live a life of love.

What of us among the living? How do we experience being refined as gold, the alchemy of becoming immortal from mortal, along our own journey and working out our salvation?

Through the Spirit, I am given guidance to remember and align with the Truth. It is an act that causes momentary deaths and rebirths in my everyday living. 

I find it in my breath as a prayer – 

Love will animate. 
Breathe in new life.
Exhale the decay of death.

Love will liberate.
Breathe in a new world.
Exhale the illusions that shackle.

When I catch myself being shaped by a narrative, belief, or ideology that does not align with the patterns and values of the Kingdom of God, I lay it to rest. I exhale the old and misaligned identities, letting die the ways of yesterday.

I inhale the ways of the New Heaven and New Earth so that I may live in love and truth. This cycle of death and rebirth is one that we are called not to fear; it is at the heart of our transformation. 

May we remember: The end of this life is not The END; it is simply a new beginning. As is our every breath along the way from one world to the next.

—Kristin