Nov 2 2019 - Psalm 55 – All Souls Day

Day and night the watchmen make their rounds upon her walls, but trouble and misery are in the midst of her.

First, a diversion. This is last of an ancient three day celebration of the dead, starting with All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween), All Saints, and concluding with All Souls. Like many celebrations, this one predates Christianity, but was repurposed for the Christian church. And back in the day, saints were considered only those who’d been officially recognized as sainted officially by the Church – St. Peter, etc. Normal people who may have been faithful but weren’t officially ‘sainted’, spent time in limbo, before their final communion with God. Those people, those normal everyday dead good faithful people were celebrated on All Souls Day. Now we’ve reclaimed the more ancient idea of the communion of all saints, that whether we’re officially recognized or martyred, we join the communion of saints, and the death of all faithful people is celebrated on All Saints, yesterday.

All Souls has become a day to recognize the dead, if you’re not quite sure whether they’re technically saints. It’s also a day where people around the world celebrate a connection with dead relatives in joyous and colorful celebrations. Think Dios de los Muertos celebrations, and sugar skulls. All Souls is a great day to remember and be in communion with the dead, in a more personal, less exalted way. I think there’s room for both, as I enjoy celebrating the named model saints, and I like remembering the saintly qualities of my parents and grandparents. I like thinking of them in the great communion of saints. But today, on All Souls, I remember them in the house. In the basement. Doing the mundane. No less saintly, but today I remember their mortalness.

But back to the readings for Morning Prayer. I’m struck by the image of watchmen on the walls of the fortified city every day and night. Sometimes I feel like that’s how I walk through the world; with guards protecting me. But the psalmist continues that despite the watchman continually protecting the city from external threats, trouble and misery are in its midst.

So what are the watchmen protecting the city from, if there’s already trouble within the walls? Not always, but sometimes there is misery in me, at the same time I’m desperately trying to fortify my walls from outside attack. Maybe I should first rid the walls of the trouble and misery, if that’s possible. 

This morning, I’m thinking about how to turn my protective efforts inwards, to rid the city of trouble and misery within. Or at least acknowledge that much of the threats and challenges come from within, rather from outside. In my world, I have a loved one whose health is increasingly compromised because of the decision to stop taking prescribed medicine. That’s outside my walls. I can put the guards on the walls to protect and address what’s outside, but that doesn’t do anything for the trouble and misery within.

There is trouble and misery outside my walls. I will do my best to alleviate the pain and fear and confusion, with love. But I need to refocus on the trouble and misery inside. I will be best able to be a caretaker if I first fortify inside my walls, make peace, get rid of trouble and misery. They have no place inside my walls. God grant me the strength to fiercely get rid of those internal troubles, so I can focus on the problems outside my walls.