November arrives, and we begin thinking about upcoming holidays, shopping lists, travel plans, wrapping paper, greeting cards, etc. There’s nothing wrong with any of that. It’s helpful to get a start on these details if we haven’t already. However, there is a richness in the month of November that invites us to slow down just a little and take it in. We expect the month will go by quickly, so let’s be aware and not overlook its special graces. While we are thinking and planning ahead, we can still be present and open to the opportunities of spirit that November offers.
We are familiar with the two distinct themes associated with November. It is a time of both remembrance and of thanksgiving. We enter November recognizing both All Saints Day and All Souls Day (November 1 and 2, respectively). We are especially reminded of our Communion with the Saints – their goodness, their powerful witness of faith and prayer, and their immense and unwavering love for God and for us. And though we don’t need a special month to remember our own loved ones who have passed, they are in our hearts every day, November is a time of gathering our collective prayer as a community and faithfully lifting them to the promise of heaven. There is great grace in this act of faith. What a comfort it is to know our loved ones are beloved by Christ, and He reaches for them. The anniversary dates of two of my immediate family members are in November, and these dates are a poignant yet beautiful mix of the sadness of their loss and joy of the gifts they continue to be to our family. The wonderful memories of them are consoling, while creating new memories without them is heartbreaking. Yet in faith and thanksgiving, we offer them to the Lord’s loving and eternal care.
It is also this thanksgiving lived in faith that November welcomes us to celebrate and embrace. We are invited to prayerfully and intentionally open our hearts and let the Holy Spirit reveal the abundance of graces all around us, especially the ones we might be missing.
The grace of the Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (1 Tim 1:14)
These blessings and graces restore us, strengthen our faith, and fill us with gratitude experienced through our friendship with Christ. They may come to us in small ways such as a kind gesture, an unexpected joy, and a supportive call from a friend or in more impactful ways such as an item found, an illness healed, and a persistent prayer answered.
In just a few weeks, we will begin our Advent journey, praying for our hearts to be renewed, opened, and prepared for the coming of the Lord. Before then, let us take time to welcome the graces of November through the treasured memories of the love of our dearly departed and through the abundant gifts of God’s great love all around us.
Journeying to Grace 