Halloween, the day before All Hallows (or All Saints) when Christians remember with gratitude those whose lives were an example and inspiration.
And another chance to post Malcolm Guite’s sonnet written for the occasion, again, and with thanks for his generosity in making it freely available.
Though Satan breaks our dark glass into shards
Each shard still shines with Christ’s reflected light,
It glances from the eyes, kindles the words
Of all his unknown saints. The dark is bright
With quiet lives and steady lights undimmed,
The witness of the ones we shunned and shamed.
Plain in our sight and far beyond our seeing
He weaves them with us in the web of being
They stand beside us even as we grieve,
The lone and left behind whom no one claimed,
Unnumbered multitudes, he lifts above
The shadow of the gibbet and the grave,
To triumph where all saints are known and named;
The gathered glories of His wounded love.
To read what Malcolm has written about Reclaiming Halloween follow this link to his blog.