THE FAMILY ALTAR

November 1.

Doubtless Thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant

of us, and Israel acknowledge us not; Thou, O Lord, art our

Father, our Redeemer ; Thy name is from everlasting. Is. 63, 16.

This first day of November is kept by the Eoman Catholics

with great veneration as the Feast of All Saints. They worship

the departed saints and call on them, especially on Mother Mary,

to help them in their troubles and to intercede for them with Christ.

What pitiful blindness ! Abraham, the father of the faithful, and

Israel, that is, the patriarch Jacob, are great saints, not by the

Pope's, but by God's declaration; for their faith and pious life is

clearly revealed and extolled in God's holy Word. Yet our text

tells us that both these great saints know nothing of us. And if

they are ignorant of us and our needs, how much less will lesser

saints, the countless imaginary saints of the Pope's making, know

of us ! What use is there, then, in praying to them ? Who does

so ascribes to them an honor belonging to God alone. He in fact

commits idolatry and sins against the clear command of the Savior :

"Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and Him only shalt thou

serve." When the centurion at Caesarea, Cornelius, fell at Peter's

feet to worship him, the apostle at once commanded : "Stand up ;

I myself also am a man." (Acts 10,26.) When the people at

Lystra wanted to show divine honors to Paul and Barnabas, the

apostles would not tolerate it. (Acts 14, 15.) No living saint

wanted to be adored, but with the departed saints in heaven gave

all glory, all worship to God. We are not to invoke the saints,

but to follow their example and seek all help from the true and

living God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is

our only Helper and Eedeemer.

For all Thy saints, 0 Lord,

Who strove in Thee to live,

Who followed Thee, obeyed, adored,

Our grateful hymn receive.

For all Thy saints, Q Lord,

Accept our thankful cry,

Who counted Thee their great reward,

And strove in Thee to die.

They all in life and death,

With Thee, their Lord, in view,

Learned from Thy Holy Spirit's breath

To suffer and to do.

For this Thy name we bless,

And humbly pray that we

May follow them in holiness,

And live and die in Thee.

 Daily Readings in Life of Christ - J.R. Miller (1890)

November 1. Light Behind the Cloud

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." John 16:7

The disciples thought that Christ's going away would be an irretrievable loss for them. It was the crushing of all their hopes. They thought they would be left in darkness and loneliness; for they had built up all their Messianic hopes on the idea of His remaining and ruling as a king over His people. Not only were they about to lose the dearest friend they had ever known — but they were to lose, also, the one in whom they had trusted as the promised Deliverer and Savior. They saw no silver lining whatever in the dark cloud that was gathering.

But now Jesus says to them, "It is expedient for you that I go away." There was a silver lining, after all, in that black cloud. What seemed an irreparable loss, would in the end prove a gain. The disciples did not understand it now — but there were the Master's words for it.

The same is true now in the case of all the Master's disciples, when He calls away their human friends. We can readily see how it is well for our Christian friends — when Christ takes them. They exchange earth — for Heaven, sin and sorrow — for holiness and eternal joy. There is no doubt that death is gain for those who depart; but how about those who remain? How about the friends who are left with bleeding hearts to walk on lonely and sad over earth's ways? This word of Christ applies: "It is for your good that I am going away." We cannot understand this; but neither could the disciples understand at the time, how Christ's departure could be better for them — than His staying with them would have been. Afterward they knew; and afterward we shall know how even for us the going away of our friends will become a blessing, if we in faith submit ourselves to God. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God."