William Golding’s novel, The Lord of the Flies, caused quite a stir when it was released in 1954. In this small but important

book, he tells us about a group of English schoolboys whose airplane is shot down during WWII, leaving them stranded on

an island, presumably in the Pacific. The story relates relates how this group of middle and upper-class boys quickly

reverts to tribalism, savagery and barbarism in a very short period, even going to the point of idol worship, the so-called

“Lord of the Flies.” It is a vivid picture of our true fallen state, when Law or Gospel does not govern it, or in this case, even

human maturity. In short, The Lord of the Flies goes to the heart of what we believe makes us human.

Similarly, our Gospel for the day goes to the very heart of what we believe to be true as Christians. It is about as basic as

that. In the opening lines of the Gospel passage we read, from Mat. 4:1:”Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the

wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”

Today we observe a great feast of the Church, All Saints Day. Today affirm several things: our identity, our true family and

the nature of our fellowship both with Christ and one another.

That sounds like a lot to affirm in one brief address! It would be, if one was to consider these items piece by piece, or in any

other manner other than the organic whole in which they reside. Instead, our affirmation becomes a profound, yet

dynamically simple, and extremely powerful reality.

What dynamic, eternal, yet earthly “whole” are we talking about? How can it be powerful, yet invisible; finite yet eternal,

while being tangible, yet spiritual?

Today we celebrate and ponder together the central mystery of the Christian faith, out of which all other mysteries flow. At

this, some may say, “Father Stults, that’s a mighty big claim. Are you sure about that?” This priest will answer, “Without a

doubt, for out of this mystery comes the very nature of God Himself, and thus His dealings with us.”

Today, we celebrate the wonderful mystery of the Holy Trinity. Today, we ponder anew the mind-boggling nature of God, as

we recognize the makeup of the Divine Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Today, we are reminded of the

completely peculiar and distinctive nature of Christianity at its very core.

In today’s Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us an amazing story of grace, forgiveness and ingratitude.

Christ speaks to all of these topics, but focuses on one of the central themes in Christianity: forgiveness.

Peter came to Jesus and asked, (Matthew 18:21) “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I

forgive him? Up to seven times?" Some of us might wonder why Peter sought to quantify forgiveness.

Perhaps one answer lies in the fact that the Prophet Amos set forgiveness to three times, and gives a

warning that God may not withhold punishment for the fourth trespass (Amos 1:3-13; 2:1-6). “Thus saith

the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof;

because…” and here he gave various reasons why the fourth offense was unforgiveable. Rabbinic

teachers also set a limit on the number of times one might be forgiven to three, perhaps because they

thought that repentance on the offender’s part might not be genuine.

Our Gospel from St. Luke brings forth some interesting questions. How does God call us? How do we know

when God calls us? What is the nature of our call? Finally, how do we respond?

First of all, we know that God calls each of us in different ways and fashions. Each man and woman hears

the call of God in a different, yet intensely personal way. Our Lord speaks to us all individually, if we are

inclined to listen. What is fascinating is how He does it.

To His glory, God uses both unity in diversity and diversity in unity when calling us. What do we mean by

that? Simply that Our Lord uses the same general means to call us, yet it is perceived and received in a

myriad of ways.

This ancient Easter greeting reminds us why we are Christians. Today is the feast of the Resurrection of our and savior

Jesus Christ. It is the feast of feasts, the day of days for us. Today we celebrate Christ’s victory over death, sin and the

grave. Today we celebrate freedom from the greatest fear of man: death, and of the unknown. As Christ is victor over the

grave, so are we victorious over fear, over uncertainty, and over doubt, for we Christians know where we are going with

courage, with sureness and with faith.

How can we have such a bold assertion?