For all the saints, never fear the power of evil more than you trust in the power and love of God [1]; remember to get back on your horse when you fall off, and for all the saints, learn to laugh.

There was once an old-time priest who had a particular fear, let’s just say he was not especially comfortable riding horses. One Sunday morning, however, he was running late for church and had no other option. He found a horse, climbed onto its back, and set off. As the horse broke into a gallop, it suddenly veered to the right and threw the priest into a muddy ditch along the side of the road. Feeling miserable, bruised, and covered in mud, the priest looked up toward heaven and cried out, “All you saints, please come down and help me!” At that very moment, something supernatural happened. The priest was lifted up and carried right over the horse, landing in the ditch on the opposite side of the road! Now thoroughly alarmed, the priest changed his prayer: “Never mind, Lord! I think I can manage this on my own!”

It is a humorous story, but it speaks to something very real about the human condition. We all know what it feels like to be thrown off a horse or two in life. We know what it feels like to be caught off guard, frightened, or overwhelmed by circumstances beyond our control. But today’s Gospel reminds us that even in our suffering, we are blessed. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” That promise is rooted in our trust in God, in God’s power, God’s love, and God’s ultimate victory over evil. And there is a particular technique the saints have discovered for helping us overcome fear. It is called laughter.

Think about that for a moment as we celebrate All Saints’ Day. Go ahead and picture one of the saints of old. Perhaps you have seen a painting of one in a church or a picture in a book. What do they look like? They probably have a halo around their head. They look very holy. Perhaps there are angels surrounding them. Their hands may be folded in prayer. You have the picture. But how many of them do you see with an outright smile, laughing? Laughter is not usually the first thing we associate with the saints. Yet many of them understood that humor can be a powerful way of overcoming the fear of evil and placing our trust more fully in God. There are several whose lives remind us that holiness does not mean living without joy, humor, or the ability to laugh at ourselves.

Take for example Saint John Chrysostom, one of the great fathers of the Eastern Church. He was critical of telling jokes, but his humor was more satirical, calling out pride and hypocrisy, the abuse of wealth and power by noblemen and rulers. Those of you who follow the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer may recognize his name from the prayers at the conclusion of Morning and Evening Prayer. One of his prayers gives me particular delight whenever I lead the office, even when I happen to be the only person in the room. As a hermit he rarely met large crowds. He reminds us that whenever two or three are gathered in Christ’s name, Christ is there among them. And I often remind myself that even when there are only two or three of us gathered, or even when it is just me and the Lord, I am surrounded by the communion of saints. It is a wonderful reminder that we are never truly alone.[2]

A more solemn account of one’s death is Saint Thomas More, yet even when faced with his beheading, he found reason to use humor. He served as Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII. When Henry sought to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled so that he could marry Anne Boleyn, Thomas More could not agree to the king’s wishes. His conscience and his understanding of the Church’s teaching would not allow him to do so. For that, he was imprisoned and eventually sentenced to death. On the day of his execution, a great crowd gathered to witness the death of this distinguished man. Thomas was led toward the scaffold, carrying himself with remarkable composure. As he approached the executioner, he turned to the man and said something to the effect of: “I pray you, see me safely up. As for my coming down, let me shift for myself!” Then, as he placed his neck upon the block, he carefully moved his beard out of the way and remarked: “My beard has committed no treason. It would be a pity to cut it off!” Even in the face of death, Thomas More could find a way to laugh. His humor did not mean that he was unaware of the seriousness of his circumstances. Rather, it revealed that evil did not have the final word over him. [3]

And then there is Saint Teresa of Ávila. Teresa was a reformer of the Carmelite order who sought to restore a life of prayer, simplicity, and poverty within the monasteries. Her reforms were not always welcomed by the other nuns, particularly those who had grown accustomed to more comfortable surroundings. Teresa believed that the sisters needed to embrace humility and a simpler way of life. Some responded with resistance, gossip, and slander. They refused to recognize her authority and made her life exceedingly difficult. On one occasion, they even refused to provide her with the proper chair at the head of the dining table. So Teresa decided to make her point in a rather memorable way. One morning, when the sisters arrived for their meal, they discovered that a large statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, reportedly weighing some 200 pounds, had been placed in the chair reserved for the prioress. It was Teresa’s way of reminding them, with a touch of humor, that the monastery belonged first and foremost to the Blessed Virgin and to Christ. She understood that humor could sometimes accomplish what anger and confrontation could not.
There is much we can learn from these saints. They remind us that faith does not require us to deny the hardships of life. It does not mean that we never experience fear, grief, disappointment, or suffering. Rather, faith gives us the freedom to face those things without allowing them to overcome us. And as we celebrate All Saints’ Day, I want you to begin thinking about your own stories. The saints do not all have to be people who lived centuries ago. They are the faithful Christians whose lives have left a lasting impression upon us, people who, in the midst of hardship and adversity, found ways to persevere, to love, and sometimes even to laugh.[4]

We still struggle with fear. We still encounter evil. We still experience suffering and uncertainty. But throughout the ages, there have been faithful Christians who have shown us what it means to trust in God when life becomes difficult. Some of them did so through extraordinary courage. Others through compassion and sacrifice. And some, as we have seen, through a wonderful sense of humor.
I suspect every one of us has a story about being thrown off a horse or two. And sometimes, by the grace of God, we are picked up, dusted off, and placed right back in the saddle. That is what the saints remind us: we are not so different from them.

The Church commemorates those saints whose lives have been recognized as extraordinary witnesses to Christ. But tomorrow, November 2, we celebrate All Souls’ Day, when we remember all the faithful departed, those men, women, and children whose names may never appear on the pages of a calendar of saints, but whose lives mean everything to us. These are the people who have shaped us. Perhaps it is your mother or father. A brother or sister. A dear friend. Someone who sacrificed greatly for you. Someone whose faith, love, and kindness helped make you the person you are today. It is entirely appropriate to speak their names during the Prayers of the People. We remember them because they remain part of the great communion of saints, united with us in the love of Christ. Together, we remember all the saints and all the faithful departed because we know something about being thrown from horses. We know something about suffering. We know something about evil. But we also know something about the promise of Jesus Christ. “Never fear the power of evil more than you trust in the power and love of God”.

Jesus continually reminds us that we are blessed, even in the midst of our suffering.[5]
Blessed are those who mourn.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Blessed are those who suffer for the sake of Christ.

These blessings remind us that our present suffering is not the end of the story. This life is a preparation for the glory that is to come. The hope of the Resurrection gives us the courage to face what lies before us. That is why we celebrate All Saints’ Day. That is why we speak the names of those who have meant so much to us. And that is why we gather today to celebrate new life in Christ.

All Saints is a good day to be baptized. In baptism, we witness the fulfillment of Christ’s promise: that through water and the Holy Spirit, we are made members of his Body and heirs of his eternal kingdom. The baptismal font reminds us that the Christian life involves dying to ourselves, dying to sin, resisting the power of evil, and turning away from fear so that we may live in the hope of Christ’s Resurrection.
And what a wonderful moment for a child to begin that journey, surrounded by a community of faith, by family and friends, and by the prayers of all the saints. As we witness this new life, we are reminded of the promise that belongs to every one of us: that God is with us, that God loves us, and that God’s mercy is greater than anything we may face.

So let this be our reminder today, on All Saints’ Day, and throughout the year: Never fear the power of evil more than you trust in the power and the love of God. For we are surrounded by the saints. We are held in the prayers of those who have gone before us. And we are continually blessed by Jesus Christ, who promises that even our tears will one day give way to laughter.

[1] Hermes of Philippopolis, Bulgaria, “one of the seventy.”
[2] https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/200160.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[3] https://www.tudorsociety.com/6-july-the-execution-of-sir-thomas-more/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[4] https://www.heritage-history.com/index.php?author=forbes&book=teresa&c=read&readAll=true&utm_source=chatgpt.com
[5] Matthew 5:1-12