This past Sunday at St. Mary's we celebrated the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. It was an opportunity for us to remember and pray for those who have gone on before, and to think about their witness and the witness of all the saints, whether officially designated by The Church or not. It was a beautiful service in which we welcomed new members of the congregation, experienced the joy of a baptism, and lit candles for those departed who were near and dear. But that's not what we're here to talk about this week. The service also featured a famous bit of scripture that gives us a lot to think about. And to wonder whether we're up to the task. Our Gospel reading was from Luke 6:20-31, the version of the beatitudes, or blessings, taken from Jesus Sermon on the Plain. (Matthew's version, 5:3-10, comes from the Sermon on the Mount.) In this sermon, Jesus lays out four blessings and four woes, but it's the last part that is a particularly challenging call to action. Jesus lays this charge before his apostles and the gathered crowd: "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you." This is some pretty powerful food for thought, and so we are going to spend some time thinking about and talking about this in our conversation this week. Rather than a series of questions, let's just go with this. If these words of Jesus are central to what it means to be a Christian, how well do we measure up? Join us for the conversation this Tuesday, Nov. 4, starting at 7pm at Irish Tavern in downtown Lake Orion.