“Jesus said to them,

‘The children of this age marry and remarry;

but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age

and to the resurrection of the dead

neither marry nor are given in marriage.

They can no longer die,

for they are like angels;

and they are the children of God

because they are the ones who will rise. 

That the dead will rise

even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,

when he called out ‘Lord,’

the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;

and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,

for to him all are alive.’”

Based on the tradition of West Point and the “Long Gray Line,” the Air Force Academy has its own version of the Long Blue Line. It is the sense that at graduation you step into the stream of all those who have graduated before you, especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, but also including the excellence and achievements of all prior graduates. It is something to live up to. A purpose beyond yourself that calls out the best from you. At my Eagle Scout Court of Honor, my dad read to me the Eagle Charge, a similar expectation that with this accomplishment comes a responsibility to contribute beyond yourself like those who have gone before. At my ordination, each priest who was present, along with the archbishop, laid hands on my head consecrating me for service to the people of God in the legacy of all the priests who have served so well for the good of the Church. At my baptism, and likely at yours, too, the litany of saints was sung or recited, a reminder that the new life given to us in Christ is more than a solitary journey, but incorporates us into the family of God, the family of the eternally alive, and calls us to reach beyond our limited horizons to the vast breadth of eternal love. You and I are called to be saints, to give our lives in love for the good of others. To will the one thing. 

In our baptism and as we celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist, we are united with all those who live in Christ. We are not alone. There is a whole cloud of witnesses that join us in our daily life, challenges, and joys. We are united with them. God is the God of the living, the God who heals, the God who gives life. Devotion to the saints is a rich experience of connecting to those who live in Christ for their support, example, and intercession on our own journey. They give us something to live up to, a goal and ideal for which to strive. We have each stepped into the stream of the followers of Jesus and are encouraged to take our next best step in the journey of faith. In the Church, those who have gone before are not just a prior example to be followed, but a living witness to the love of God and help in the current moment for our daily walk with Jesus. 

In my own journey, I have benefitted greatly from the companionship of St. Francis, who stood naked before his father and all to choose life and joy with the poor. St. Ignatius, a military man, showed me a conversion to serving Jesus and giving all for the glory of God. St. Teresa of Avila taught me how to pray and gave me a sense of humor about my relationship with God. St. Teresa of Calcutta gave me a simple path to finding joy in serving God and others. These, among others, have been companions on my journey. God is the God of the living. Who are the companions on your journey?