See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. (1 John 3:1) 2 Then [Jesus] began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:1-9) For a reason I cannot explain, I find myself thinking of Churches United for the Homeless in Fargo, ND as I ponder our scripture texts for All Saints Day. CUFH is a 30 day emergency homeless shelter for men, women, and families that I had the pleasure of serving as a student chaplain at during the summer of 2010, as a part of my seminary education. During my time there, I did a lot of listening to people’s stories about hard lives, losses, and anger at God or the church for bad things that had been done to them. But I also got to hear stories of thankfulness and blessings. In these stories people shared, they would admit to frustration and anger at God for the circumstances which brought them to that, or many other, shelters. But they also told me that they could still see where God was present in their lives, helping them to move forward and, for some, to be able to get out of a bad cycle of homelessness and poverty through job training and home development services. These folks I ministered to, they were saints. Not because they remained positive in bad circumstances, and not because they did anything for those who worked at the shelter. They were saints for one reason: they were (and are) children of God. Those who receive the grace, forgiveness, and mercy of God just like anyone else. In our Gospel text for this week, we hear “the blessed’s”—the Beatitudes—which I think describe well many of those folks who utilized CUFH. They mourned losses, they often showed mercy, justice, and compassion better and more fully than anyone I had ever met. They taught us that they didn’t need to do great things to be considered blessed, and that a “hand-out” wasn’t always the answer to their plight or pain. Rather, listening to them, seeing them as beloved children of God—those things mattered the most. We, in our own ways, may see ourselves in some of these “blessed’s” too, and we may recognize the saints in our lives who have died, and how they lived them, too. On this All Saints Day, let us reflect on those saints we know, and those whom we may only see on the fringes of society. What can we learn from one another’s stories? And where do we need to look at one another a little more closely in order to see that we are all–saints and sinners, homeless or not — God’s beloved children?