In Melville’s Moby Dick, the narrator Ishmael “account[s] it high time to get to sea as soon as I can,” “whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul.” For those of us living in the northeast, we know of what Ishmael speaks. At this time of year, the days grow short; the sun hangs low in the sky; the flowers wither; the rains chill us, the earth changes from green to gray: the entire landscape seems to fade.
Never one to pass up an opportunity to encourage sober moral reflection and instill guilt, the Catholic Church has singled out bleak November as a time to ponder the last things, namely death and judgment. The month begins with the All Saints Day and All Souls Day – in Mexico All Souls is the Day of the Dead -- and ends with the Feast of Christ the King. Apparently, there is no separation of powers doctrine in the celestial sphere and part of Christ's job as king involves some day bringing his judgment upon the world. “For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doth not yield good fruit, shall be cut down, and cast into the fire.” Matthew 3:10.
Meanwhile, our pastor, who is Vietnamese, uses the month of November to push Mahayana Buddhist principles of filial piety and ancestor veneration. He tells us that during November we should remember and honor deceased family members. We put their names in a basket placed within a small shrine at the front of the church. Perhaps the bonds and obligations of family are so strong that they withstand even death. It may be no accident that Thanksgiving, the American celebration of the family and filial piety, also falls in November.
Anyway in recognition of this time of year, I give you the Squirrel Nut Zippers (I apologize for the credits at the end of this, but it was the best live version I could find. And don ‘t worry, they don't cut the song short.)
Never one to pass up an opportunity to encourage sober moral reflection and instill guilt, the Catholic Church has singled out bleak November as a time to ponder the last things, namely death and judgment. The month begins with the All Saints Day and All Souls Day – in Mexico All Souls is the Day of the Dead -- and ends with the Feast of Christ the King. Apparently, there is no separation of powers doctrine in the celestial sphere and part of Christ's job as king involves some day bringing his judgment upon the world. “For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doth not yield good fruit, shall be cut down, and cast into the fire.” Matthew 3:10.
Meanwhile, our pastor, who is Vietnamese, uses the month of November to push Mahayana Buddhist principles of filial piety and ancestor veneration. He tells us that during November we should remember and honor deceased family members. We put their names in a basket placed within a small shrine at the front of the church. Perhaps the bonds and obligations of family are so strong that they withstand even death. It may be no accident that Thanksgiving, the American celebration of the family and filial piety, also falls in November.
Anyway in recognition of this time of year, I give you the Squirrel Nut Zippers (I apologize for the credits at the end of this, but it was the best live version I could find. And don ‘t worry, they don't cut the song short.)
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