Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a Roman Catholic priest in the Order of Saint Augustine who taught at the University of Wittenberg. All Saints’ Day (November 1) was the town’s annual Feast Day. Expecting a crowd at All Saints’ Church (known as the Castle Church) on October 31, 1517, Luther posted an invitation to debate 95 concerns about the church. This helped spark the Protestant Reformation.
The Reformation was a bitter religious struggle as new political institutions emerged. European immigrants to the American colonies were shaped by the Reformation. Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence compared our current social/religious/political conflicts to the Reformation. Old traditions are re-interpreted and re-formulated.
In this era of great change, I’m comforted by some traditions and disturbed by others. I miss some traditions that helped shape my identity. I’m liberated by the passing of some traditions that I now see as hurtful. Today is an appropriate time to affirm the best and let go of the worst. Life is a continual re-formation.
