A Reflection for All Saints Day

By a happy coincidence All Saints day falls on a Sunday this year. It’s a day when we think about the high profile saints. St. Paul, Our Lady, the Big 12 and you can probably think of a few yourself. In this parish we have St. Mark, patron of Cavendish, St. Peter patron of Glenthompson and of course Penshurst is under the patronage of All the saints.

We give thanks for the lives of the saints, their example, and their ongoing prayers and support for us in 2020. And all that is right and joyous and celebratory and worthy of a party. However there is a two edged trap with this. In our mind we can elevate them to such giddy heights that we can forget that they were people just like you and I. We forget that they had their sins and failings. We choose to overlook their faults and flaws. Think of St Peter in tears on Holy Thursday. Think of St. Paul who presided over the stoning death of Stephen, or James and John who got their mum to ask for box office seats in heaven. So when you think of these great ones, remember also that they were flawed. The good news with these prominent saints is that they fessed up and knew that they were forgiven. They knew who they were. Selection criteria number one for being a saint is to know that you are a forgiven sinner.

They led pretty ordinary lives and they just got on with it. They said their prayers, met for fellowship, supported and encouraged each other. They were very much like us not only in their mirky bits, but also in their own tedious struggle of achieving heaven. The same struggle that sometimes enlivens us and more often bewilders us.

The other little part of the trap is that we can think that the eminent saints were so whizz bang and fantastic there is no hope at all for us. They were just so amazing and if that is the criteria for getting through the pearly gates, then we might as well just give up now, pull the doona over our head  and wait for our inevitable demise. The good news is that this is not what God wants for Fr. David and it is not what he wants for you either. We are to be inspired by the saints and we are daily encouraged by joining in the worship of heaven with them whenever we get to the altar. You know how it goes … “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven…”

So how to be a saint?A few little starting points

In the beatitudes, holiness is equated with being poor in spirit, it is about being meek, it is those who mourn. A saint is someone who hungers for righteousness, who is merciful, and clean of heart.There is no mention of "blessed are the rule-makers, the obedient, the self-righteous or the judgmental". Jesus was about reaching people in their hearts, giving them reasons for hope and joy. He encouraged true and lasting conversion. This is the work of a saint; this is also our mode of operating. This is why we get out of bed in the morning. This is our attitude.

So what else do we know about saints? Saints know that they are to be sent forth. They are women and men whose lives flow seamlessly from prayer to action and from action to prayer in a continuous loving way of life. One feeds the other and for a saint there is little or no distinction. In this they would probably say something wise and profound like “Being a saint means that your action makes prayer visible.

A saint is like a window. A sacred window that allows others to see the beauty and wonder and splendour of God. And yep, sometimes the window gets grimy just from lack of attention and scrubbing. Sometimes stuff falls upon it from an unknown source and a great height. That stuff needs cleaning off but underneath it is still a window. It is the person or place that we look to that can be relied upon to show us the face of God, even if the window is a bit grubby sometimes and we have to squint a bit harder.

Saints are the uncomplicated, everyday people. They are like the bread and wine of the Eucharist. They bring God into the lives of others and like the bread and wine, they are sustenance of everyday life. These are the people deep within our community who bring God into your life and into my life. They are the vehicles of grace and the hope of glory. These are some of the things we know about saints and when we stop and think about it …why goodness gracious, the saints are people just like you and I and that is today's very good news.

All Souls day is on Monday November the 2nd. Mass will be livestreamed from our Facebook page at 10am. If you would like souls remembered please have their names to Fr. David by Bedtime on Sunday 1st.