WelCom November 2019
In the Nicene Creed, the one that came out of the Council of Nicea in the year 325, and has been included in Christian worship ever since, we express belief in ‘the communion of saints’. What do we understand by this belief, and has it any relevance today? Fr James Lyons is a priest of the Archdiocese of Wellington.
We tend to think of saints, if we think of them at all, as far better people that ourselves. They lived long ago and we can’t name many of them. Most of them are anonymous. Those whose names we do know, we know very little else about them. One writer commented:
“Their egos left no trace
– like the flight of birds in the sky.
There’s no sign they’ve ever been!”
This anonymity is actually an important characteristic of holiness, as is learned in the Beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Those who know their need of God, who accept that they cannot control or determine every aspect of their lives, who see all that they have as gift – these are the ones who welcome God into their plans, forming a partnership of trust and faithfulness. They give without expecting to receive.
Blessed are the merciful – it is only a person with a great inner peace who can offer to ease the burden of someone else’s guilt; who can show mercy and be forgiving even when they are the victim. Such a person is usually very aware of their own shortcomings; of the time when they have needed forgiveness. The merciful understand the power of weakness to bend the will towards evil.
Blessed are the gentle – I love the quote from the writing of St Francis de Sales: there is ‘nothing so strong as gentleness; there is nothing so gentle as real strength!’ Gentleness is not an easy going, couldn’t-care-less quality; nor is it a weak, cowardly attribute.
Gentleness comes from a sense of well-being, a conviction that, even though I don’t have all the answers, I’m secure in the trust I have in God – to the point that I know all will be well! That’s what makes the truly gentle so strong. They don’t need to shout and scream or lash out. Their power comes from their surrender to their partnership with God on whatever path their life’s journey takes them.
The one word that covers all of this is humility. And that brings us back to anonymous! Most of the saints are not even known by name. The Church officially recognises enough to more than fill our calendar, giving us models of Christian living, but All Saints’ celebration invites gratefulness for all the marvellous, unheralded people who lived exemplary lives, often battling huge personal difficulties or coping with tragedy and disappointment with courage and unshakeable faith.
Such people didn’t all live centuries ago. You’ve seen the qualities of holiness in members of your own family, in parishioners or people living in your own street. Pope Francis refers to ‘the saints next door’ and asks us not to underestimate the ‘holiness’ of everyone we pass in the street.
I remember a grandfather whose quiet, determined faith helped heal and reunite a dysfunctional family. At the funeral of the wife of a scout friend I hadn’t seen for many years I learned that for much of their married life his wife had been severely disabled through illness. He’d nursed her with a tenderness and faithfulness over those long years in a way that could only be described as saintly.
The seeds of sainthood take root with baptism, the sacrament that brings us into God’s family. Each of us is a child of God. Think of the implications of that dignity.
St Paul’s letters often have reference to the baptised as ‘saints’ – holy, simply by virtue of their baptism. To live out one’s baptismal life is, in the words of the prophet Micah [6:8], to live justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God. There can be no more attractive witness than this way of living. It is the recipe for sainthood and never loses relevance.
Just as we’re inspired by the goodness of others, the goodness that flows from your actions and mine are also inspiring. The saints we honour encourage our own pilgrimage when the day is long and rest is difficult, but you and I also encourage people, making us all part of the Communion of Saints.
Yes, we honour the world of saints, the holy ones in whom the image of God is now clearly visible, whom we may or may not know by name; but don’t forget yourself. From time to time you catch a glimpse of goodness within you. Bring that goodness more fully into the light; add it to the beacon of all the saints, offering the clearest of pathways, lighting the way home.
to live justly,
to love tenderly
and to walk humbly
with your God
November 2019: Month of the Holy Souls
All Saints’ Day, also known as the Feast of All Saints, or Solemnity of All Saints, is celebrated by the Catholic Church on 1 November in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. The Commemoration of All Faithful Departed – All Souls Day – is celebrated on 2 November.