Next Sunday has a normal set of passages in sequence with what we’ve been reading. It is also the Sunday after All Saints Day, which has different readings that will be heard in many churches. It is the gospel for All Saints Day that I will focus on those this week.
Let’s start by defining what is a saint. Or, more properly, who is a saint. There is a reason we call it "All Saints" – it reminds us that all who follow Christ as Lord are saints of God. “Saints” was the term used in the early church for Christ followers; Paul would write a letter to “the saints who are in Corinth,” or “the saints in Philippi.” Saints were those called out and set aside, consecrated, made holy to the Lord, the way we use special consecrated vessels for holy rituals.
It does not mean “a really good person” or “holier than thou.” In fact, true saints are humble enough to be quite aware of their faults and weaknesses. Our doctrine of saints recognizes that saints are made, not born. We are made holy by being united with Christ, not through our own attributes. Many of our best known saints, like St. Augustine or St. Francis of Assisi, had quite rakish pasts before the Holy Spirit got hold of them. Some, like St. Teresa of Avila, were quick of wit and sharp of tongue. Some were martyrs, some monastics, some simple, some highly educated. Saints come in all shapes and sizes.
What kind of saint are you? When are you most aware of having been made holy? Another way to ask that is, when are you most aware of the Holy Spirit working through you?
If you want to become more aware of your sainthood, that’s a prayer I believe God is always pleased to answer, “Make me more holy, Lord.” If you pray that prayer today, ask the Spirit to show you all the ways you already reflect God’s holiness and love. Saints are a work in progress.
The Holy Spirit’s presence always leaves a residue, I think. Thus we become tinged with the holy, and if we keep inviting the Spirit to dwell in, with and through us, that tinge of holiness grows stronger and thicker until the holiness is more obvious than the mere humanity. And then, lo and behold, someone is liable to say of you, “S/He is such a saint!”
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