11-1-21 - Viral Saints

You can listen to this reflection here.

Today is All Saints Day – a major feast day in the Christian calendar. It is a day that affirms your sainthood, and mine. The term “saint” is conferred not only on those who are “holy” or “a good person.” In the New Testament it is simply a label assigned to those who follow Christ, however straight or wobbly our path may be. Paul’s letters are often addressed to “the saints who are at Ephesus,” or “the saints in Thessalonika.” We know from the contents of those letters those folks weren’t always “holy.” They were saints by virtue of their baptism into the holiness of Christ. You are too.

We are made saints at baptism. We grow into our sainthood as we increase our capacity to love, to hold God’s power and grace, and learn to carry that contagious love into the world. No one wants to think about contagion as we slowly emerge from a global pandemic that has claimed millions of lives – but I want to go there. What if we think of saints as viral cells that strengthen rather than weaken the bodies with whom they come into contact? Who help people become whole? At our best, as saints of God we can spread viral love, clustering to infect people with hope and dignity, scattering to carry this love far and wide.

How would you like to celebrate your sainthood today? Maybe draw (“write”) an icon of yourself, emphasizing those gifts you particularly cherish in yourself. This is not self-promotion – it is a way of celebrating the great thing God did when God created you; the wonderful work Jesus has done in making possible your wholeness; the transformation the Holy Spirit brings in and through you every day.

Or maybe you’d like to write a brief hagiography of yourself – how you came to be the saint you are. Who are the saints in your life who led you closer to God, or who have helped you stay in relationship with God?

And who might you want to “infect” with hope, compassion, dignity, love? How can you, working with the other saints with whom you worship and work, carry God’s contagious love into your community?

Recognizing our sainthood does not mean we stop the processes of healing and becoming more Christ-centered. We’re not “done,” at least not in this lifetime. But we are already saints. Yes, you! Enjoy your feast day!

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