All the Saints

 In celebrating all the saints this year it is perhaps something of an impossibility to not first understand what we mean by celebrating all saints. I am sure that most of us can rattle of the name of at least a few saints, particularly as a number of us are probably named after such saints. Also when we refer to the saints more often then not we are referring to some old or not so old stuffy people who acted in a manner that was pleasing to the church, who left a legacy for us to emulate. Perhaps that is a bit harsh but there is a whole rigmarole around the manufacture of a saint in the eyes of traditional church. Much of it is to do with the proof of miracles and wonder working in their name. Not only that but within the jurisdiction of the Catholic church it sometimes takes years before a saint is recognised. Is that what this day is about, some stuffy old folk who have had the church recognise their deeds?  Are they all dead, as seems to be implied by our readings for today from the Wisdom of Solomon and the raising of Lazarus?

We revere those who are seemingly the saints of the church and more often then not those we revere are dead. It is only on rare occasions that we seem to suggest that someone is a living saint. Those that are labelled as such are often extraordinary in our eyes. Yet, in scripture especially when we look at Paul's letters the people of the way are often referred to as saints. Paul quite often states "Give my greetings to the saints" or some similar words. What in deed does the word actually mean over and above the attribution we give to it? Well saint comes from the Latin, sanctus, which means holy, so in this case saints are holy. If we remember from scripture and elsewhere we are asked to make ourselves a holy people acceptable in God's sight. We also at the end of each eucharistic service present ourselves as living sacrifices, i.e. make us living holy people. So who actually should we be honouring today is it those who have shown us exemplary records of behaviour or is it something simpler?

We are all the saints

If, we are to believe the writings of Paul and others we have to change our way of thinking and on All Saints day actually celebrate all the saints. We are so hung up with tradition that we neglect to understand that today celebrates the lives of those who follow the path that Christ has set. Once we understand this we can begin to celebrate our own paths to Christ as the saints of the present day. This does not mean that we neglect those who have gone before but rather to understand their meaning for us as the current saints of today. The descriptions and our scriptures that celebrate those who have been described as saints let us know how to behave and how to create community so that we with all the saints can celebrate God's presence amongst us. Nothing promises an easy life and nothing promises that there will be no hardship but what is promised is that at the end of the day we will be accepted with grace and peace such that we will shine as gold (Wis. 3:3b, 7). 

Like Lazarus our bindings will be undone and we will be set free (Jn. 11.44) even when we have been abandoned as if dead and destroyed (Wis. 3:3). It is when we accept the vision of God in our hearts and bring that glory into our communities because of who we are. We are reviled for telling the truth but in our truth telling we judge the nations or at least those who assume power. In accepting the cross of Christ we also accept the burden that comes with it. That burden is the burden of truth and love something that those of the current age have abandoned as we have seen so often in the recent political past. We are too often discouraged by not appearing to make any progress or we are too easily dissuaded by those around us who have committed themselves to a modernity that discourages our own community interactions as divisive rather than bond forming. Yet, the saints continue to form bonds that are beyond the ephemeral bonds of today. Bonds that last lifetimes rather than the few minutes of popularity that is the grasping of modern society and the drug of choice, instant fame or infamity to be forgotten when the next instant appears. Our bonds are bonds that last forever and are sought not for fame but for hope and love. Let us dedicate ourselves as saints of today's church who bring hope and truth into the world around us.