This Sunday is All Saints Sunday, and I have always admired the Saints, in fact my High School teams were called "Saints", but I have always regarded the "institution" of Sainthood with some degree of skepticism. As children, we were taught that a Saint was a devout Christian who lived an exemplary life. We thought that a Saint must have been as close to sinless as a human could get. Needless to say, that would severely cut down on eligible candidates for sainthood. It was fun to sing the Hymn and pray, "God help me to be one too...", but none of us were so destined. As we grew older, we learned that all the Saints were at one time or another sinners like the rest of us. We also learned that fallible humans decided who could become a Saint, and that different denominations used different criteria to decide who made the grade.
I am not one who prays to the Saints for divine intervention.
Still, I believe we should publicly honor the Saints and educate our children on their stories.
Do people do that anymore?
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The hymn "For All The Saints was written by an Anglican Priest/Bishop William How in 1864. At that time, I think there was a better understanding of the relationship between the church Militant and the church Triumphant.
ReplyDeleteThey sure don't teach that in school.
DeleteThe Communion of Saints is a glorious reality\manifestation of God's power enlivened by the Holy Spirit in Christian lives. Every baptized person is a saint (small s) whom God guides for His Purposes Saints (big S) have been recognized by the church as exemplary. Not perfect, just faithful and courageous. One can pray to the Saints with special intentions which are heard and honored by the Holy Trinity as well. Your blog is saintly work. God bless+ you for this ministry.
ReplyDeleteThanks CJ3+
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