There Are Saints Among Us

I awoke this morning with the phrase in my head, “there are Saints among us.”  I am learning to not ignore little hints and hunches like thoughts that pop into my head so I am choosing to write about Saints in my Blog.   According to the Oxford English Dictionary a Saint is “a good person Christians believe will go to heaven when they die; a person of great goodness who after their death is formally declared by the Church to be a saint, and to whom people offer prayers; (informal) and a very good or kind person.” 

I am familiar with some of the well-known saints but am in no way, well acquainted!  So for me to talk about Saints we can choose the first or third definition above and talk about the very good or kind people in our lives that have made a difference.

  

I am a member of the Episcopal Church and in “An Outline of Faith commonly called the Catechism” in “The Book of Common Prayer” under the title of “The Christian Hope,” the question is asked “What is the communion of saints?” and the answer is given “The communion of saints is the whole family of God, the living and the dead, those whom we love and those whom we hurt, bound together in Christ in sacrament, prayer, and praise.”  I am not sure of what they mean by “the whole family of God?”  Do they mean all believing Christians, excluding all other faiths?  I would have to exclude that since my youngest daughter converted to Judaism and I have two beautiful Jewish granddaughters!  It is a beautiful religion and I have been given the title of a righteous Gentile by two Rabbis who are among my personal list of Saints because they have made an inordinate difference in my life.

 

I like the concept of “the living and the dead,” because, again, my personal list includes them.  My parents, both of whom are deceased, still make a big difference in my life.  The list is long.
 

“Those whom we love and those whom we hurt,” is a poignant phrase because we do hurt the ones we love.  Then the difficult task of forgiveness—forgiving and being forgiven—starts.  It may be as small as a hurtful remark or it may be made difficult by one or both persons withholding painful information.  And the relationship can be ripped apart, sometimes taking years for reconciliation to take place, if ever.  There are ways of hurting others which cannot be repaired.  Pedophilia comes to mind or murder or rape.

I do believe that there are special people in our lives, who are saints to us, very good and kind persons who make a difference.  They can be part of our lives for a lifetime or only a moment. “It only takes a moment to be loved a whole life long” as Cornelius sings to Mrs. Molloy in “Hello Dolly!”

Cornelius
And that is all
That love's about

Mrs. Molloy
And we'll recall when time runs out

Both
That it only took a moment
To be loved a whole life long!

In the hymnal there is a song called, “I Sing a Song of The Saints of God” that pretty much sums it up!  The refrain is “and I want to be one too!”  It is one of my favorite hymns.

Text: Lesbia Scott
Music: John H. Hopkins
Tune: GRAND ISLE, Meter: Irr.

1.                I sing a song of the saints of God,

                   patient and brave and true,

                   who toiled and fought and lived and died

                   for the Lord they loved and knew.

                   And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,

                   and one was a shepherdess on the green;

                   they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,

                   God helping, to be one too.

2.                They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,

                   and his love made them strong;

                   and they followed the right for Jesus' sake

                   the whole of their good lives long.

                   And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,

                   and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;

                   and there's not any reason, no, not the least,

                   why I shouldn't be one too.

3.                They lived not only in ages past;

                   there are hundreds of thousands still.

                   The world is bright with the joyous saints

                   who love to do Jesus' will.

                   You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store,

                   in church, by the sea, in the house next door;

                   they are saints of God, whether rich or poor,

                   and I mean to be one too.

This is the Christian version.  I would like for it to be an interfaith hymn but we haven’t progressed that far yet.

I am surrounded by saints at Tufts Medical Center.  People whose names I will not be able to remember. But I will remember their good and kind care of me that has made an enormous difference in my recovery.  And I have received an avalanche of flowers, cards and calls encouraging me, assuring me of love and prayers.  I am on several Prayer Lists of people who are praying on my behalf.  I have been overwhelmed by the response.   And now, I want to be one, too!  A saint!  Being ill with leukemia has been a spiritual experience for me and I am very grateful. 

 

Who are the saints in your life?  Have you been a saint to someone?  Have you made a difference in their life?