Robert Ellsberg, in his amazing book entitled All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets and Witnesses for Our Time, says that All Saints day is the time to acknowledge the “varieties of holiness” that have existed as models for us. What I love about his book (and a companion piece called Blessed Among Us), is that he opens up the list of who is a saint. While he names and tells the stories of some of the traditional and recognized “saints,” his work takes us much further and exposes us to the lives of so many who have shaped our world.
Saints, he says, do not follow a prescribed pattern. “Some are renowned for contemplation and others for action; some played a public role while others spent their lives in quiet obscurity. Some demonstrated a vitality of ancient traditions while others were pioneers, charting new possibilities in the spiritual life. Some received recognition and honor within their lifetimes, while others were scorned or even persecuted.”
He goes on to say that above all else the saints were people. People who showed us that a “path to holiness lies within our individual circumstances, that engages our own talents and temperaments, that contends with our own strengths and weaknesses, that responds to the needs of our own neighbors and our particular moment in history.”
Now don’t get mewrong. Some of the people he highlights were quite extraordinary, bold and singularly focused at great cost to themselves. But he reminds us that no saint starts off where they ended, and none starts off intending to be a saint. Like us, they grew into their vocation day-by-day and decision by decision.
Ellsberg’s words and stories are good news for me because this feast – far from pointing us towards an unreachable goal – points us back to our lives and asks us how we can more fully live the gospel there. And his telling of the stories and circumstances of the saints is also so compelling. So many of the people I respect, admire and try to emulate faced challenge after challenge, had their own weaknesses, doubted their own work and call and believed in something that was often hard to see.
And this feast day also reminds me that saints are not just those who have passed. They are still with us. The idea of the “communion of saints” as being a living, breathing cloud of witnesses who remain available to us – even if they have passed on – is something that I deeply appreciate and need.
Today, I am hoping that you take a few minutes to reflect on the saints – historical and modern – who you look to for guidance, wisdom and clarity. Talk to them about your desires, your shortcomings and your hopes and dreams. And let them speak to you about how you might live more fully into your call in the context of your life.
Happy All Saints Day!