For All the Saints!

All Saints Chapel, Sewanee, TN

The Feast of All Saints

November 1, 2012 

For all the saints,

Whom no one thought to name,

No litany of bliss,

For their praise proclaims. 

Name the saints—and who comes to mind?  The super men and women with extraordinary qualities. They are projections of over-sized egos for the good.  We give them shields to wear. 

The New Testament actually tells us otherwise.  They are simple folk who profess a belief in Jesus Christ and have the courage to act on it.  In fact, the New Testament refers to the early Christians as “the saints.”  Paul wrote that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. Because when he is weak, God is strong (2 Corinthians 12) Saints are powerful in our world because they show forth the power of love.  “No one thought to name” them, but their gifts endure and can be passed on by others.   Turn aside from the power of this world--and in that weakness--show forth the power of love. 

I once heard a stirring speech by the Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Democrat National Convention. I cannot recall who was even running, but I know what he said in his refrain.“God bless the ones who serve the rest of us.”  He named the litany of public servants, of those who clean out the bed pans, serve the soup kitchens, and do the manual labor that keeps the community running. 

Maybe it would be like walking inside a place of overwhelming beauty like All Saints Chapel in Sewanee, TN at the University of the South. Suddenly it dawns on you.  This is what the inside of the heart of a saint looks like!  It is a beauty the world cannot give.