ALL SAINTS

ALL SAINTS

EXTRACTS FROM THE LETTER TO THE EPHESISANS

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God… To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1.1-2)

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all the humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…

But each of us was given grace according the measure of Christ’s gift… The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children… But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4.1-3, 11-13, 14a, 15-16) (NRSVA)

1st November is the Feast of All Saints. It’s a day honouring all the saints, known and unknown, who lived exemplary lives and are believed to be in heaven. A day to celebrate the many ways our faithful forebears gave their lives away in martyrdom, as they challenged those they lived amongst, and shared in the healing and reconciling ministry of Christ. Remembering saints and martyrs each year has been a Christian tradition since the 4th century AD, but it wasn't until the 9th century that 1st November was settled on as the Feast of All Saints in the Western Church. In popular thinking, the saints are those we see depicted in paintings and stained glass of churches, cathedrals and art galleries. People like Saints Teresa Benedicta, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux, and Catherine of Sienna pictured above. And they are inspirational – ‘though as with many saints, it’s often difficult to untangle the myths that make up their stories, from the reality of their lives!

When Paul wrote to the churches in Asia Minor, he addresses them in his letters, as “the saints” – see the beginnings of First and Second Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. Yet, large parts of these letters, are taken up with him addressing their divisions, arguments and confusions. So how can he call them saints? They sound just like us! So, maybe that’s why we find it easiest to focus on saints who inspire us because their sacrificial and compassionate lives, echo Christ’s. But Paul was actually addressing ordinary people, people just like us, the people given gifts “to equip the saints”. And underlying his letter, is the reality that “the saints” – even the greatest – don’t always get things right, and sometimes act like immature children, because we’re not yet the mature followers that Christ calls us to be.

When Paul was writing to the early churches there wasn’t yet a special category of saint. This changed with time, but among the earliest theologians – beginning with Paul – there is a clear stream of thought about the nature and vocation we all share. Writing about the incarnation of Christ in the 4th century, St Anthanasius of Alexandria wrote, “God became human, so that humans might become God.” “Become God” is best understood to mean, to becoming sharers in the divine life, or to participate in the life of God. And this is what Paul was saying to the saints in Ephesus, when he wrote that “we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

There are aspects of the lives of many of those designated as saints, that do not appear to be saintly, and that makes sense, because no one becomes a mature Christian overnight. None of us are born fully mature. We are all, the saints included, always growing into a fuller maturity as we inhabit our humanity and spiritual life at deeper and deeper levels. We can all grow as we experience the joys of birth, family life and fulfilling work, and the sorrows of illness, ageing and death. As we live through ups and downs in our churches, communities, country and the world. And share in and witness constructive and destructive forms of relationship. We can all grow through times of celebration and growth and times of conflict and division. As lives are broken or mended. Including ours. All of these experiences, all we live through, whether good, bad or indifferent, have the potential to contribute to us becoming ever-more mature Christians who inhabit our humanity and participate in the life of God at ever deeper and deeper levels.

When Paul writes to the saints in Ephesus about the gifts needed for the building up of the Body of Christ, he finishes by speaking about love. I’m reminded of another passage, where he writes about the relationships within a church that was tearing itself apart, the one frequently used at weddings (1 Corinthians 13.1-13). The greatest of gifts, he says, is love. It’s love, that the lives of the most inspiring saints, express. Love in words and actions. Love that builds community. Love that is willing to let go of our own wants to give space to others and for which some die before their time. Love that is open, respectful, generous. Love we see expressed in the examples of the saints, but that we are all called to grow into, so that we can all participate more fully in the life of God. Love that is the nature and vocation of us all. For we are all made in the image and likeness of God. And all given the gift of Love to share.

·       Is there a saint you are particularly drawn to?

·       How does she or he inspire you to inhabit your humanity, grow in maturity, to love and participate in God’s life ever more deeply?

·       What is she or he inviting you into now?

PRAY

Holy God,

you have called together saints from every nation

revealing your glory in their lives,

and you have knit them in one communion and fellowship,

in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord.

Grant to us the same faith and love

that, following their example,

we may be inspired and sustained by their fellowship,

as we continue to grow into the likeness of Christ

and participate every more fully in the life of God,

that we may come, with them, to those inexpressible joys

which you have prepared for those who love you

Amen.