Saintly Stories

Meetings at St. Stephen’s: whether Staff, Bible Study and Executive Committee often begin with the rector offering an introduction/devotion. The two hundred plus commemorations in the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer recall for me friends that I delight in introducing to parishioners and peers in their struggles and their victories. Remigius and Hilda, Macrina and Jonathan Daniels … they each had a moment to glorify God in their day. I try to disguise the better known ones to build suspense. For instance, I’ll describe the life of a 12^th Century Italian soldier before revealing it is St. Francis’ Day or remind people that possession of the English Bible they are holding would have gotten them burned at the stake along with William Tyndale in the 16^th century.

What is the draw of the saints for me? First, they are flesh and blood, human, just like us. Theresa of Avila asks God the reason for her suffering to which God replies, “This is how I treat all my friends” and then she retorts “no wonder you have so few of them”. Their boldness inspires me as well. The aged Polycarp is ordered to curse Christ or die to which he replies, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and he never did me any injury; how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” Lastly the saints are so profoundly connected to the places where they served. I have been to Columba’s Iona, Benedict’s Nursia and William White’s Christ Church, Philadelphia. I try to provide some of the landscape of their lives along with their words. Saints are not pious dreams or writers inventions but imitators of the Word made flesh, Jesus, our Savior and our friend. On days when the fabric of our church seems to be unraveling Athanasius stands boldly for truth. During seasons of epidemic, the courage of the Martyrs of Memphis shines brightly.

In 2006 I stood with a group of Anglican Friends of St. Benedict in Santa Croce (the Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross in Rome). One of the Cistercians brought out a Roman crucifixion nail and pieces of the True Cross all brought by St. Helena from Jerusalem in the 4^th century. After the monk left us, one of the pilgrims asked me “were those real?” I told him, “St. Helena traveled from Rome, found them in Jerusalem, and ordered them brought them here more than 1500 miles by ship and mule 1600 years ago. How real do you need them to be?” I say, meet the saints today. It will make the population of heaven that much more familiar when you get there.