Do Like Me

All Saints’ Day  4^th November 2007.

“To each one of us Christ is saying, ‘If you want your life

and mission to be fruitful like mine, do like me.      Be converted into a seed that lets itself be buried. … Do not be afraid.    Those who shun suffering will remain alone. No one is more alone than the selfish.    But if you give your life out of love for others, as I give mine for all, you will reap a great harvest.      You will have the deepest satisfactions.     Do not fear death or threats.    The Lord goes with you.’”

These words were spoken by Oscar Romero, the South American Bishop who not only spoke them but lived them out.    -- and in many people’s mind, and not just in South America he is a modern day saint, and isn’t that what All Saints’ Day is about.  

He was a modern day person who lived his life by the Gospel - the “good news” in a time and in a country, El Salvador, where good news, especially for the poor, was almost non-existent.     When Romero says, “Do not fear death or threats,” it wasn’t just a dramatic statement but a commitment to serve God.   And his living out the gospel resulted in his martyrdom.

Archbishop Romero is a wonderful example when we’re

considering saints, because he actually was very much like

each of us.   He ended up being like a saint, for I do not think Rome has canonized him,  but he didn’t start out being one; his sainthood came from conversion, just like ours can.    It came from learning and studying the Scriptures, just as it can for many of us, for he was not born into a Christian family.      His conversion came from reflecting on his life -- what he believed, how he worked with people, how he reacted to situations, -- and realizing that there was something missing that he needed to hand over his life to serving Christ, and dedicating his life to that service.    

He was someone who didn’t stop to think of himself but strove to do his bit towards the creation of God’s kingdom here on earth.     A very brave man who paid the ultimate earthly price.

But saints come in all shapes and sizes and have since the birth of Christ.

In complete contrast I suppose my actual favourite saint, if one is allowed to have a favourite saint is St Aidan.

In the spirituality module of my course we had to choose a particularly spirituality from all the ones we had studied for our assignments and then chose one person from that Spirituality.     I am a Celt my spirituality is Celtic, but who to chose?    In the end I decided to study the life of Aidan for the totally uninspiring reason that I was baptized in St Aidan’s Church in Leeds.

But what a joy it proved to be.   His life was very different from Romero’s – he lived in the sixth century was not a convert to Christianity but born into an Irish Christian family, but what he did do was convert others.

Like Oscar Romero he was a very humble man, lived a life of service to God.

Aidan was with Columba in Iona and when the first missionary who had been sent from Iona to Northumberland to bring Christianity to that region returned back saying those barbarians will never be Christian, Aidan replied ‘ Brother, perhaps you should have given them the milk before you gave them the meat of God’s word, and perhaps you should have put yourself in their shoes rather than trying to force them into our mould.’   These words made the Iona community decide that Aidan was the man to convert the English and he set off for Lindisfarne and made it the cradle of Christianity, taking the word of God to all he met.

It is those words he uttered which really strike a chord with me, for teaching the word like any teaching is surely achieved through nurturing, meeting people where they are, rather than expecting them to meet us.    

He showed God’s love to all he met, travelling on foot round Northumbria, teaching the Gospels, giving money to the poor.

That’s what Jesus means in today’s reading of the Beatitudes.    “Blessed are you…” Blessed are you who live “a kingdom of God kind of life.” Blessed are you who see a “kingdom of God kind of life” as a life of service , of unconditional loving service, to all God’s people, not just to those we might chose to serve.   Yes, being one of those who tries to live a “blessed” life sometimes means giving your life as martyrs today still do, but for most of us, it means taking the Gospel seriously and taking our Baptismal promises seriously.     Really trying to live out those promises.

The beatitudes are an invitation.    They’re an invitation to examine our lives and see how we’re doing in this life. Are we following the promises made for us in Baptism and which many of us made for ourselves in confirmation?

Or have those promises become just another set of words?   

But one of the great things about being a part of the people of God is that  Jesus has given us help.      We have the commandments, the beatitudes, the example of Jesus’ life, his constant reminder that he is showing us what God is like and how much God loves us.     We have the words and symbols of our liturgy.    We have our sacraments and our prayers.    All these things surround us and offer us the support we need to become at least saintly if not saints.    As people who bring the love of Christ into people’s lives.

All Saints’ Day is a wonderful day to remember both kinds of people -- the official saints and those who have been saints to us.    And it’s a good day to think about our own lives and to remind ourselves that each one of us is called to be a light to the world.      Remember, most of our official saints were ordinary just like us, people who were open to conversion, open to allowing themselves to go in a different direction because they knew it was the right way to go in spite of the consequences.    But we don’t have to fear the consequences, because all through the Gospels we’re reminded that God is with us.

Archbishop Romero put it well when he said: “You are prophets in the world, you have to announce like the prophets, like a prophetic people anointed by the Spirit that anointed Christ”.   We must proclaim the wonders of God to the world.    Encourage all the good that is done in the world and energetically denounce all that is wrong, all that is bad.

That’s our calling, each one of us, and we can accomplish this good work by opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit, to trusting in the knowledge that God will never put us in a situation we cannot cope with.   To give thanks to each and every Saint, whether they are canonized or not, (for it isn’t just the Roman Church which has saintly people in it), for the examples they have left us, and strive to walk in Jesus’ footsteps just like Aidan and Oscar Romero did.    Amen