All Saints and All saints

Protestant Christians don't have an easy time talking about saints. We aren't quite sure how much we should get into the whole subject. We are pretty sure we are not supposed to pray to them, but we do find ourselves transfixed by the stories of their lives. Having some Irish ancestry, I have always been fond of St. Patrick. Of course, lots of drunken Americans become very fond of him on March 17th, so nothing new there. But there are Saints, and there are saints. The Saints are those deemed worthy by the Roman Catholic Church to be exalted above most of the rest of us. However, saints are more plentiful, and each of us has known at least one. Frederick Buechner once described saints this way: In his holy flirtation with the world, God occasionally drops a handkerchief. These handkerchiefs are called saints. Granted, the imagery of flirting by dropping a handkerchief is from a by-gone era, but we get the point. Saints, with a small "s" are people we all have known: the kind lady next door, the gentleman who offered to mow your lawn when you were ill, the teenager who offered to help with a project. On All Saints Day, all members of the Christian Church, Protestant and Catholic, honor and name the saints who have died in the past year. We name family members, neighbors, friends. We name them so as not to forget them, or their examples. My father's funeral was a Catholic mass. The priest said that we should pray to Sam, my dad, and he would intercede for us. Well, I appreciated the kind thought, but my theology does not extend that far. Besides, my dad was anything but an observant Catholic. However, he was a man capable of great generosity, both of spirit and of materials. He was a very hard-working, decent guy who was very honest. He usually expected too much of we kids, but I think it was because he expected so much of himself. He was not an overtly religious person and certainly he was not perfect. But, he was a saint, because he sought to make his corner of the world a better place and he did believe in God's love being extended. Such is the type of person we will remember on All Saints Day. So, think of your favorite saint, small "s" and mention that individual's name when asked in church this Sunday.