Many people upon hearing this curious word
"saint" cringe. To them, saints are one-dimensional, sometimes even
vaguely creepy people who are uncomfortable to be around. They have one-track
minds and are other than human. They exist on a different plane where they have
no real appreciation of how ordinary folk live. Saints are rigid creatures who
don’t know the agonies and eccentricities of life. Those who feel this
way
about sainthood are likely to say, with a hint of disdain – and pride –
"I’m NO saint!"
Then there
are people who think the saints exist in a type of rosy glow. They exude
sentiment from holy cards and would be quite at home with sweet Hallmark
greetings. To this audience the saints are always kind and gentle and never
have a rotten thought. Supermen, but elevated even higher, the saints are
miraculous figures whose feet never really touched the ground. People who have
this image probably also think of our Lord in rosy glows – eerily androgynous,
with stylized features and a perfect complexion. This is the Jesus whom Dorothy
Sayers describes (in the wonderful The Whimsical Christian) as someone whom we
have declared and "certified 'meek and mild’…a fitting household pet for
pale curates and pious old ladies."
If you
perceive sainthood as an undesirable attribute or think of saints as
one-dimensional shadows of real human beings, you probably have never met
cantankerous Saint Jerome or firebrand Saint John the Baptist, anxious and
tormented Padre Pio or wry Saint Teresa, joke-cracking bishop Saint Laurence
O’Toole or achingly grateful Saint Mary Magdalene, brainy and poetic Saint
Thomas Aquinas or indomitable Saint Catherine of Siena, moody Saint Augustine,
playful Saint Therese or mad Saint John of God. Perhaps you did not know that
among the saints there are people who, rather than being meek and mild, are
rather furious. Among the saints there are also great wits, addle-brained
dreamers, foolish oafs, mischievous curmudgeons, radical crusaders, shy
artists, and passionate poets. There are housewives and kings, tax agents and
lawyers (yes, lawyers!), bakers and erstwhile brigands.
But in this
diverse bunch of souls for Christ, there are common characteristics. All the
saints share certain virtues - a yearning for holiness, an intimacy with God,
perseverance in prayer, humility of heart, and love of their fellow men and
women, that is, charity of soul.
SAINTS
It is the glory
of the Church
that it cannot
name
all the saints.
It is the glory
of the Church
that it cannot
remember
all the saints.
It is the glory
of Christ
that we cannot
count
all the saints.
Saints are found
behind all the rocks
of the
mountain.
Saints are found
among the trees
of the wood.
Saints hide in
blossoms,
ride birds, top clouds;
follow passages
under the
earth.
They sweep the floors
of the universe.
They take out the garbage
of the cosmos.
The seeds they scatter
soften and green the hillsides;
leaves open
their hands;
joyful beasts
wander among trees,
cling to grassy
slopes.
The faithful
cling to the roots
of the saints,
growing up
from the ground.
* * *
Matthew R. Brown
It is the glory
of the Church
that it cannot
name
all the saints.
It is the glory
of the Church
that it cannot
remember
all the saints.
It is the glory
of Christ
that we cannot
count
all the saints.
Saints are found
behind all the rocks
of the
mountain.
Saints are found
among the trees
of the wood.
Saints hide in
blossoms,
ride birds, top clouds;
follow passages
under the
earth.
They sweep the floors
of the universe.
They take out the garbage
of the cosmos.
The seeds they scatter
soften and green the hillsides;
leaves open
their hands;
joyful beasts
wander among trees,
cling to grassy
slopes.
The faithful
cling to the roots
of the saints,
growing up
from the ground.
* * *
Matthew R. Brown
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