‘Trailing clouds of glory do we come from God’, says Wordsworth. What a holy birth! Followers of Jesus were considered saints – ‘holy ones’ – set apart for God’s special purposes.
Later, certain Christians were officially acclaimed ‘Saints’ for their holy lives.
Our Christian challenge is to grow in holiness!
Revd Donald Soper remarked: ‘A saint radiates goodness and encourages others to want it. Perfect goodness is beyond me, but I can set out on the journey.’
Past Saints can inspire our sanctification by their wisdom, experience and example. St Benedict viewed life as a continuous conversation with God each day, while balancing solitude and communion with others. St Columba believed God is in, around and through all things and prayer recognises this. St Hildegard of Bingen shows us how musical prayer can travel beyond mere sound or entertainment, to access the numinous. St Francis of Assisi’s life was held in balance through prayer and the need to hold humanity and all creation in harmony. Julian of Norwich emphasised: ‘Prayer is not how we get God to do things for us. Prayer is how God gets things done by us.’
St Ignatius of Loyola encourages us to review each day, becoming more aware of our responses to life and God’s presence. Our soul’s closeness to God, guides our choices.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta suffered ‘a dark night of the soul’, feeling abandoned by God in her prayers. This enabled her to understand what so many feel, with no hope, empowering her to enter ’the dark holes’ of those she worked with.
So inspired by the Saints, may we grow in holiness, throughout our spiritual journey!
Heather Savini
