Saints for All

Growing up, my sister had a children's book that outlined the lives of the saints, most of whom were Bishops, Priests, Brothers or Sisters. Most of whom died grisly deaths in a variety of ways. We just took it for granted that saints were Christian, saints were white, saints were religious and saints were martyrs.

In the last few decades, popes have beatified and sainted a variety of other people. Turns out that Old Testament folks like Elijah and Isaiah were saints as well! There are also African saints, Asian saints and Central and South American saints. Although martyrdom is an almost guaranteed entry into the ranks of the sainted, there are also many who died of natural causes who were also sainted. Which leaves us with the "religious" aspect. If you take a look at most saints... they're all pretty much professed celibates, either priests or brothers or sisters. A few years ago, an Italian couple were elevated to sainthood, but it turns out they had a bunch of kids who became priests or nuns. After they finished having children, they also abstained from sexual relations... So, we could begin to wonder if celibacy is an easier route to sainthood than marital sex. Lay saints are few and far between, whether single or married. So perhaps the religious vocation itself is a more guaranteed route to sainthood.

Which is interesting, given that saints are to be our role models in the faith, people we can imitate in our own lives. The question is, how relevant are these saints to the married life?? Or to the single lay life?? More telling, are there not saintly lay people out there, who live very ordinary lives, in extraordinary ways?? Who are the saints of our day?? Who are the ones who stand up for the rights of the oppressed? Who are the ones who lay down their lives day after day for the poor and disadvantaged? Who are the ones who care for their children with extraordinary care? Or care for adopted children? Or foster children? Who are the single lay people who inspire us with their committment to creating a better world, in so many different ways? Caring for the environment? Caring for the aged? Caring for the sick.

Ultimately, the truth is, we are all members of the saintly ranks. Paul often greets "all the saints in...". We are all members of the ranks of the holy.Our models are our parents and grandparents. Our teachers and caregivers. Wherever we find a live lived in wholeness... a holy life... we find sainthood...