Yesterday Chris and I attended an amazing presentation of Mozart’s “Requiem” at the Co-Cathedral in Brooklyn. Our daughter sings in the professional choir, and they were accompanied by an equally amazing small orchestra. Since it was Halloween, the Cathedral was decorated in a slightly spooky way with suspended lights and fog machines. The rector welcomed everyone and spoke of Requiems as reminders of those who have passed from this life to the next, and being on All Hallowed Eve made this concert, for me, even more meaningful. That and the chance to see our daughter in action for the first time since she moved from LA to NYC.
We will be remembering the saints this Sunday, but today is officially All Saint’s Day. One of my daughter’s roommates asked me if Protestants had saints like Catholics do, and I said yes, but we use saint as a verb and not a title. Every person who lives faithfully is a saint; not perfect or connected with miracles, but slogging through life just like everyone else, trying to make every day pleasing to God. Our saints don’t have their own holy days, and they don’t have statues of them with halos. Saints, in First Century terms, were doing their best to be followers of Jesus. They weren’t perfect, but they were trying their best to love God, neighbor, and self with everything they had. I have been honored to know a lot of saints over the years, and most were far from perfect. What the best of them did have, however, was an understanding that life lived only for self is not about love of God and neighbor. Love of self only is narcissism, not discipleship.
Which means that not every churchgoer is a saint, and not every non-Christian or non-church attendee isn’t. For me, attending church and church-related events is not a sign of heavenly assurance, it is a vehicle for saintly living. Worship kick-starts our week, reminding us of our mission and promises to God. I have known a lot of weekly worship attendees who do it for appearances, while so many others follow Jesus without necessarily having to be in church. The thing is, we can do both. If being in a holy place is done for the sake of being seen, it is not about God – it’s about self. The saints I have known didn’t attend worship and Bible study and other events because they thought they got points for each event, but rather because they understood that without the gathered community of faith, they could not be truly connected to the community of saints here and in heaven.
Practicing our faith allows us to be better together than we are apart; that’s why we call it practicing, not attaining. “Beware the hypocrites”, Jesus warned, “for they love to pray in places of worship (my version) and on street corners to be seen by others.” This is part of what is damaging us as people of faith – too much show and not enough action. Too many words and not enough deeds. You want to be a saint? Don’t preen – wash feet. Don’t tell everyone how much you love God – feed the poor. That is what sainthood is – treating people as if they were God. May your loved one’s memory be a blessing.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for showing us that faith is done together and apart. You are with us at all times. Amen.
Today’s art is “Music Tone” by Joseph Matar.