"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."
Hebrews 12:1-2a (NRSV)
All Saints’ Day — 1st of November
In keeping with our Celtic understanding of Thin Places, historically we, as Christians, hold the belief that the veil between heaven and earth is thinned in certain places and in certain times. Hallowmas is considered a liturgical thin place, a time when the veil between heaven and earth is more transparent, where God’s presence is more readily experienced and the holy brushes up against us. On this second day of Hallowmas, All Saints' Day, we celebrate the saints that have gone before us. We celebrate the holy ones who have showed us the way.
We do not come to know Christ in a vacuum, in isolation. There are trailblazers and pioneers of the faith. There are people who have run this marathon called life. We are not in it alone. We are surrounded by people who coach us all along the way through the witness of their life and faith.
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1
Paul reminds us in his first letter to the church at Corinth to follow his example, as he follows the example of Christ. So it is with the saints, past and present, in our lives. We follow those who have gone before, as they follow the example of Christ.
Who in your life has embodied the ways of Christ to you? Who has helped you to see Christ more clearly? Who has helped you to experience unconditional love, hope, peace, and joy? Today is the day to celebrate those saints who have gone before, those people in our lives who helped us to come to know Christ and/or helped us to deepen our faith in and walk with Christ.
How can you venerate the saints in your life? Perhaps you light a candle and then say/write a prayer of gratitude for what they meant to your life.
Today I celebrate Eleanor Stockstill. Eleanor was the woman who ran New Demensions (my pre-school and afterschool care when I was a kid). She was also an active member of my home church that I went to starting in upper elementary. She was a true woman of God.
A Prayer for Saint Eleanor
by Charissa Jaeger-Sanders
I am a preschooler
As I discard the ants from my log and lick the peanut butter out, refusing to eat the celery
You are there
Loving me and accepting me, just as I am
As I mourn the pile of pollen pods,
interpreting them as dead caterpillars,
lamenting that they will never get to become butterflies
You give comfort and assurance
As you sit on the floor with us,
reading books, unlocking worlds, taking us hither and yon in the depths of
our imagination
You meet us where we are
helping us to journey to become more of who we are called to be
I am now in school
I encounter you, once again
This time you are at church
You greet me with smiles so big that even your eyes light up
Your hugs convey to me the very arms of a Loving God
Your voice sings in such a way that I can imagine how the angels sound
Your encouragement helped to keep me on the path
Through following after your example, I follow after Christ
I graduate
There you are championing me, yet again
Inspiring me to let that foundation of faith carry me through whatever lies ahead
I am a young adult
You are diagnosed with ALS
I am heartbroken
One of the spiritual giants of my life shows me how to walk through suffering
with poise, grace, peace, and joy that goes beyond circumstances
The last time I saw you
We are at a women’s retreat on Saint George Island
ALS has robbed you of your ability to speak with your voice
You carry a dry erase board and marker, still offering wisdom and guidance
Your eyes continue to speak volumes
In them I see love, joy, gratitude, acceptance and peace
You are helping serve communion
You hold the cup of salvation
Tears stream down my face as I realize this will be one of the last times I see you
I receive the grace that you offer
You offer the cup of Christ, where there is healing and wholeness
Even in your final moments with me
You are still embodying what it means to live out the unconditional love of God
Living as a libation, offering all that you are as a vessel for God
Eleanor, I am ever grateful for you, one of the saints in my life
Thank you for showing me how to live and how to love
As this veil between heaven and earth is more transparent
I glimpse the sight of those twinkling eyes and feel your loving presence embracing me, once again
Gratitude abounds
And all I can say is, thank you God, for Eleanor, a saint in my life.
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