All Hallows' Eve: The Day After
While handing out goodie bags to trick-or-treaters and reminiscing about the Raggedy Andy costume my mother made for me oh-so-many years ago (my friend Sheila Beth demanded to be Raggedy Ann), I stopped for a moment to consider the day after Halloween.
Growing up in the Methodist church, I did not hear much about saints. After becoming an Episcopalian in my early thirties, I absorbed a bit more information about saints, but I’m still not as knowledgeable as I might like.
Realizing that November 1 is recognized as All Saints Day on the Christian calendar, I went looking for information: “The Feast of All Saints is a holy day of the Church honoring all saints, known and unknown….While we have knowledge of many saints, and we honor them on specific days, there are many unknown or unsung saints, who may have been forgotten, or never been specifically honored. The whole concept of All Saints Day is tied in with the concept of the Communion of Saints. This is the belief that all of God’s people . . . are connected in a communion. In other words, Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe that the saints of God are just as alive as you and I, and are constantly interceding on our behalf.” (http://www.churchyear.net/allsaints.html)
I must admit I like the way that sounds, the idea that saints can intercede for us. If you have a favorite saint you’d like to acknowledge, please feel free to share in Her Spirit. I may be too old to ask neighbors for candy, but I’m not too old to learn something new.
Amy Lyles Wilson
Comments
One of the strengths of this blog is its ability to personalize and simplify the churchy things that seem so big and authoritative to me. This lesson about saints "known and unknown" and the goal of communion with one another may sound simple, but personalizing that for me makes me feel closer to the heart inside all that religious mumbo-jumbo I don't always understand.
Hmmm... I like the idea of 'unknown saints." Makes me think (pardon the expression) of a "Secret Santa" or something - where this mysteriously anonymous person is there - a Saint, no less - but completely unknown. The Known Saints all sound so high falutin' - like rock stars or famous athletes - you know, totally inaccessible. Those unknown ones - them I like. Precisely because of their anonymity. Cool idea!
"Inspired" by your post, and an earlier comment I put on a different post, I thought, hmmm...wonder who or if there is a "patron saint for writers?" Sure enough.
It is St. Francis de Sales. I think I like this guy! "he studied theology ... while getting into swordfights and going to parties." My kind of man! Not only that, but a book he wrote was condemned by some because, "he tolerated dancing and jokes!"
All fun aside, he sounds like a pretty neat guy. Truly a man of infinite patience...which I suppose is an appropriate characteristic of writers, and certainly a saint of writers. One of his phrases was: "I intend neither to hurry or to worry," and that sounds like good advice to me.
He also seems a lot like St. Jude of "lost causes" fame. St. Francis de Sales was not intimidated by the impossible. Another quality characteristic necessary for writers and their Saint.
And pay attention! His feast day is coming soon - January 24. I think I'll try to do something special that day - or at least ask him if he has any patience to spare that he can share with me, as I write.
More info is at:
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=51
Thanks for this "inspiring" post!