Today we’re reminded of All Saints…No not the clothes shop, although I do remember when many a moon ago, they stocked rather fetching belts with the phrase ‘Jesus Rocks’ emblazoned in metallic studs…Nor the woeful girl band that I could never bring myself to like and blamed for so many a friend adopting the cargo-pants and hoodie look as their style signature…but the saints of the Christian faith, be they beatified (if you are of a Catholic or High Anglican persuasion) or the common-garden believers (if you belong to a more Reformed/Protestant tradition) today, we remember them all.
For a day that was quite a big deal back in the day, All Saints has suffered somewhat from the day that precedes its popularity; Halloween. Give people the choice between remembering a bunch of long dead goody-two-shoes and currently alive stalwarts of the faith or dressing up in a random quest to scare or provoke comment and it is a no-brainer what they’ll opt for. And let’s not forget how so many Christos, use Halloween as an opportunity to dabble in some ‘occult-light’ activities…You know the deal, a spot of clairvoyance, participating in harmless-fun spells, exploring traditional faiths, a la many of my mates in Blighty who use this time of year to draw on the parallels between Samhain and its Christian ‘cousin’ in the church calendar. But before I spend this blog bashing Halloween’s growth and dominance; perhaps it’s time to re-brand All Saints Day so we can all better focus.
Because I am a fairly all-embracing denominational girl: I propose one picks ‘n’ mixes it: First find a Saint from the traditional canon who you’re feeling. I decided to opt for St Charles Lwanga, the most famous of the Ugandan Martyrs, a group of Christian martyrs who were killed in the late nineteenth century for refusing to renounce their faith, twenty-two of whom went on to be canonised by the Catholic Church. Apart from being from my home country, St Charles Lwanga’s story speaks most to me of not compromising: a page and later major-domo of Kabaka Mwanga, the king of the ancient kingdom of Buganda, he chose to forsake earthly advancement, for what he knew to be true. At the time of their martyrdom St Charles Lwanga had no foresight of knowing whether his story would last beyond a generation, never mind become a public holiday in his homeland, a feast day in his new faith and known by millions around the world. But he was constant in his convictions , something we could all learn in a society that exists perpetually on a sliding scale of excuses and flat out denials for when we know we’ve fallen short.
Second, share the story of your favourite saint and think about traits that you could copy from them: As St. Paul famously wrote in his letter to the Philippians:
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of Peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9
St Charles Lwanga was clearly gifted; the biography we have for him shows he advanced at the palace; ending up as a head of household. In this role he would have had plenty of responsibilities as well as a hotline to palace gossip and intrigue and its probable that he would have gotten wind that the tide was turning for those who had embraced the new religion. And yet not only did he not use his position to save himself, but also did something radical, he encouraged others: arranging for the baptism of the remaining catechumens ahead of their show-trial, and thus ensuring that should they die, it would not be in vain as they would be embraced into the bosom of God’s family. Whilst we have no oral accounts for what he may have said to this mainly young group of men, who were probably scared of the prospect of death, even though they had actively chosen Jesus, it echoes the aforementioned quote from St Paul, who wrote Philippians, shortly before his own martyrdom, as it gives us Christos today something very powerful to imitate.
You see, encouraging others in their walk of faith is the bread and butter of fellowship and is the best bolsterer of one’s own faith. Furthermore, being steadfast to one’s beliefs draws you that bit nearer to what one does believe, in Jesus. In doing both something truly alchemic happens: more powerful than any cauldron action: we, the current Christos on planet earth, really do all become saints; growing closer in likeness to our Lord and Saviour. So let’s all faithfully follow what we know to be true and cheer on those around us to do the same. We might not all make it into the annals of history, but we will all get a name-check in heaven.
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