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Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost -- All Saints Day
November 5, 2006 Sermon by The Rev. Bill Van Oss, Rector
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My mother is a saint. I know that, because everyone I met, the whole time I was growing up would always say, “Your mother is a saint.”

My mother goes to church almost every day. She volunteers there, counting money and cleaning and cooking for parish meals.

My mother is quick to write out a check to a good cause. She sorts out food at a local food shelf one day every week, even though she has difficulty standing now that she is older.

My mother says “yes” when she’s asked to volunteer for something way more often than she says “no”, even though she’s going on 85 now.

My mom prays every day – from a book that sits on a table in the corner of her bedroom and from the bible. She has 5 children and each of us is given a day of the week that mom prays for us in a special way.

Being #5, my day is Friday. The weekend is Sunday Mass of course. I’m certain she works my dad into her praying regularly.

My mom still fasts during Lent and abstains from meat on Fridays, even though she’s way past the age when those things are required for Catholics.

She loves her husband, and her children and grandchildren unconditionally, even though it has not always been easy. She’s been disappointed and embarrassed. She’s questioned and worried often in her nearly 60 years as a mother.

And if she were sitting here this morning, my mother would be embarrassed that I’m saying all these nice things about her, and calling her a saint. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, stop it”, I can hear her saying. “I’m no saint.”

My mom is humble and self-effacing but, she is a saint. Not because she does all those good things and tries to avoid bad things. She’s a saint because she tries to live the life that God intended for her to live. God created her to be kind and generous; God desires her to think of others, especially the less fortunate. God created her compassionate. God made her a person of prayer and entrusted her with a spouse, 5 children, 12 grandchildren and a great-grandchild to love and cherish.

And she’s not perfect – she has her flaws, she sins, but she is also deeply aware of God’s mercy and forgiveness and she seeks them out, often – just as God created her to do.

We speak of the saints as being “holy,” and we sometimes assume that if we work really hard and do all kinds of good things, we will become holy. Like, “Well, I’m not holy now, but if I just work hard enough at it, I’ll become holy and I’ll start tomorrow.”

But this All Saints Day, I want to encourage you to think of holiness differently. I contend that we are holy – that holy is how God created us, that a saint is who we are at our core.

The task is for us to be our truest and most “real” selves – to be the people God created us to be – holy people – saints. God created us to be whole – full human – whole people – “holy” people.

Some people think that becoming a saint involves becoming something or someone else, and it’s true that we often need to leave old patterns and ways of living behind, to undergo “conversion.”

Being “holy”, being a saint, is not so much being someone else, as it is allowing our true self, our truest self, to shine through every moment of every day. So that in ways both big and small, from moment to moment and day to day we are living the way God created us to live – as kind, generous, compassionate, forgiving, prayerful, loving people - saints of God.

Jesus took on Flesh. He came as one of us, a human, so that we might become more like God. Jesus humbled himself to share in our humanity so that we might share in His divinity.

Some of you grew up in churches where the focus is on human corruption. Your sinful, flawed, corrupt human nature may have a hard time hearing this, but you are holy. You are a saint when you are your truest and most real self.

Christ took flesh, and died, and rose to make this happen for you and me. We have been redeemed, restored to original grace. Restored to how God created us – in God’s image.

Our task is to live the way God created us to live, to let the reflection of God within us shine.

Saints are people who are their truest selves – the kind of people God created them/us to be. Sometimes we think that to be a saint is to be someone/something else. But, to be a saint is to be our truest, most real self.

Paul calls Christians “saints. They are what God intended/created them to be.

I have a little piece called “Holiness Is . . .,” by a man named John Catoir, and I leave you with this on All Saints Day:
Holiness is not something that comes from doing good; we do good because we are holy.

Holiness is not something we acquire by avoiding evil; we avoid evil because we are holy.

Holiness is not something that follows from prayer; we pray because we are holy.

Holiness is not the result of kindness; we are kind because we are holy.

Holiness is not something that blossoms when we are courageous; we are courageous because we are holy.

Holiness is not the result of character building; we build character because we are holy.

Holiness is not a gift we obtain after a lifetime of service; we give service because we are holy.

Holiness is not something that springs from generosity; we are generous because we are holy.

Our holiness is God with us and within us, Emmanuel. And while it’s true that holiness carries with it both the Cross and Resurrection, it is more a gift than a reward.

May we live the gift. Amen

      
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