Sunday 1st November, All Saints Day

The Priory is full of saints – mostly in glass, but some in stone, or mosaic, or embroidery on banners. Most are glorious in gold and bright colours, dressed rather oddly to our modern taste, and they can seem rather remote to our ordinary, everyday eyes. We know them for their stories – of miracles, of extraordinary faith or outstanding sacrifice. They set a pattern of faith for us to aspire to, but one of which perhaps we often feel we fall short.

But before they were figures of glorious colour in glass and thread, every one of these saints was a real human being, someone who trod the same ground we do and breathed the same air. Before they were saints they were ordinary people.

The Greek word we translate “saints” means literally “holy ones”, and we still remember this in the Old English word for yesterday: Hallowe’en is simply the eve of the Feast of All Hallows, all Holy Ones. And holiness comes not from us but from God. In the tenth century the monk Aelfric wrote that “the wonders of God’s saints bring honour to him, because he worked those wonders through them”. Being a saint is not about being an extraordinary person, it’s about being an ordinary person who allows God to do extraordinary things through us. And we can all do that.

The Priory is full of saints. Have a look around, there’s probably one sitting very close to you.

Every blessing,

Roger