All Saints Day

I love this feastday. It is a great day to reflect on people in our lives who were instruments of God's grace for us. Also I like to think of the various images of what a saint is that have been active in my life. I guess when I was small it was the statues that conveyed some kind of a notion of saints. They had delicate features and were solid, I might say stoic, and definitely they were pious. That image has been shattered for me as the years have passed.

I remember when I was a novice there was a statue of St. Aloysius in our study room. He may have held a lily (I'm not sure of that) but his head was back and tilted to the side, his eyes rolled to heaven, his hands folded. I do remember a day when I looked at the statue and thought it did not portray what I wanted to be. I have never been very pious even though I long to be close to God. Anyway, I think my aunt Lou is a better image of a saint for me than what that statue depicted. She was good and kind, thoughtful of others, a rabid Cincinnati Reds fan, careful with material goods, loving of children, forgiving, always concerned about my mother, generous with her time and what little she had. She did have a picture of the Sacred Heart over her mantle and there she always kept a vigil light burning. I think that if she had been short on cash, it would not have been the purchase of vigil lights that she would have forgone.

At any rate, as I think of it today, it is the gospel from this morning's mass that tells me about what a saint is--the sermon on the mount! The poor in spirit, the one who acts for justice, the one is meek and humble, etc. I hope that I can be among the blessed discribed in the gospel.

Happy Feast Day!