The
church remembers the lives of the saints to inspire the generations who follow.
In the Episcopal tradition, a collection of exemplary and faithful biographies
are compiled in “Holy Women, Holy Men.” The book is filled with persons who
were instrumental in expanding education to the masses, opportunities and
resources to the disadvantaged, contributions to the arts and sciences, and
tireless devotion on behalf of marginalized people
groups over the past three centuries as well as lives remembered from the
ancient church. As I read the short biographies I am impressed with the
difference one life can make in the world, and the tremendous sacrifice and
devotion of which persons are capable.
A life is a powerful force of nature. With
our thoughts we create or destroy. With our words we bless or curse. With our
bodies we work or indulge. With our souls we imagine or deny. The lives of the
saints who have walked before us tell us that we can turn a culture from
bigotry to mutual respect. We can be peacemakers in violent times. We can raise
the consciousness of the dignity of all life when exploitation and abuse
threaten humanity at every turn. We can give our lives to being instruments of
change and beauty because we believe at the center of all life lies the power
to live and to love and to forgive and to heal. It is the saints of the world
who break through the surface of life’s landscapes and headlines to find the
power to be the divine force inherent in all creation. May the lives lived
before us continue to inspire us to fully live and work and breathe and love in
our own day.
Fr. Richard
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