Two guys are standing at the Office for Sainthood filling out their applications. When it is time for their interviews, the first guy explains that he is a taxi driver and has helped many people get to where they needed to go. “What qualifies you for sainthood?” asked the interviewer. The Taxi Driver replied that he had often given rides to people who could not afford it and he always got them there as quickly as possible. The Interviewer reached into a briefcase and removed a golden medal and placed it on the taxi driver while exclaiming, “Congratulations, You have been awarded sainthood.”
Next in line came a minister. The Interviewer asked, “What qualifies you for sainthood?” The minister explained that he had been a pastor for more than forty years. The interviewer looked solemnly at the minister and said, “I am sorry but I cannot grant you sainthood.” “What?” cried the minister. “I am a member of the clergy! I have been trying to save souls all my life. You make a crazy taxi driver a saint but not me?” The Interviewer looked unmoved. “We are based on results,” replied the Interviewer. “While you were preaching, people slept. While the Taxi Driver was on the road, people prayed”
In the Catholic tradition, there are quite a number of saints or people who have been given special status by the church because of things they have done in their life that inspire others. Some of these saints have been assigned to particular types of people, acts, or occupations. It seems there is a saint for just about everything. If you have a fear of wasps you can call on St. Adrian of Nicodema. Anthony the Abbot looks over pig keepers and grave diggers. If you oversleep you can pray to St. Vitus. If you are a cleric or minister you can count on St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. Even invincible superheroes have Saint Drausinus to protect them and, finally, in case any possibility is not covered, St. Joseph is the patron saint of everything.
If we can expand our definition of saints to people who show us what is possible in life then we can begin to look for saints anywhere, at any time, and in any tradition. Saints have always been rebels in their own way. Some were martyrs who were willing to die for what they believed. Some fought for justice or to end oppression. In every case, however, they were all no one special called upon to do something special.
More often than not, they were not famous in their day and came from the ranks of the poor and the destitute. They tended to go against the grain and resist authority when they perceived such authority to be unjust and injurious. They were rebels. They didn’t act to be famous, they didn’t seek fame or glory, they didn’t choose to die or suffer, they just knew they could not live in a world inflicted with pain and suffering. I call these folks our common saints or the Unsung. They are no more than ordinary people who have often, unwittingly, been called upon by circumstance or dedication to do something extraordinary. They are like me and they are like you when we can no longer stand by and observe the degradation and destruction of people, beings, or the earth.
Our own Unitarian Universalist tradition holds within its ranks several people we could call saints. They include Dorothea Dix who fought for proper care of the mentally ill and for wounded soldiers. Clara Barton founded the Red Cross which has saved many thousands of lives. Whitney Young helped break down barriers of segregation as the leader of the National Urban League and advisor to presidents. Judith Sargent Murray dared to propose the idea that men and women were spiritually and intellectually equal. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper implored the women’s movement to become truly inclusive of all women. James Reeb and Viola Liuzzo gave their lives in Selma Alabama in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Then there’s Julie and Hillary Goodridge who brought the case that led to national marriage equality and were the first same-sex couple to be married in this country. The wedding, by the way, was officiated by UUA Past President William Sinkford.
The saints in our church have led us forward in improving our society but we all also have people in our own lives who have inspired us to do more. These are our personal saints and I’d like to tell you about just a few who have inspired me.
In the church where I still occasionally attend there is Brother Bob who, after the tsunami of 2004 that destroyed much of the coastline of India, took a trip there not knowing what he might do. He joined up with other volunteers and helped start the process of reconstruction in a village that had been ignored in other efforts. Every year he has gone back taking with him a year’s supply of vitamins, writing supplies, toys, and games and has continued to work to improve the lives of those called dalits - considered the lowest in the caste system.
There is also Sister Jackie. She owned a company that helped schools and other groups raise money. I worked with her one summer to make some extra money not thinking I would actually learn anything useful but I soon discovered I was wrong. I expected her to have a bright and bubbly disposition only with her clients because I thought it was a necessary selling technique. She had that disposition, certainly, but it wasn’t an act. She was genuinely bright and warm with every person with whom she came in contact. She put smiles on the faces of fast-food workers, mail delivery people, students and teachers, and nearly anyone who came within her purview. It was quite a lesson for an introverted person like myself to learn to be open to others and to this day I often embarrass my daughter when I attempt to bring smiles to the strangers around us.
For example, I once made up a joke in a crowded elevator as we rose up the floors of a department store. I asked how Darth Vader knew his daughter would rise to great heights. It was, I said, because he named her “Ellie”. Get it?
I also take inspiration from my mother-in-law Sister Linda whose commitment to live through her faith is greater than any person I have ever known. She spends her days comforting and helping others in a commitment not unlike that of Mother Theresa and though her spiritual tradition is very different from my own, we agree on much of what is truly important in living a sacred life.
Finally, I want to talk about Brother Greg who eventually left a lucrative career in video editing to start his own coffee business. Why coffee? Because his primary goal was not to make money but to build a sense of community through coffee. He develops a personal relationship with every customer and makes them feel comfortable talking about what is important to them over a warm beverage. When floods devastated Western North Carolina and his business lost customers, he solicited donations and gave free food and coffee to all the rescue personnel and volunteers who worked to rebuild the lives of his community.
None of these folks are famous nor would they ever seek to be. They are just regular folk like you and me. It’s just they have found a way to live out their values. Anyone can be a saint but there are some particular qualities that people like them tend to share. For one thing, they have a strong faith. Whether it’s a spiritual grounding, a faith in humanity, a vision of a better world, or a belief in the value of kindness and compassion, all are grounded in the belief of something greater and more important than their individual selves. All share an ability to observe their community, see what needs to be done, and take whatever steps-however great or small-to begin to address those needs.
The truth is that there are saints among us. They are here and everywhere. They live in our times as well as in the past. There are people all around us who can inspire and encourage us if we are willing to pay attention and learn the lessons.
Those of you who support me, who accept me for all my faults and foibles, who prop me up when I falter and fail are my saints and I hope that I can do the same for you. As Pope Francis once said, “Saints are men and women who have joy in their hearts and spread it to others. Never hating, but serving the other, is the greatest need. To pray and to live in joy: this is the way of sanctity!”
In the name of that which you hold in your heart to be sacred, may it be so.