When the Apostle Paul writes his first letter to the Corinthians, he begins with the following:
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified[1] in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Paul considered anyone who had a faithful trust in Jesus as God’s Messiah a “saint.” Male, female, Jew or Greek, slave or free: all who were part of the church were considered “saints.” This is a bit different from what we might think today when we hear the word “saint.” Certain Christian groups have named those they think of as ‘very holy people,’ around whom miracles happened let’s say, as “saints.” These “saints” can be petitioned through prayer to intercede on our behalf before God, or so some believe. In everyday usage, if someone said, “You’re a saint,” just after you’ve done something nice for them, you may say, “I’m not that holy, I’m just doing my best.” “Saint” can mean anything from “a do-gooder” to “an enlightened being who has transcended the human sphere of sin.” It seems pretty tough to be a saint!
The other way we’ve come to think of a “saint” is “anyone in the church who has died.” We hear in scripture: At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people. (Matthew 27:51-53)
About 1900 years ago the church started celebrating those “saints” who in faith had gone on to be with God. Some churches made this celebration around Easter…as a sign of trust in the Resurrection. Other Christians replaced Pagan commemorations of the dead with a Christian-themed, solemn remembrance. The Christians in England called this celebration, “All Hallows’ Day.” The word hallow means “to make holy.” We still use this word in the traditional Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” ‘Hallowed’ [2]means, “made holy.” So, the Hallowed Ones are those who have been made holy by God in Jesus Christ. Saints don’t make themselves holy; they are declared holy by God. Another closely related word to hallow and holy is whole.
We could think of the “saints” as those whom God has made whole, having been restored to the fullness of life, free of pain, suffering, and mourning.
As we have come to this time of the year when we remember those who have gone on before us, take time to give thanks for the “saints” that are still in our midst, those do-gooders and the seemingly “not so good yet.” Pray for the saints, those with polished halos and tarnished halos alike. God is the one who hallows, makes us holy, and calls us to be “saints.” Pray for the grace and strength to live up to that calling.
[1] Sanctified (made holy) and saint both come from the same Latin root word, sanctus, which means “holy.”
[2] From the Wycliffe English translation of the Bible (c. 1400) we hear the 1 Corinthians passage above as: To the chirche of God that is at Corynthe, to hem that ben halewid in Crist Jhesu, and clepid (called) seyntis, with alle that inwardli clepen (call upon) the name of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, in ech place of hem and of oure.
