Friday, December 14, 2012

Called to be Saints

                                                             Modern saints:

So many people when they see someone they would classify as being "holy" or does great "service" they automatically classify them as a saint. Sometimes I ask myself what is a saint? There's seems to be some confusion on everyone's understanding of a saint. The majority of people that I have come across come to see a saint as someone who is canonized by the church officially recognizing him or her as a saint. If that is the definition then I would immediately ask if Patriarch Cyril the 6th a saint? Is Father Bishoy Kamel a saint? Is Father Alexander Schemamann a saint? And list can go on and on. By that definition the answer would be no. Then how is it that we already regard these people as saints? That then builds a conflict between what we come to regard as a saint and what it truly means to all being called to be saints.

Paul's epistle to the Romans is theological the deepest epistle of the New Testament and has been regarding by many scholars and theologians as being his most profound epistle speaking about Christ and what it means to live in the body of Christ. It is the richest epistle speaking on what it means to be the Christ image in the world. His epistle begins with this very message when he says "To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints" (Rom 1.7 RSV). The NKJV is missing the "who". I only point this out because the RSV translation emphasizes this calling to be saints. Paul tells the community in Rome that we are all called to be saints in Christ. That does not mean someone who is canonized is "only" a saint but rather through our living example we become saints in Christ. This is how we are able to call individuals such as Father Bishoy Kamel, Father Alexander Schemamann and Patriarch Cyril the 6th saints. Even though they are not "canonized" we call them saints because they lived being witnesses to Christ message. The confusion of their saintly hood is often depicted on the fact that they performed many miracles. However, this is not the case. If humanity needs miracles to believe then our faith is shallow. I am not denying that miracles occurred but I am stressing the fact that we do not live for the miracle but we live in the hope of Christ.

Disciples and saints come in all different shapes sizes and characters. Disciples are also not the smartest either. Throughout the entire ministry of Christ the disciples did know who "Christ was". If they had known they would not have fled at his passion. The person of Christ and who Christ is was revealed on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24). Christ had appeared to the disciples and the disciples did not know him. Christ was revealed to them when he opened the Scriptures and broken bread. Once they realized who he was he vanished. The same way we come to know Christ through the breaking of bread (Eucharist) and opening Scripture we come to know Christ. By knowing Christ we come to live in the one body of Christ and this is the calling of our sainthood. To be saints is to be the Christ image in the world. To realize we are forgiven is to spread the gospel message. Peter denied him three times and became the chief apostle. We deny him every day but that does not mean we give up rather we are united in the body of Christ to his calling. Being a saint does not mean everyone should know about you and your works. Being is saint is living out Christ and seeing Christi n everyone. Becoming the human being and be fashioned in his image so that you can become the light of world.      

The following is a link to Christ is Risen which is sung during the Paschal season:

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