Today we have a welcome break from the cycle of Sunday reflections in Mark as we remember ALL the Saints of our Christian family. It is chance for us to remember all those women, men and children who are enjoying new life to the full. We remember those who ate the famous and obvious like Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Bernadette of Lourdes. We also remember the less obvious like Canon Felix Kir of Dijon and Jane Haining, a Scottish missionary in Hungary—both stood up to Nazi fascism and had to pay a price... You will also have your own 'Saints', those who we know personally, those who have led good lives and those who firmly believe are with God—parents, family and friends. It is these unknown Saints that we celebrate especially today: they have not gone through any canonisation process, yet, instinctively, we know that they are with God. Their lives radiated a fullness of peace and joy that help us appreciate the full impact of Jesus' message. Their lives reflected the positive attitudes that Jesus speaks of in today's gospel.

Matthew reflects that Jesus takes the crowd and 'went up a hill, where he sat down' (Matt 5:1). Like Moses of old, Jesus offers a teaching that will impact the lives of those who choose to follow Him. In his Beatitudes, we can see a charter to sanctity. Jesus suggests a lifestyle that is counter-cultural: He especially welcomes those who are poor, gentle, grieving merciful, pure, and peacemakers. Society often tells us that we must be strong and walk over others to get what we want. In our families and our Church, we can recognise those characters who want power, success and their own selfish needs met. The gospel tells us, however, that we must be prepared to be broken in following the Way:

Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them (Matt 5:10).

None of us actively seek persecution, as we would much prefer to live the quiet life. However, as Canon Kir and Miss Haining discovered in the Second World War, there are times when we have to make a stand for justice and the rights of others in a society that marginalised and belittled them. Janet Haining, as matron in the Scottish Mission in Budapest, worked tirelessly to move Jewish refugees to safety. Her work came under the attention of the Gestapo when the Nazis invaded Hungary; arrested simply for helping Jewish children, she was sent to the infamous concentration camp at Auschwitz. In the filth, barbarity and evil of that place, she died in July 1944. She is one of twenty-two British people honoured at the Holocaust Memorial at Yad Vashem. She lived the beatitudes in her life and ministry:

Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven (Matt 5:11-12).

This is the real challenge that Jesus offers us: can we face people telling lies and rumours against us? Could we stand with the broken figure of Christ in the courtyard of Pontus Pilate, while the baying crowd, hungry for blood, cry, 'crucify him?' Following Jesus is relatively easy when everything in our world is going well—the real challenge comes when life becomes hard. As we well know we cannot achieve the new life of resurrection until we have endured the pain of Good Friday.

Today is our opportunity to give thanks for those who have lived the beatitudes and have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith. That 'faith' can be seen as living the beatitudes as best we can. We all need our heroes: they might come from the world of sport or the arts. We need those who will inspire, support and help us in the daily 24/7! In these difficult times, we need heroes even more than ever. The anonymous graffiti artist 'Banksy' has a wonderful piece depicting a child playing with toy heroes: the usual suspects such as Batman or Wonder-woman are put to one side as the child plays with a doll in the guise of a nurse! In the height of the lockdown, we gathered on our doorsteps, along with our neighbours, to 'clap our NHS heroes'. Some of these nurses, surgeons, porters and cleaners made the ultimate sacrifice in offering their skills to victims of COVID-19. The pandemic helped us to see who we should truly honour and respect. At a hundred years of age, Captain Tom taught us that we can all give what we have to help others—even if it is a gentle stroll around the garden. The talented English footballer, Marcus Rashford experienced hardship as a child himself. Therefore, he could identify with the needs of children across our nation who perhaps did not enjoy the benefits of an Eton education like so many of our politicians. His campaign forced the government to make a U-turn on providing food for children during term time. He made a lasting and real impact that, literally, saved lives during the most traumatic time that these young lives were forced to endure.

Today offers us the opportunity to give thanks for those 'Saints' living among us, those who make our lives happier. Those whose smiles light up our lives; those who are there for us when everyone else has walked out. As we see in the lives of saints, declared by the church or not, there is an integrity and a desire to build bridges and not walls. Think about those heroes in your life: those whom you respect, those who have brought you closer to God, those who have inspired and been there for you, especially during these hard days. In thanking God for your saints or 'angels without wings, who walk among us, why not reflect? I CAN be just like them if I remove something of my jealousy or selfishness or narrow-mindedness or lack of care! Pray that our world can become an even better place because of people just like you. Pray that the influence of our saints will impact on our lives so that negativity is destroyed. Pray that our saints/heroes help us to bring a little more compassion and respect. Saints make a difference, and you can be that real difference in the life of another. As we live the beatitudes during this coming week, we are challenged to be a hero—today can you be a SAINT?

The saints do not waste energy complaining about the failings of others; they can hold their tongue before the faults of their brothers and sisters and avoid the verbal violence that demeans and mistreats others. (Pope Francis)

Author: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Image: Ludovic Charlet on Unsplash