Dear Friends,
Today is All Saints Day, the day when, as Christians we celebrate and give thanks for all known and unknown saints of the faith. Of course, there are many people from all periods of history who are recognised as saints, not least St Andrew for whom our town is named. He was the first disciple to be called by Jesus and was known as one who brought others to follow Christ. It was he who encouraged his brother Simon, who was to become Peter, to follow Jesus, and it was he who inspired the boy with five loaves and two fishes to bring them to Jesus.
But there have been so many other saintly people throughout history, many of them unknown and long forgotten, who have done extraordinary things in the name of Jesus Christ, people who have given sacrificially of themselves in the service of others. And there are still so many saintly people in our own day. They will never be recognised in this life as saints in the official sense, although those who know them will be aware of all they have done. But God, who sees and knows all, will recognise them.
I’m sure if we think about it, we can all think of people we know whose lives are or have been saintly. So today, and every day, let us celebrate their service and give thanks for them all.
With love and blessings,
Marion
