From The Parish Priest
October is a lovely month… fairly free of major occasions. In Church life we are also free from major festivities. There are plenty of those in November and December, but the calendar of saints presents us with a number of people who exampled Christian faith and service in their lifetime.
There are some of the saints from the early days of the 7th Century Celtic church: Ethelburga, Wilfrid, Paulinus and Cedd. We remember them now with great thanks and fondness, but we are foolish if we forget that it was a time of great disagreement and debate. There are St. Francis of Assisi and St. Edward the confessor, who did much to shape and influence the life and mission of the church in their time despite many challenges and setbacks.. There is Martin Luther, a major figure in the Reformation who challenged the church’s hypocrisy and corruption, and there are Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer and William Tyndale who all died in the violence of the Reformation.
There is Bishop James Hannington who was killed taking the Gospel to Uganda at the end of the 19th Century, Elizabeth Fry, the great Quaker campaigner for proper treatment of offenders in prison, and Nurse Edith Cavell, martyred during the first world war. Each of these people, and thousands more all faced the challenges of their time to live and proclaim the Gospel. Sometimes they worked with the blessing of the church, sometimes they fought the church tooth and nail, and yet they are all remembered by the church for their faith and service.
Also, St Luke, the writer of the Third Gospel, as well as SS Simon and Jude, who, because of the similarity of his name to Judas is regarded as the Patron Saint of Lost causes and hopeless cases, which all if the aforementioned people must have felt at some point.
As we approach All Saintstide at the start of next month, let us look to those who have gone before us for inspiration and encouragement as we seek to live and serve with the challenges that face us today.
With love and prayers,
Philip
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