Saints…the “wholly” people of GodWhat comes to mind when you hear the word saint? Halos? People dressed in robes looking holy? Apostles and martyrs? This coming Sunday we will celebrate the feast of All saints. The word saint comes from the Greek word hagios, which loosely translated means the holy people of God. And it's not that ordinary people did extraordinary things to make themselves holy and then God made them saints. It's more along the lines that God takes ordinary people and makes them holy as they become wholly His. Things that are holy have been set apart... usually for God and his purposes. You and I become “set apart” when we choose to follow Jesus... when we give our lives to him. Again, it's not that we work to make ourselves holy so that we can give our lives to Christ, but that we offer ourselves to him and allow him to set us apart for his work. And so those that we celebrate as saints on Sunday are simply those who have offered themselves, who have accepted God's invitation to be set apart, to be the wholly people of God. Why not become wholly His today? Halo not required. Blessings, Matthew+ Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. BCP p. 245 | 
