Shoutout to the Saints.
A couple of weeks ago, during Alumni Weekend at Yale Law School, I went to Mass as part of my Sunday routine. While I was a little in my head because I had to read the Prayers of the Faithful, a lady that I didn’t recognize sat next to me. I closed the prayer binder I was reading over and smiled at her, not thinking anything would come of it. Well, in true Southern fashion, the nice woman introduced herself as a Yale Law School alumna celebrating her 30-year reunion from Kentucky, who spent much of those 30 years litigating down south and in rural communities, and whose faith was strengthened in the pews we were sitting in.
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Amazed, I introduced myself as a 3L and said that I, too, have deepened my faith in our church, St. Thomas More, as a law student. The Mass eventually begins, we celebrate the Eucharist, and then it ends. As I threw my coat back on, my new friend asked me to wait a moment before leaving as she looked for something in her purse. She pulled out a small prayer card, displaying St. Thomas More on one side and a prayer for lawyers on the other.
Not only were we sitting in St. Thomas More Chapel, but St. Thomas More is the patron saint of lawyers, politicians, and noblemen; he is one of the saints whose intercession I call upon a lot these days as I crawl to the finish line of law school. I felt so loved and seen by God in that encounter with the godly woman who walked the path I am on and gifted me a token for wherever the rest of the journey leads me.
Today in the Church, we celebrated All Saints' Day. Saints are folks in heaven, and the Church recognizes many saints whose lives reflected holiness or extraordinary sacrifice, or who have miracles attributed to their intercession after their passing. I think of them as folks in heaven who are rooting for us; they ask God to help us become holier and attain what is meant for us on this side of eternity.
For this reason, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve. James 5:16. CEV.
I heard the most beautiful definition of a saint today: “A saint is someone who said yes to God and kept on saying it.” They aren’t perfect by any means, but they were relentless in their pursuit of God. They are the righteous people whose prayers are powerful, and we can call them in to help us with whatever we’re facing because they, too, faced tough situations. They also had the strength to keep saying yes, and accordingly, we venerate them and celebrate them today.
Importantly, we are all called to be saints. We are all called to obey God. We may not all make it on to prayer cards that are gifted at Mass, but we can be the people folks call on because we know that the prayers of the righteous are powerful tools in the Kingdom of God.
My prayer today is for all of us to take seriously our call to be saints. I pray that we find the strength and the courage to continuously say yes to God, even and especially after we fall short. I pray that each of us is remembered on All Saints' Day when we are no longer on this earth.
