“All Saints Day”… What Are We Supposed to Do with the Saints Anyway?
Heading towards Halloween, there are two “Holidays” one right after the other. We all know October 31. But did you know the very next day, November 1 is All Saints Day. Have you ever heard of that one?
In all honesty,in the past, it’s made me uneasy. Growing up in Catholic school, I had heard about All Saints Day, but just barely. With the controversy of evil underpinnings surrounding Halloween, I always wondered if, All Saints Day, was positioned the day after to “clean up” whatever damage Halloween might have caused.
Because my Protestant tradition didn’t recognize the Saints, I quietly filed away the “saints” as a Catholic thing. Until a few years ago when they found their way back into my life —through an unexpected assignment in my Spiritual Direction training.
As a side note to our first class, we were each given a list of fifty faithful Christians from history—people they called spiritual giants—and asked to choose one to “walk with.”
With a mixed group of denominations in the class, our instructors wisely didn’t refer to them as “saints”. Not all of them were Catholic. Some were Protestant, others godly figures from history whose lives emanated faithfulness to Christ.
"Eeeks!" Red, flashing alarm bells rang in my head.
“Hey, I’m not Catholic and I don’t do Saints. I keep all my dedication and worship for Jesus ONLY!”
Of course, I didn’t say that out loud, but inside my spiritual dukes were up, ready for battle.
Then I took a deep breath.
I knew the Lord had led me to this class. My friend — whose faith tradition and passion for Jesus were very similar to mine—had spoken glowingly about her experience taking these classes, and everything I had experienced so far was wonderful.
“Ok, I can do this. I’ll do it prayerfully and cautiously. If it crosses the line. I’ll stop.”
But it didn’t.
As the months went by, we learned about our chosen “giants”—reading, reflecting, and watching how God used their stories to speak into our own.
And I absolutely loved it.
It felt like gaining a mentor across time—someone who had victoriously won their race. Someone who loved God, like I wanted to, in their own country and century, and who battled to be faithful to Him and their callings, like I was trying to.
It opened up my world beyond the small cul-de-sac of life experience to thousands of believers before me—offering missing puzzle pieces I needed to run my race.
Christians like C.S. Lewis, Eugene Peterson, Henri Nouwen, Elisabeth Elliott, and John Wesley.
It was never about “worshipping” any of them. They would never want that. But only to help us, just like we pray our lives of faithfulness will help other believers after we're gone.
The example helps us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith--as we learn from their triumphs and struggles, are strengthened by their courage and faithfulness, and receive new perspectives by seeing through their eyes.
I watched as walking with our spiritual giants shaped my classmates and me, making us more like Christ in ways we had always longed for.
So, today, as I see All Saints Day on the calendar, I no longer cringe or feel uneasy. I smile--thinking of the faithful who have gone before, especially the ones I have “walked” with, and whisper a prayer of thanks.
Learning to “walk with a spiritual giant” was such a powerful experience that I wrote a book about it. And in just two weeks, that book, Journey with a Giant, will be released into the world.
I can’t wait for you to experience that joy and growth for yourself.
Question to Ponder:
If you were handed a list of faithful followers of Jesus—saints, mentors, or spiritual giants--like Mother Teresa, C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, Desmond Tutu, Oswald Chambers, Fannie Lou Hamer--who might you choose to walk with?
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Her Name is Evelyn (EVE-a-lin)
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