Wednesday, 2 December 2009

SAINTS DAYS!

Over the last 2 weeks I have been following the Celtic Daily Prayer. One feature of this discipline which is new to me is Saints Days. On a number of the days there is a reference to a saint. Within this tradition, a saint is defined as someone "who lives to a heroic level - loving God, others and themselves heroically."

A saints day usually marks not their birthday but the date of their death (promotion to glory!). The purpose of such remembrance is to give us a greater vision of God rather than to venerate an individauls life. The saint being remembered today is Jean Donovan (1953-1980). A remarkable young lady, she was brutally murdered in El Salvador on this day, 29 years ago.

"Several times I have decided to leave El Salvador. I almost could except for the children, the poor, bruised victims of this insanity. Who would care for them? Whose heart could be so staunch as to favour the reasonable thing in a sea of their tears and loneliness? Not mine, dear friend, not mine."

No comments: