By Peter Judd of Des Moines, Iowa, USA
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth…O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Growing up in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I was familiar with the term saints. I thought members of our church were in some sense saints, whereas members of other churches were not. Over the years I have come to realize that being a saint has more to do with one’s commitment and faithfulness to Christ than how perfect we are or the name we call one another.
I have known some very committed and faithful disciples who were, in my eyes, saints. But I have come to realize that they, along with the rest of us, had weaknesses and faults. Yet, as models, they helped point me in the direction of true discipleship.
Thinking about saints evokes for me thanksgiving—gratefulness for their lives and influence. But I have also learned from saints who long ago passed from this earthly life—ones who are part of the great Judeo-Christian tradition that has formed us. I have read some of their works and been inspired by their focused attention to God’s call.
When I was about ten to twelve years old, I took a couple of years of piano lessons. As a teenager, I loved playing hymns from the 1956 hymnal. I prided myself on being able to play all 582 of them. So I turned to a hymnal given me by my grandparents when I was baptized and confirmed: The Hymnal for Youth. There I found a challenging new tune for the text “For All the Saints.” This bold, strident tune by British composer Ralph Vaughn Williams brought that text to life, and I finally learned to play it.
As it appears in Community of Christ Sings 331, this stanza is so suited to All Saints’ Day:
May we your saints, your servants true and bold,
serve as the saints who nobly lived of old,
the world to bless and with your love enfold.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
—William Walsham How, alt. Richard Clothier
Prayer Phrase
“Do good…share what you have” (Hebrews 13:16).
Enough to Share
Take a moment to notice what you are holding onto—perhaps a worry, a resource, or a desire for more. Take a breath and release it. Ask yourself, “Where am I being invited to trust that there is enough?” Think of one way you can share what you have today—your time, your gifts, your attention, or your resources. As you breathe in, say, “There is enough.” As you breathe out, “If I share.” Pray, “May my trust become generosity, and may my generosity create abundance for the welfare of all.”
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.