Vicar's Letter

April 2013

Reverend Coralie McCluskey, vicar of the Church of St Mary The Virgin, Eaton Bray with Edlesborough.

Easter is done and dusted, most of the chocolate has been consumed and the children will soon be back at school. I am fervently hoping that with the summer term just around the corner, the weather will now be warm and sunny by day with gentle rain falling overnight. This would really help those who are opening their gardens on Sunday 9th June.

In the Church, April offers us the opportunity to celebrate the lives of an interesting collection of saints, including Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who I mentioned last month (9th), Saint George the patron saint of England (23rd), Mark the Evangelist (25th) and the poet Christina Rossetti author of the beautiful words of the carol, In the bleak midwinter (27th).

Every generation throws up both sinners and saints. Celebrating the Saints, compiled by Robert Atwell, suggests that St George was probably a soldier living in Palestine at the beginning of the fourth century, martyred at Lydda in about the year 304 and who became known throughout the East as, The Great Martyr. St George replaced Edward the Confessor as Patron Saint following the Crusades, when returning soldiers brought back with them a renewed cult of St George. Edward III made St George patron of the Order of the Garter, finally confirming his position in the Calendar of Saints.

What's the point of saints? In our increasingly secular world - who cares? What difference does a saint make in a society steeped in economics, politics, entertainment and sport? From a personal perspective the saints offer us exciting and contrasting models of how to follow Jesus. They teach us something profound about God's call to holiness, about being a Christian in the world today and about being a human being.

We live in a world that happily creates and elevates rock stars, charismatic politicians, media personalities, film stars and footballers because we are generally hero-making creatures. Why not therefore recognise those whose lives are dedicated to goodness, to good living and the presence of God? The majority will never make the calendar of saints but they surround us in our communities, tirelessly giving support to neighbours, donating generously to the Food Bank, volunteering for and running charitable events, visiting the lonely... Living Lord, you pour out your life for us, you pour out your life in us, you pour out your life through us.

Help us to pass it on. The saints of today.

Coralie