When all the saints...

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The world is waking up, slowly but surely.  Amazingly, February 1st marked the first day of spring in the Gaelic calendar. (‘If only’ we might have said this year.)  This coincides with St Brigid's Day, celebrating Ireland's only female patron saint. Most people in Ireland celebrate St Brigid's Day as the symbolic end to the winter, with schoolchildren usually weaving St Brigid's Crosses to mark the day.

Bright yellow dandelions are representative of Brigid’s candles, lighting her path from the season of cold and dark to the renewal of light and life. The legends of Brigid draw from an ancient Celtic goddess and so she is associated with the sun, carrying with her all forms of light: fire and hearth and candles, along with the inner fire of inspiration and creativity.

Dandelions are traditionally the first flower to bloom in spring.  I haven’t seen many dandelions in this northeast part of Scotland but the yellow trumpet flower of the daffodil is certainly starting to make an appearance on the hillsides and fields, if not in the supermarkets!  

The narcissus is one of the emblems of Saint David, a figure celebrated on March 1st by the people of Wales. David is the patron saint of Wales and one of the earliest British saints.  To mark the day, many Welsh people around the world wear one or both of Wales's national emblems - a daffodil and a leek. Special concerts and parades are also held in St David's honour. 

And in a few days time we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.  Our four leaf clover saint. 

So great is the influence of St Patrick that we celebrate his life 1600 years later. His story was a remarkable tale of escape from slavery and return to Ireland as a missionary.

What determines sainthood?  Are there people in the contemporary world that you might classify as a saint?  

A friend of mine wrote: 

‘I love that epiphany at the end of the film “As Good As It Gets” when Melvin (played by Jack Nicholson) says to Carol (played by Helen Hunt) - when it finally dawns on him why she matters to him so much -‘You make me want to be a better man.’

Alexei Navalny does that for me. ‘

Alexei Navalny, the murdered Russian opposition leader, is surely a saint of our times. 

As I reflect on contemporary saints as well as the lives of St. Patrick and St Brigid, my mind goes to Ireland. More recently, I’ve been reminded the great Irish band, U2.  They’ve recently come out with a new EP, and one of the songs, Yours Eternally, is featured marking four years since Russia’s attack on Ukraine.  

Music does have a way of speaking into our lives.  In the same way moving pictures might, or a painting.  For me, U2 brings a message of hope through their music.

Perhaps, in the spirit of St. Brigid, we can light a candle today, as a reminder of the shining radiance growing in the darkness. And we can ask ourselves, ‘What ways can I be a light in the world?’ It could be as simple as creating something new to enrich and bring hope, encouragement and light to others - a painting, a cake, a piece of writing, a card for someone, gracing the table with flowers - choosing a kind word, speaking words of life, or erring on the side of love rather than hate/fear.

As my friend said: ‘May all the Saints call us to be better people wherever we are.’

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