Dear Friends,
The first story I told from the Godly Play curriculum was not one of the standards - not Creation or Baptism, the Faces of Easter or a Parable. It was the story of St. Catherine of Sienna, Doctor of the Church - and, to be honest, I didn’t know anything about Catherine when I first sat down with the materials. After all, we don’t talk a lot about the saints in church, and growing up in the ELCA, the notion of saints was something of an affront (although I can’t tell whether that perception stemmed more from the church or from my grandmother). Saints are, for me, new territory - but they’re also an enormous source of strength and curiosity.
This week in the life of the church, we mark the lives of some remarkable people. On July 1, we celebrated the life of Pauli Murray, co-founder of the National Organization for Women, civil rights activist, lawyer, and the first African American woman ordained as an Episcopal Priest. As someone with a Masters degree in Women’s Studies, Murray has long been a landmark figure for me, even before I knew about her role in the Church. She is model for what is possible when we refuse to make our lives in the narrow places defined by others.
Following Pauli Murray’s day, on July 2, we remember St. Moses the Black, one of the Desert Fathers. While Murray may have been a model of extraordinary achievement, Moses the Black is a figure of personal reform. Before entering into the monastic life, Moses, sometimes referred to as Abba Moses, was a thief. But in turning away from crime, Moses the Black not only changed his own life, but also modeled grace and forgiveness towards others. In one story about his life, Moses declines to come judge a fellow monk who has done something wrong, and when the others summon him again,
he rose up and came, and he took a basket with a hole in it and filled it with sand, and carried it upon his shoulders, and those who went out to meet him, said to him, “What does this mean, O father?” And he said to them, “The sands are my sins which are running down behind me and I cannot see them, and I, even I, have come this day to judge shortcomings which are not mine.” And when they heard this, they set free that brother and said nothing further to him.
In another version of the story, he carries a bucket of water with a hole in it. Either way, we all move through the world leaving a trail of sin - yet so often we dare to judge others.
So, why am I recounting some of this week’s Holy People? While it would be impossible to know every character populating the Church’s calendar of Lesser Feasts & Fasts (though I do recommend taking a look at it every so often), learning their stories is a great way for us to discover the holy acts we are all capable of - for every Saint, every great life, was once just an ordinary person, and we all need to hear that sometimes, kids and grownups alike. And, as figures like Moses the Black make clear, it is possible to change, to do the wrong thing and still find our way back. We can all be redeemed.
Looking ahead, then, some thoughts:
Listen: “I Sing A Song of the Saints of God” - I love the aspirational nature of this song, that saints are all kinds of people, and that we can seek to join their ranks.
Read & Create: with the book Holy Troublemakers & Unconventional Saints. One of the things I love best about this book is how it rethinks the traditional icon to include a wider variety of people and using modern styles (below is an example, featuring Mary Magdalene). The images are beautiful and offer another way to enter into stories and to celebrate the lives that have shaped our faith and our daily lives. Icons are beautiful in an immersive way that appeals to people of all ages, and we all benefit from stretching our creative muscles.
That’s all for now - & expect this newsletter to move to Thursdays permanently (or, y’know, for the foreseeable future).
Stay safe, stay cool, & keep creating,
A. Bird