Saints

 

On Monday, we named St. Katharine, who embodied our Racial Justice Covenant.  Yesterday, we named St. Francis, who embodied our Creation Justice Covenant.  Today, we turn to some saints who embodied our Inclusive, LGBTQ covenant.  A few examples are St. Joan of Arc, who is honored for her courage and challenging gender norms by wearing men’s clothing.  St. Hildegard von Bingen is a German mystic who embraced a variety of human experiences and expressions.  Hildegard wrote of the feminine aspects of our inclusive God.  You may have heard of St. Wilgefortis, who, to avoid a forced marriage, prayed to grow a beard and was crucified.  Finally, St. Aelred of Rievaulx was a monk who wrote about sacred friendship with same-gender individuals.  I pray that what you are realizing from the meditations this week is that there is a vast variety of religious expressions and people who have walked the road of faith before us.  We follow the footprints of brave and bold individuals who cared for all people regardless of skin color, who sought to be in harmony with creation, who saw people as God’s beloved and expressed love in beautiful ways.  When I read about folx like this, I realize that our covenants are built on ancient truths.  We are not the first, nor the last, to explore and expand the holy encounters with the Eternal.  I pray today you might find some time to look into the diversity of saints and begin to read about the ways people have made the road by walking faithfully with God each day.  Amen.