December 6th Ordinary Saints

December 6th Celtic Advent

Saints Auxilius, Isserninus and Secundius of Ireland.

The names alone of these saints are quite a mouthful.  Obviously they are Latin names, they were also known in Ireland by Gaelic names.  Each of them has a separate feast day, but for some reason the Orthodox Church has lumped them together for a feast day on December 6th.
These three saints were called by Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, to help him in his continue efforts at both evangelism and organiziation.   There are debates about where they were from.  Some scholars think they were from northern Italy, but other stories relate that either Auxilius or Secundius or both were Patrick's nephews, which would make them British as Patrick was.
Each was created a bishop, Auxilius is associated with Kildare, Isserninus with Kilcullen and Secundius with Armagh. They died in the 5th Century after a lifetime of work in helping Patrick to create the Irish Church.

What is remarkable to me is their lack of remarkability...at least in their brief on-line biographies.  There are no major or minor miracles associated with them, no grand healings, no chasing snakes out of the country.  They just responded to their call in quiet, dutiful way, doing their duty for the continuance of the new church in Ireland.  They weren't matryed but died quietly.

As a young attendee of Sunday school, my vision of saints was of people who were larger than life.  Obviously there were the apostles and then the early Christian martyrs, but then it was people who developed a new Christian group, like St Francis, or someone who had a magnificent vision as depicted in the Song of Bernadette.  As a young adult reading theology, I discovered the angst of Augustine, the poetry of John of the Cross, the discipline of Ignatius of Loyola.  Among protestants I was drawn to admire the writings of Deitrich Bonhoffer and Karl Barth.  These were all extraordinary people!

Yet aren't saints usually just ordinary people who respond to God's call? They are people who, like Mary, just say "yes" at the right time and place.  In his letters, Paul refers to all of the members of the early church as "saints."  I think of the people and professions listed in the wonderful children's hymn we sing on All Saints day:  "I sing a song of the Saints of God!"

There is a danger I have certainly experienced in wanting to be too much of one of the "extraordinary" saints.  I remember reading the life of a Russian saint who became so full of the emulation of Christ that he was thought to glow, as if participatiing in the Transfiguration.  A part of my brain started thinking..."now wouldn't that be kind of cool."  I wouldn't particularly want stigmata or to be martyred but, sure, doing a little minor faith healing...
Obviously going down that mental road is dangerous, feeding the false-ego that I feel is something that Christ wants us to give up.

Which brings me back to those three seemingly ordinary helpers of St Patrick with the funky Latin names.  Aren't these the saints that I really need to emulate?  Someone who just quietly goes about doing the right thing for Christ and the Church as a whole?

Lord, thank You for the example of "ordinary" saints, for people who respond to You without fanfare or glamour, who just get the work done.  Help me to not only respond like these kind of saints, but to be content in doing so.  In thy name, Amen.