“WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN”

“Oh when the saints go marching in …
Good Lord I want to be in that number.”

An old song, an even older human aspiration; the desire to get to heaven, to attain nirvana, moksha, jannat, eternal life and bliss. To be counted among the saints.

There are also countless jokes about St. Peter and the Pearly Gates, and who are the surprise entries in heaven and hell respectively. On the other hand there are some smug souls who sing the ditty:

“We are the few the chosen few,
The rest of you be dammed.
There’s place enough in hell for you,
We don’t want heaven crammed”!

Each unto its own. The Catholic Church also has its own idea of sainthood, both canonised and otherwise. I am writing this piece on All Saint’s Day, after having reflected on the day’s readings. They themselves are an indication of the Church’s thinking. The first reading was from the book of Revelation, showing a vast multitude kneeling and adoring God (Rev 7:12). They had been justly rewarded. The second reading from St John’s first letter says that we are children of God, but admits that “what we shall be in the future has not yet been revealed” (1Jn 3:2). The Gospel passage was from the Sermon on the Mount, the eight beatitudes (Mat 5:3-10). What messages do these readings convey?

Bible thumpers who specialise in frightening people about Judgement Day and the end of the world, love quoting from the Book of Revelation. It helps instil the fear of the devil in gullible believers, and stampedes them into the congregational fold. It also helps to loosen their purse strings. Frankly, I am not enamoured of this particular book of the Bible. On the Feast of All Saints we are told, based on revelation, that heaven is akin to kneeling in perpetual adoration before an almighty God! I find this description of heaven abhorrent. Tell this to today’s youth and they will turn around and say to you, “Hey Pop, heaven sounds very boring. Maybe hell would have a lot more excitement.” Does the Church have an answer to that query?

St. John’s observation that the future has not yet been revealed would be a more realistic approach. St. Paul also admits that for now “we only see reflections in a mirror, mere riddles, but then we shall be seeing face to face“ (1 Cor 13:12). Coming to the beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount, there are many, both old and young, who would find this teaching too hard to swallow. The cost of “sainthood” would not seem to be worth it, more so since the reward or result itself was uncertain or boring! You why should one aspire for sainthood? The answer is simple – Don’t!

True saints like Sts Francis of Assisi or Teresa of Avila never aspired to be “saints”. They didn’t cherish the idea of having their statues placed in alcoves in Churches. Their aspiration was merely the imitation of Christ, following in his footsteps. That was Christian discipleship

This makes much more sense than “sainthood”. This brings us back to Jesus’ teachings, beginning with the Sermon on the Mount. It is infact the turning point in biblical spirituality. The ritual is replaced by the spiritual. Old timers were so comfortable with ritualistic religion that they felt threatened by the paradigm shift espoused by Jesus. It was so much easier to give a donation to the temple coffers, or go through the motions of prescribed forms of dress, food and behaviour. Once one was accustomed to such rituals, one was also inured to them. The goal was achieved.

Jesus’ idea of spirituality was a journey, not an end in itself. It was a continuous process, and a constant challenge. He was giving a new commandment, to walk the extra mile (Mat 5: 42). He said that, “If you love those who love, you, what reward will you get? Do not the tax collectors do as much? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Do not the gentiles do as much? You must therefore set no bounds to your love, just as your heavenly Father sets none to his” (Mat 5:46-48).

Right through the Sermon on the Mount Jesus repeatedly uses two phrases “You have heard how it was said ...”, followed by “But I say this to you …” He is telling us that what we had heard in the past was just not enough. There was now a new way.

The Pharisees, who were comfortable with their rituals, obviously resented this new teaching. That is why Jesus warns his disciples, “If your righteousness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven “ (Mat 5:20). Jesus seems to emphasise living a good life, more than promising a just reward. “It is not anyone who says to me Lord Lord who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Mat 7: 21).

Jesus is emphatic in his perception of those who will be rewarded with “sainthood”, the surety of a heavenly reward - those who served him in the image of the poor and needy. “In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me” (Mat 25:40). This emphasis on good deeds is reiterated in the letter of St. James, who says, “faith without good deeds is dead “ (Jas 2:26).

The Feast of All Saints is over. By the time you read this in print we will be at the end of the liturgical year, when the Sunday readings will wax eloquent on the last things, the Last Judgement and more excerpts from the Book of Revelation. The Church’s liturgy goes in annual cycles. No quarrels about that. But life is either a progression or a regression. We either move forward or backwards. We cannot go around in circles.

So let us not aspire to be a saint, a statue with acrylic paint. Rather let us be simple disciples of Jesus, the ideal human being. As we follow in his steps we will come to the gradual realisation that he is more than human. Let our march begin. We will be in that number.