On the Saints



In the Greek text of the Psalms, one finds this wonderful line, "But thy friends, O God, have been greatly honored by me; their rules has been greatly strengthened" (Psalm 138:17 LXX, Brenton Trans.). Like the Psalmist, we too should say to God, "Thy friends have been greatly honored by me." Both Testaments in Scripture have written records of the lives of many Saints, however we know the work of God goes beyond the work of Scripture. The friends of God, those who have lived honorable and valiant lives, are a great example for all of us to follow. Their life and work are great memorials of the work of the Lord; often in death they have confessed the Lord to all through their great suffering. Their testimony of the Christian faith is given to us to encourage us and to enlighten us. As friends of God, they intercede for us, and we an be assured that their intercessions on our behalf will work great wonders for us, as St. James has written, the prayer of the righteous availeth much (cf. James 5:16).

The written accounts of the lives of these holy men should leave us in awe. In reading about their wondrous deeds, we can find their own excitement and wonder for the work the Lord has done, and we can know that the work of the Lord continues to this day! The Lord cares for the world, that not only did He die for us, but He has sent forth wonderful servants to be our own guides. Through their lives we can see the power of the Lord, and know His work is never-ending. The friends of God work wonderful miracles (and we have countless examples of this in history). They lead us in wisdom with what they have said and left for us to read. They lead us with by the example of their great suffering. They also lead us in their works of great compassion. The works, lives, writings, and wonderful miracles of the Saints should leave us in awe, inspire us to be humble, and to help lead us onward on the difficult road ahead. As best as we can, we should follow their lives as examples to imitate: the difficult road ahead is not without guideposts having been left behind.

We are told when we bring glory to the Saints, we bring glory to God (cf. 2 Thes 1:10). By examining the lives of the Saints, we can understand how this must be so. If we honor the Saints, we bring honor upon the work of the Lord. Honoring them is honoring the work of God which has been done for our own sake. When we read their lives, it is hard not to feel the love that God has for man, knowing that He has sent to us such wonderful examples of His work. Let us constantly thank the Lord for his wonderful work through these Saints, and the work which continues to be accomplished to this day. Their lives are a testimony to us, bringing us towards the truth. Their lives are still converting the hearts of sinners, and still converting the heretic to life within the Church. Glory be to the Lord, now and forevermore!



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