Hagiography is the art of creating heroes and saints. It can be a dubious activity because all of
us, even those we place on pedestals have ‘feet of clay’, and it can be a
deeply unsettling process to discover the fault lines in those we admire.
I’m currently reading a book by Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, about twenty of his heroes from the Christian past. Perhaps he too is wary of hagiography as he calls them ‘luminaries’ rather than ‘saints’!
I’m currently reading a book by Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, about twenty of his heroes from the Christian past. Perhaps he too is wary of hagiography as he calls them ‘luminaries’ rather than ‘saints’!
I find the Bible curiously ambiguous about all this. For example, there is no doubt that it
portrays some periods of history with a certain ‘glow’. The ‘Davidic Age’ is
such a time; yet the king whose name it bears was both an adulterer and someone
who cruelly abused others by his power.
The Gospels, too, paint character portraits of the disciples which are balanced with a sometimes brutal honesty. We are left in no doubt about the fallibility of disciples like Peter, James, John or Judas Iscariot.
Yet, we still seek for heroes, and perhaps it has always been this way.
A current ‘luminary’ of the Virus Crisis is surely the wonderful Captain Tom Moore, in his 100th year and ‘walking’ for the NHS.
I sense there have been countless heroic acts over the last few months. Carers, both NHS and community based, have shown self-sacrificing courage and compassion. And similar qualities have been on display in hundreds of local, unreported, contexts.
In this; ‘The best of times and the worst of times’, we give thanks for the heroic spirit that continues to make living through these difficult days possible, and at times even joyful.
The Gospels, too, paint character portraits of the disciples which are balanced with a sometimes brutal honesty. We are left in no doubt about the fallibility of disciples like Peter, James, John or Judas Iscariot.
Yet, we still seek for heroes, and perhaps it has always been this way.
A current ‘luminary’ of the Virus Crisis is surely the wonderful Captain Tom Moore, in his 100th year and ‘walking’ for the NHS.
I sense there have been countless heroic acts over the last few months. Carers, both NHS and community based, have shown self-sacrificing courage and compassion. And similar qualities have been on display in hundreds of local, unreported, contexts.
In this; ‘The best of times and the worst of times’, we give thanks for the heroic spirit that continues to make living through these difficult days possible, and at times even joyful.
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