ALL SAINTS

  

                    Lord,

                    I don’t know

                    any of your Saints personally,

                    but I do know mine:

                              - a lady in our church

                                 who quietly and faithfully

                                 has run the soup kitchen

                                 all these years;

         

                              - a guy at work

                                who would give you

                                the shirt off his back;

                              - my mom and dad

                                who taught me how to love,

                                how to forgive

                                and how to pray;

                              - a friend who always listens

                                when things just aren’t 

                                going right,

                                and you can count on this:

                                that’s as far as it goes.

                    Oh yeah, there’s this old nun 

                    in our parish who takes care 

                    of the school library in the morning,

                    visits some people in the 
                    nursing home in the afternoon, 

                    and answers the rectory phone 

                    in the evening. 

                    She just doesn’t want to retire. 

                    Lord, I don’t know any 

                    of your Saints personally,

                    but I’m sure you know mine.

• Andrew Costello

(© Markings  Prayer for November 1995)