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Good morning.

Every day the Churches remember saintly people from the past. This is St Leo’s day – a fifth century aristocrat, teacher of the faith, and the first Pope to be called Great.
By contrast the Orthodox Church makes much of the holiness of simple and uneducated people - evoked in Tolstoy’s story of three holy hermits who couldn’t learn the Lord’s  prayer but they could walk on water.

This week, as the nation’s annual Remembrance continues, it’s appropriate that a Roman soldier is remembered - St Martin, a 4th century  army officer who one day came across a naked and cold beggar. Martin immediately cut in two his ample cloak, giving half to the beggar, and it was a conversion moment for Martin who felt, seeing the beggar, that he’d seen Christ.

Leaving the army, he became a priest, founded a monastery in the French countryside, rather than near a grand cathedral city – and on becoming Bishop of Tours, decided to continue living as a monk.

So great was Martin’s impact and influence that, after his death, he became one of the first Christians, who though not martyred for his faith, was nevertheless venerated as a saint. Tonight, especially in France, churches will start their celebrations on this the eve of St Martin’s Day.

For me, and maybe many people, the holiness that really counts is when simple acts of kindness, or as we’ve been reminded this weekend, selfless acts of bravery, are done in ways that seek no reward or recognition.

Perhaps the art of saintliness is seeing Christ in others, and they seeing Christ in us.
Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.  Amen.