A nickel for anyone who can tell me the two major league baseball players I talked about in my homily last week? Here they are: Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson.
It was the opening day of baseball in 1947. Pee Wee Reese stood in solidarity with Jackie Robinson after he was booed on taking to the field as the first black man to play in the majors. After the homily that I gave last week, I received this framed picture in the mail. The package came unsigned.
Today, on the Feast of All Saints, we remember that there are canonized saints and then there are everyday saints. Would it be a stretch to say that Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson are everyday saints? I don’t think so.
I think of some of the ordinary saints that I’ve known. I attended the funeral of one of them a week ago. She was Sr. Brigit McDonald. I served with her at a parish where I was assigned early in my priesthood. To say she was a character was an understatement. She was Irish and full of shenanigans and a prankster at that.
I remember a time early in her career when she was the second-grade teacher at one of the many Catholic grade schools that the Sisters of Saint Joseph taught in. It was the evening of one of the parent-teacher conferences, and a dad came in looking very unhappy that he had to be there. So, what does Sr. Brigit do?
Taking his hand, she says, “Mr. O’Brien, so glad you came tonight. If you would take a seat over there, I’ll be with you in a minute.” Then as she walks away she leaves she dad holding not her hand but a mannequin hand. That was Sr. Brigit – anything to keep you on your toes.
Then there was the time that Sr. Brigit was at a march for peace. A towering police officer stood over her and said, “Sister, we don’t want any trouble here, but if you don’t move, we’re going to have to haul you in.”
Then, looking at Sr. Brigit more closely, his face lit up. He then leaned down, kissed Sr. Brigit on her forehead, and announced to the shocked crowd, “This is Sr. Brigit. She taught me in second grade, and she was my favorite teacher of all time.” True story.
Yet underneath Sr. Brigit’s feisty spirit and off-the-wall-humor was a woman of deep conviction. As a peace activist, her passion was advocating for the poor and an end to all war.
It was a passion that had her involved in movements like “WAMM,” Women Against Military Madness, walking the Lake Street Bridge to protest the war in Iran, and being arrested on several occasions for her other resistance efforts.
I’m sure there would be those who’d label the somewhat rebellious Sr. Brigit as anything but a saint. But for me, Sr. Brigit modeled what it means to be a true follower of Jesus. She walked humbly, lived with compassion, and acted with courage when the situation called for it. So, on the feast of All Saints, may the Spirit within us help us grow into the everyday saints that we’re all called to be.