saint catherine

Our large congregation is composed of many people, with varying interests, temperaments, needs and callings. One of the most influential holds no particular position or role, and yet she is one of our most prominent members. She has difficulty breathing, due to age and declining health, and yet her voice is heard loud and clear, especially by the people who are called on their birthdays. She is a frail person, and yet there is within her a deep inner strength. She has watched a number of very different pastors come and go over the last forty-seven years (she joined our congregation in the year that I was born), and she is appreciative of them all, seeing only their strengths and disregarding their limitations. She has overcome a number of personal and family crises in her own journey, and yet her great concern is most often about the needs of others. She has an absolute love for her local church, and a great desire to be in worship, and yet being present is becoming less and less frequent. Her name is spoken with awe and reverence by those who know her, and her posture is always one of profound humility. She is a living example of how one individual can change the lives of countless people. She is a saint because the love of God shines transparently through her.