Sunrise 6:35: Saints are everywhere

Today is All Saints Day. As important as their daily sunrise outings have been to them, the Dawn Joggers also treasure their ritual of reading nightly from the excellent book, "All Saints," by Robert Ellsberg. The book offers a "saint" a day, both "officially recognized and those known only to God." The DJs find the readings an effective way to reflect on how they can live thier lives more fully. It also teaches them about God's grace and mystery.

Writes Ellsberg for November 1: "This collective feast, All Saints, is an occasion to acknowledge the varieties of holiness. Though they share a certain family resemblance, the saints are not formed in any particular mold. Some are renowned for contemplation and others for actons; some played a public role while others spent their lives in quiet obscurity. Some demonstrated the vitality of ancient traditions while others were pioneers, charting new possibilities in the spiritual life. Some received recognition and honor within their lifetimes, while others were scorned or persecuted.

"The feast of All Saints does not honor a company of 'immortals,' far removed from the realm of ordinary human existence. The saints were not 'super' human beings but those who realized the vocation for which all human beings were created and to which we are ultimately called..."