Saint's feast days in Lutheran worship book

[MarcoPolo]

I was recently at a wedding in a Lutheran Church. While in the pew, I perused the worship book. I was kind of intrigued by the large list of saints’ feast days listed in the back. Not surprising were days for Luther, Tyndale, Melanchthon and such. Surprising, however, were feast days for saints like Gregory the Great and St. Teresa of Avila. I would venture to say Luther considered them heretics on some issues.

 

[gcnuss]

I was recently at a wedding in a Lutheran Church. While in the pew, I perused the worship book. I was kind of intrigued by the large list of saints’ feast days listed in the back. Not surprising were days for Luther, Tyndale, Melanchthon and such. Surprising, however, were feast days for saints like Gregory the Great and St. Teresa of Avila. I would venture to say Luther considered them heretics on some issues.

We Lutherans recognize that many of the saints in history are models of faith. Whether or not Luther appreciated them has little impact on present-day Lutheran opinions.

In our calendar, after Sundays and Principal Festivals, we have lesser festivals and commemorations. Among the lesser festivals are: The Name of Jesus; The Confession of St. Peter; The Conversion of St. Paul; The Presentation of Our Lord; The Annunciation; The Visitation; days for the Apostles; St. Mary Magdalene; and others.

Commemorations are not considered to be of the level of the lesser festivals. Among these you will find some of the early church fathers – Polycarp, Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, etc. – and numerous saints and other persons of importance in the church – among whom are Perpetua, Catherine of Siena, Francis of Assisi, and Pope John XXIII.

I could go on and on with the lists, but this gives you an idea. We don’t limit our admiration and respect to those in the Lutheran (or Reformation) traditions. God works through his people wherever they are. I won’t be at all surprised if John Paul II appears in our list of commemorations one of these days.

 

[campeador]

Yet another example of how little separates us.