Growing up as a Quaker lad in Indiana meant that I never heard of this Feast Day, as the Catholic Church calls a day when a saint is remembered and celebrated. Of course, the saints are not worshipped, but they do serve as models of faith. They are human, but they also were so open to God’s Spirit working in and through them that they became servants of that Spirit in the world. The implication is you and I also can become instruments of the Spirit. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was one such saint. In fact, for many of my Catholic friends and non-Catholic friends, Mary would be unique among the saints. Only she can claim to be the mother of Jesus. In that sense she has been accorded special status within the Christian Church. In fact, she even plays an important role within Islam. Many of us who are not Catholics do not “get it.” Rather than be dismissive o...