by Jayne Ozanne, Founder of ViaMedia, Director of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives and Member of General Synod.
We Anglicans no longer canonise saints – at least not since the English Reformation in the 16th century – but maybe it is about time that we did!
There are of course various definitions of what it takes to be a saint, but all agree that it is someone who has led a holy life and who has been an inspiring model of what it means to be a Christian. Surely there is no better example than our late Queen, who is arguably the best known Christian in living memory and one of the few people of faith who has had a truly global impact.
We have heard much in recent days about her rock like constancy borne out through a life of service. If we are honest, I think one of the reasons why so many of us revere and respect her so much is that deep down most of us know that we could not and would not have chosen to do what she did – to give herself to her people and serve us no matter what the cost. We know that she saw this work as fulfilling a sacred vow, which she understood to be a unique and lonely calling given to her directly by God. But even so, no one can doubt the cost that it must have meant to her nor the exemplary way in which she chose to execute her duties over 70 long years.
For she did not get special dispensation for being born into her position – there was no secret route to God to help her through the inner turmoil she must at times have felt when battling with the question that so many of us face, namely “Why me?”. Her famed constancy came from her faith, and this faith came from recognising – and accepting – the hand of God in her Accession.
Many have spoken about their unsettling concern about this being an ending of an era. It is as if we fear that with her passing, the protective covering she seemed to embody for us as a nation is now lost. By “covering” I mean that fact that, independent of where each of us as individuals stood with God, she at least stood firm and was our “go-between” with the Divine. The Christian church has a word for this – it is a priest who intercedes for us, as she did for us as a nation.
Through her quiet but firm Christian witness, through her many Christmas messages and other timely interventions, we were never left in any doubt from Whom she drew her strength. Whilst making space for those of all faiths and none, she always pointed to the one person who helped guide her own decisions and was never afraid or ashamed to talk about Him, Jesus. It was the most effective form of sincere Christian witness that our world has witnessed – and in her own indomitable and understated way, it was never ever too much but always heartfelt and sincere.
In 2006, on her 80th birthday, I wrote to thank her for her inspiring servant leadership and lamented the fact that I wished others in senior positions of leadership within the Church of England could be so bold. I rather thought that my letter had been lost or overlooked, as unlike others I appeared to receive no official response acknowledging receipt of my letter– as I understood the convention to be. However, a couple of months later I was surprised to see a letter with her crest in my letter box and was delighted to receive a personalised response from her Senior Correspondence Officer, saying that the Queen had asked her to thank me for the assurance of my prayers.
The truth is that the Queen has throughout her life used her position of privilege to share her faith and point people to the source of her inspiration. She did so in a way that won the world’s respect and allowed us all to know from whom she drew this strength. Perhaps more importantly though, she has ensured that her very act of living has been a constant witness to the God she sought so hard to serve. It was that that we grew to love and respect, independent of our attitudes to religion, and it is for this reason I return to the idea of her being a Modern Day Saint.
I am sure, given her well-recognised humility, she would balk at the idea. But can I suggest that instead of referring to her, as some have suggested, as Queen Elizabeth the Great we rather think of her as Queen Elizabeth the Saint?
And at may at a very minimum, and in the time honoured Anglican tradition, we may at least want to consider adding her to the list of people that we commemorate throughout the calendar year…
Any thoughts?