secular saint

Listening to a reviewer of the new film "Long Walk to Freedom," 

I heard Nelson Mandela referred to as a secular saint.

Not one to separate sacred and secular I pondered this in my heart

to quote a woman I know.

Pondering made my head ache . . . as it always does.

Yet this time, I felt something more,

like when the "Enterprise" crew enters the time warp continuum

and they mustn't change events

but events have already been changed 

simply by entering the continuum

but they haven't really changed events

otherwise all history is rewritten

If I'm understanding correctly

in the secular dimension

there is no language to describe someone who is very good.

So secularites borrow language from the sacred dimension

when in need.

Saints then, belong exclusively to the sacred realm.

Is a "secular saint" a very good person who doesn't go to church?

Or is this someone not sanctioned as saintly by the church?

As I understand the word saint
it is not limited by papal sanctification.
We can admire, respect, or venerate anyone
and call them a saint.

In addition, the apostle Paul
called all of us "saints"
we humble sinners.

Perhaps we could have one world that is fully sacred

rather than two dimensions
and claim the saintliness of Mandela

if for no other reason than to save my head from aching.