Are you trying to be a saint?!

Originally published:THURSday, NOVember 03, 2011

Are YOU trying to be a SAINT?

(Since no one seems to post here very often anymore, I might as well share my long thoughts… if nothing else, speaking Jesus’ Truth in Love can sanctify cyberspace. J)

People in this world aspire to be lots of things –the best doctor, the best salesman, the best fireman, the best banker, the best football player, the best movie star, the best chemist. Heroism was programmed into the human heart by the Creator for a purpose –but this purpose is to drive us to reflect His Own Perfection. This desire is given to us to be used to make us strive to be the ‘best person God created us to be’ –and in doing this, we fulfill each of our God-given vocations to be a saint.

‘Be a saint? Who, me?’ you may ask.

We each are called to truly be a saint. ‘St. Irvin of Elkhart, St. Claudia Nolan, St. Nick of South Bend, St. Kathleen of Granger, St. Amy –teacher, wife and mother, St. Joey Casimir –fisherman, skyper and stay-at-home dad –even St. Brad Pitt, the actor and St. Obama, the President’ may make us chuckle a bit at first –but truly, we are all called to be as such in life. Anything less is a tragedy. Yes, I said Anything less is a tragedy. In fact, French Philosopher Leon Bloy once said, ‘The only true tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.’

The whole purpose God had in creating and putting us little humans here on earth was to allow us to participate in His plan of Love. We were not created for ourselves nor were we simply created as an asset to society (even if God does love and use us for these two purposes as well). But ultimately –we were created for God –to participate in His plan of Love and (to be honest) simply for the purpose in making God’s Love visibly beautiful. I was reflecting on this walking through the woods yesterday looking at all the beautifully painted leaves. God is amazing, you know? He paints each leaf individually with such beauty –and the majority of these leaves are never seen by anyone but Himself and the angels. The same is with snowflakes, the bottom depths of the oceans, the innards of a molecule on Jupiter. God creates all with beauty and order simply because that is Who God is –these things are reflections of Himself –whether or not they are recognized or appreciated by any other. The same should be true of our lives.

God created us with an inner purpose –an inner purity and beauty different than that of every other human individual who ever has or will live –in order to reflect a different aspect of His holy Love. That is the purpose of our lives –to reflect His Face in all we think, do and say. We all were created to ‘be perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect’ (Matthew 5:48) –which is to say, to ‘be holy because He is holy.’ (1 Peter 1:16)

‘And how does God expect little fallen me to be perfect and holy?’ you might ask. But the answer is very simple. As simple as a little child –we simply must become one.

We are asked to be holy and perfect in His Love. And His Love acts in us in two ways –in grace and in mercy. We either have His grace to help us love perfectly, or we have His mercy that cleans up our ‘mess’ when we fall from grace. But if we try in all our thoughts, actions, intentions and words to be full of His grace and mercy (grace when we succeed in loving humbly, patiently, purely, self-sacrificingly, courageously, meekly, forgivingly, peacefully –and mercy when we ask His forgiveness as soon as we see ourselves fail in these things) then we are perfect –not because of ourselves, but because of Him.

What does it look like to be a saint?

The only formula we have is to do God’s will in all things with love each day and to teach others (especially our children) to do the same. St. Paul explains that this means to ‘Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful… And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12-15, 17) He also tells us to guard our thoughts (and to protect the thoughts of our young children as well) by strictly monitoring what we put into our minds through our eyes and ears. He says that only ‘whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise’ to think about these things (Philippians 4:8) –that means the TV shows we watch, the music we listen to, the blogs we read, the thoughts we think and the jokes we tell must somehow reflect an aspect of God (His love, His purity, His peace, or His sort of holy humor). These two passages are enough to help us become saints –doing God’s will in all things with love each day and teaching others (through our example as parents, brothers, co-workers, daughters, etc.) to do the same.

This definition of holiness is how we will be judged when we die. It is not important if we had 700 million dollars or only three in the bank –all God will ask is what we did with it. It will not matter if we studied at Harvard or served in the Army or were a maid for the King of England in 1273. All that will matter is how we fulfilled with pure love the duty and will God put before us in our lives. At one of the Masses I attended for the Feast of All Saints the priest asked how many saints existed (numberless, of course, when you consider all the non-canonized people as well). Then he opened up a roll of paper listing all the canonized saints –and this roll stretched throughout the church. He mentioned the martyrs, the hermits, the moms, the children, the teenagers, the bishops, the prophets… No two saints look alike, because each is called to reflect a different aspect of God’s Love. How boring it would be if each color of the rainbow was the same! And so is true of our lives. Each person is a different part of His Body (not all are called to be hands, so we should not criticize ‘feet’ just because we are ‘hands.’) Each is called to something different. Some are called to public schools, some are called to Catholic schools, some are called to homeschool, some are called to no schools (in backwoods Africa J ). Some are called to long marriages, others are called to overcome the tragedy of a spouse’s death. Some are called to worship in a Latin Mass, others in a mission parish. Some are called to find God mystically at age 3 and others are created to come to know him only as an adult. Some are called to be a missionary by living radical virtue as a modern day stock broker in New York. Not all were called to attend daily Mass (impossible for those on a battlefield or home with sick children), not all were called to preach retreats, not all were called to write for newspapers or be priests –but each were called to simply do God’s will for their lives in love. Some are Eskimos, some Tribal leaders in Africa, some Counts in Germany, some Japanese Monks. The point is –the saint each of us were created to be helps fulfill God’s plan by us simply be that. Filling up His will for our lives in a spirit of Love. But this is the key. Every word, action, thought and intention of our lives must be filled with His Love. ‘Just be Mary,’ I was told by a holy priest in Confession once. Yes, the best way I can serve God in this world is to be ‘myself’ –not to imitate another person in personality or work (although imitation of virtues is a good thing), but simply to try to be the saint He created me to be. This I do by trying to accomplish His little will for me daily with His Own spirit of Love. And where I fall short, His Mercy is sure to stoop down and ‘help.’

To be a saint means to have a Heart like Jesus’ –to carry His imprint on your heart (like a identical twin of His love) wherever His will carries you. This is the key to Mary’s perfection of holiness –Her Heart was the identical twin of Her Son’s in virtue and Love (even if she lived this in Her Own personal, feminine, motherly way). See, even Mary had her unique calling. Jesus was not ‘Mother of the Savior’ –Mary was. But she was this in the highest perfection because Her Heart contained a perfect imprint of Her Son’s Love and Virtue. That is what matters in life –not that our lives look exactly like the saints or our neighbors in what we do, but instead that they look just like Jesus’ in Love and Virtue. So we all might as well stop comparing ourselves since this just leads to self-destruction. The only Person Who should be compared to our lives is Jesus Himself –and in His Light we will see where we need to grow in imitating His thoughts about people, His ways of placing Love absolutely everywhere.

Being a saint is not only for the special or strong –but it is a call of God for all people during all of their lives. No matter where God has planted you in life (in a convent, in a business, in a mall or at home as a mom), He has given you the grace to be a saint. Don’t waste this continual gift of grace –for this is the ‘talents’ he entrusts to us and for which we will be accountable to Him when we die. Use the grace –either perfectly in love, or perfectly by accepting the gift of His mercy covering you when you hold your faults to His Light.

So there is no need to compare, to judge or be jealous of other people’s lives –instead our energy should be put in ‘minding our own business’ –which is ultimately the ‘business of love’ –fulfilling our duty, loving God in everything and loving all our different ‘neighbor saints’ as ourselves (regardless how irritating it is when their faults rub up against our own). Let us encourage each other with a true spirit of holy love –encourage each other to discern and fulfill God’s will for our lives by following Christ’s particular call of Love to each of us. That is what our world needs today –not competition, but encouragement. The angels work in perfect support and harmony with each other –and we should do the same. That is why Jesus came to earth –to make us one. He prayed, “That they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me…” (John 17:22-23) Just as each Person of the Trinity is separate, but united as truly One God in Love, so two we are each called to be separate saints, united in a spirit of holy Love. And what Jesus is saying in essence, is that when we live this ‘harmony of difference’ as He desires, this will be the greatest word of evangelization spoken to the world. I see this truth played out so often in convents, in parishes, in schools and even in our big family. We are all called to different things –but if we try to live with the mind and heart of Jesus in all times, places, conversations, work, etc., then a peaceful spirit of Love will begin to flow out from us to the world. What if each piece of a clock wanted to be the face –or each football player a quarterback? What chaos would reign! Each must do his assigned duty in faithful Love. And only then will God’s Kingdom truly come to reign on earth.

Let’s try to truly be saints from this day forward –and our hope and joy is that where we fall in grace and love, Jesus is waiting to pick us up and wash us in His mercy –if only we humbly will accept our dire need of it.