Becoming Saints in Everyday Life

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints. We celebrate not only the great saints whose names we know, such as St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Teresa of Calcutta, but also the countless men and women who lived holy lives without ever becoming famous. Many of them were our parents, grandparents, teachers, priests, religious sisters, friends, and ordinary people whose quiet goodness made the world a better place.

Today’s celebration reminds us of one important truth: holiness is not reserved for a few extraordinary people; it is the calling of every Christian.

Sometimes, when we hear the word saint, we imagine someone who never made a mistake, never struggled with temptation, and never experienced disappointment. We may think that holiness is meant for people who live in monasteries or spend their entire lives praying. But the saints were human beings like us. They faced difficulties, experienced suffering, struggled with weaknesses, and had to make daily decisions to remain faithful to God.

What made them saints was not that they never struggled, but that they allowed God to work in their lives.

The Solemnity of All Saints is both a celebration and a challenge. It celebrates what God’s grace has accomplished in the lives of the saints, and it challenges us to allow that same grace to work in our lives.

The saints were not born saints. They became saints by responding to God’s call, day after day, in the circumstances of their lives.

May we never think that holiness is beyond our reach. May we never become satisfied with being good enough when God is inviting us to become more loving, more merciful, more faithful, and more Christ-like.

And when our earthly journey is over, may we join that great multitude standing before the throne of God, praising him for ever.