How do we become saints? Be poor in spirit. Be meek and humble of heart. Be a merciful peacemaker. In short, live the beatitudes.
One of the best ways to live the beatitudes is to observe those who do. Some of the holiest people we meet in our lives live the beatitudes. Many of them have already gone before us marked with the sign of faith. Being in the presence of these faithful Catholics, experiencing first-hand their reverence for the liturgy and their love for Jesus, convinces us of the power of the Eucharist, observing it at the very center of their lives. Let’s pray that now they are all saints who constantly and fervently pray for us from heaven.
It seems, in recent years, when the Vatican announces their decision to raise men and women to the altar, declaring blesseds to be saints, many, if not most, are religious. They’re martyrs, pastors, teachers, and holy men and women from every time and place. But they’re also mothers, fathers, children, single, married, and widowed—all people who chose to adhere to the beatitudes and, in doing so, dedicated their lives to Christ by serving His Church.
Almost everyone knows of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower. Her parents, Louis and Zelie Martin, are also canonized saints. Louis managed a lace-making business, and Zelie took care of their children and their home. They lived quiet, normal lives of righteousness punctuated by holiness in living the beatitudes.
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, an Italian doctor, was told in 1962 that the birth of her daughter would be difficult if she refused an abortion. Because of the risk, she’d have to choose either her own life or the baby’s. She told her husband Pietro, “If you must choose between me and the child, do not hesitate. Choose the child. I insist on it.” She died of septic peritonitis on Easter Sunday morning, repeating, “Jesus, I love You,” only 8 days after a healthy baby girl was born. Her daughter, Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, practices medicine in Italy today because her mother, St. Gianna, chose the beatitude of selfless, sacrificial mercy.
Saints are sinners who repeatedly repented and sought reconciliation with God. St. Augustine left the Catholic faith in which he was raised and indulged his passions for many years before his conversion. St. Olga, Princess of Kiev, was a ruthless politician who insisted on mercilessly killing her enemies in battle and selling the survivors into slavery. Her grandson, St. Vladimir, was a pagan, a philanderer, and a murderer. Their hearts, formerly burdened by the darkness of sin and the shadow of death, were transformed into the hearts of the blessed, the clean of heart.
Most saints in heaven don’t have a feast day on the Church calendar because they never were nor never will be canonized. Seemingly unknown and forgotten, they came from all walks of life. Laborers and craftsmen. Educated and uneducated. Influential, meek, humble. Wealthy and poor. Our great grandparents. Kindly neighbors. Teachers, coaches, family members, and friends now deceased. They might be saints in heaven.
People don’t have to be canonized to be saints; to be a saint means to live the beatitudes and die in a state of grace as a repentant sinner, a friend, and a child of God. Even if a detour in Purgatory is required on the way, once those souls enjoy the eternal glory of God in heaven, they are saints.
So let’s live the beatitudes and become saints. Because compared to becoming saints, nothing else matters.
Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash
