The Saints II

Last week we began looking at the saints, and that they are a vital part of the Church. Far from being inactive, they assist us actively by their prayers. But there is a temptation to look at the saints as being perfect people who always did the right thing from the moment of their birth. We look at their statues and images and see serene, often expressionless faces that give the impression that they were passionless and impersonal. This could not be farther from the truth. The saints were human in the fullest sense of the word, and they give us valuable examples of how to live the Christian life.

When we look at the lives of the saints we see men and women who struggled with many of same problems that we do. Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesians, struggled with his temper and as a boy was quick to use his fists if he thought a friend was being treated unfairly. St. Augustine had to deal with sexual temptations, and only learned to control them once he accepted Christ in his life. St. Vincent de Paul, who worked so tirelessly for the poor, became a priest at first because he wanted to climb the social ladder. Through openness to God’s will in their lives they learned to overcome selfishness and lived truly heroic lives.

The saints also came from different walks of life. While many who the Church recognizes for their heroic virtue were religious and priests we have other examples as well. Blesseds Louis and Marie-Azélie Martin were a married couple who had five daughters, one of whom was St. Therese, the Little Flower. St. Thomas More was a lawyer and government official, who was also a husband and father. St. Monica, St. Augustine’s mother, struggled with her wandering son and unbelieving husband, and earned her sanctity by tearful prayers. St. Dominic Savio was a school boy who became a saint by fulfilling his daily duties with diligence and cheerfulness.

All the saints became holy by trusting in God and overcoming their faults by His grace. They became holy by confronting life’s challenges with faith, not by avoiding them. They give us hope that in spite of our shortcomings sanctity is open to us all. St. Francis de Sales was the great promoter of this ideal, what we call the Universal Call to Holiness, and next time we will take a look at this gentle saint and his spirituality.