“Be the change you want to see.”
Spiritually, we think that we are not as capable. “There are all these saints that did such great things. Surely, I cannot be like that.” But you are called to be a saint. But not a saint like St Francis. No, you are not Francis. You are the unique image and likeness of God that no one else can be. And YOU are called to be a saint!
The saints cooperated with God’s will for them. They did not need to find a way to become a saint. They listened to God’s will for them … and did it! It is amazing to consider that Our Lady never sinned and that may overwhelm us, but even Blessed Mother Theresa and Pope St John Paul II went to Confession weekly. And you do not go to Confession without a sin to confess.
We will fail in our attempts to answer God’s call to being a saint, but that should not keep us from getting back up. Not all saints will be canonized, but you and I still need to be a saint to enter into Heaven. Is it a high bar? Too far for us to reach? Truly, it is. That is why we rely on Jesus to take us there. Only He can take us to Heaven. We cannot work ourselves into Heaven. It takes a faith that is lived out in doing God’s will.
Are you or I likely going to be canonized? No. Are you and I called to be citizens of Heaven? YES! And not just citizens, but heirs as sons and daughters of God Himself. Heaven is truly our home. After all, that is where Dad is. “Our Father, who art in Heaven…”
All of you saints, help me to have the strength to reject the noise of this world and listen to God. Help me to reject what the world has to offer and do the will of my Father in Heaven, so that I might obtain all that Heaven has to offer. Amen.