To Be a Saint: Imitate Christ

Mother Teresa’s recent canonization calls to mind what it takes to become a saint.

We tend to put saints on a pedestal that we can’t live up to. In actuality, we all could be saints if we imitated Christ and strived to be as holy as we can possibly be – if we truly listened to the Lord’s call for our lives and lived it out.

Instead, we find other idols. Sports players. Executives. Celebrities. Successful people. Our peers who ‘have it all’. Our next door neighbor. A parent. A sibling. The list could go on. These are the people who we think we want to be like, so we act like them. We try to emulate what they did to get where they are.

What we are seeking is an attractive model of success, that is, our own view of success and the world’s view of success. God’s view of success looks very different: it's to make us saints.

For saints, Jesus was their model. They healed, taught, served, and evangelized as He did. They listened closely for their call, and followed Him where He took them. Sure, they had other great role models such as parents and siblings, but they centered their eyes first and foremost on Him. They knew living as Christ did was the key to eternal reward and happiness.

One day we may wake up and realize that we missed the opportunity to be a saint because we followed in the footsteps of the wrong idol and role model. We will realize that we did not realize our potential to be what God made us to be.

Fortunately, every day, the Lord gives us a chance to change our path and become the saints we were meant to be.

Fix your eyes on Him.