Sinner to Saint
Our common quest to Sainthood.
What comes to mind when you think of the saints?
Gaudete et Exultate 3
The Letter to the Hebrews presents a number of testimonies that encourage us to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us” (12:1). It speaks of Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Gideon and others (cf. 11:1-12:3). Above all, it invites us to realize that “a great cloud of witnesses” (12:1) impels us to advance constantly towards the goal. These witnesses may include our own mothers, grandmothers or other loved ones (cf. 2 Tim 1:5). Their lives may not always have been perfect, yet even amid their faults and failings they kept moving forward and proved pleasing to the Lord.
… with this Exhortation I would like to insist primarily on the call to holiness that the Lord addresses to each of us, the call that he also addresses, personally, to you: “Be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:44; cf. 1 Pet 1:16). The Second Vatican Council stated this clearly: “Strengthened by so many and such great means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord – each in his or her own way – to that perfect holiness by which the Father himself is perfect”. (GE10)
“Each in his or her own way” the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them. We are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness. (GE11)
Do not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy. On the contrary, you will become what the Father had in mind when he created you, and you will be faithful to your deepest self. To depend on God sets us free from every form of enslavement and leads us to recognize our great dignity. (GE35)
Just as you cannot understand Christ apart from the kingdom he came to bring, so too your personal mission is inseparable from the building of that kingdom: “Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33). Your identification with Christ and his will involves a commitment to build with him that kingdom of love, justice and universal peace. Christ himself wants to experience this with you, in all the efforts and sacrifices that it entails, but also in all the joy and enrichment it brings. You cannot grow in holiness without committing yourself, body and soul, to giving your best to this endeavour.
(GE25)
a.k.a. Iñigo
St Ignatius of Loyola
Meet Our Witnesses
One of the first Companions
St Pierre Favre
Carmelite nun
Therese of the Child Jesus
St Ignatius
A cannonball that set him in motion…
1
Did you have experiences of loss that opened you up to something new, better?
3
What gives you real lasting joy?
5
Ignatius paid close attention to what was going on in his heart. Stop for a moment and listen to your heart.
Reflect and Pray…
6
Speak to the Lord freely and openly.
2
God speaks to us in creative ways. How has God spoken to you in the past? How may God be speaking to you now?
4
Ignatius discovered he could entrust himself to someone outside himself; to God. Reflect upon this for a moment…
St Pierre Favre
Expert in the Spiritual Exercises…
From his Memorial
This chapter contains innumerable favours which our Lord did to my soul by calling it so high and granting it the grace to be entirely consecrated to Him alone, without the slightest hint of lust for worldly honours or advantages. Before that, on the contrary, I mean before I had fixed the direction of my life thanks to the help which God gave me through Inigo, I had always walked very uncertainly, tossed about by all the winds, wanting one day to marry, another day to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a regent, or a doctor of theology, or a cleric without rank, and sometimes even wanting to be a monk; I was driven by the whim of these winds, according to what prevailed, that is to say, according to the appeal of the moment. As I have said, the Lord delivered me from all these impulses by the consolations of his Spirit, and he made me decide to become a priest, in order to be entirely devoted to his service;
I will never be equal to such a task by my merits, nor to his call and choice, but gratitude obliges me to respond to it with all the work of which I am capable, body and soul.
1
Do you feel uncertain and “tossed about by all winds”?
3
What gives you true “consolation”, that is, makes you more able to love and serve and gives you true joy and peace?
5
In what way may I serve God and my neighbour better?
Reflect and Pray…
2
What are we created for? What’s the purpose of our existence?
4
Express your gratitude for these consolations.
6
Speak to the Lord freely and openly.
St Therese of The Child Jesus
A little flower…
〞
“One winter night I was carrying out my little duty as usual… Suddenly, I heard off in the distance the harmonious sound of a musical instrument. I then pictured a well-lighted drawing room, brilliantly gilded, filled with elegantly dressed young ladies conversing together and conferring upon each other all sorts of compliments and other worldly remarks. Then my glance fell upon the poor invalid whom I was supporting. Instead of the beautiful strains of music I heard only her occasional complaints… I cannot express in words what happened in my soul; what I know is that the Lord illumined it with rays of truth which so surpassed the dark brilliance of earthly feasts that I could not believe my happiness”.
– St Therese of the child Jesus
quoted by GE 145
1
Some are called to heroic acts, but holiness is found in the ordinary gestures of love…
3
The Lord guided her attention to the beauty of serving in her ordinary life. What about your ordinary life?
Reflect and Pray…
4
Ask the Lord for the happiness in the serving those around you.
2
Therese liked beautiful music and was attracted to the beauty of concert halls, elegantly dressed guests and pleasing music. What attracts you?
Sinner to Saint
By Christopher Vella
