“Do you want to be a saint? Do what you have to do and put yourself into what you are doing.” - Saint Josemaría. 

To be honest when I hear phrases like ‘she must be a saint’ or even the word ‘saint,’ I become afraid. I think of situations where someone has been heroic for a sustained period of time or how they must have accomplished ‘extraordinary’ things in their life. People who are powerful, almost superhuman. 

And yet being a saint in today’s world does not necessarily entail heroism, but somehow it goes beyond heroism. That’s beginning to sound paradoxical … let’s unravel it by taking a  closer look at what it means to be a saint. 

Love and charity

Do you remember the first Commandment we all learned as children? 

‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, and your neighbour as yourself for the love of God.’

It’s all about loving, and charity. But what is love? And what is charity? Is there actually a difference? Charity is that love which God himself pours into our hearts. I use the present tense because as long as we are on this earth we can always grow in this love. It is a love that lifts everything in our lives - our yearnings, aspirations, thoughts, and actions - to another level. A supernatural level. 

There are so many examples in the Gospels where Jesus exercises charity with the people around him. Take for example his concern for the Samaritan woman at the well, or his compassion in curing the woman with the haemorrhage while on his way to help Jairus’ ill daughter. Or how he opened the gates of heaven for the good thief while in the midst of awful agonies on the cross for us, or his concern that the apostles would eat, would rest.

A lack of charity can affect a person by making them insensitive to God and insensitive to other people. God cannot reach the soul of a person who deliberately cuts themselves off from grace. And since God is love, we can therefore say that he who does not love, fails to find God and fails to love him. That person also fails to recognise the image of God in their neighbour.

The resonance of charity and good works

Charity is not just affability, a pleasant manner, showing compassion, or having a kindly demeanour. When we truly exercise charity, we make ourselves a gift to others so they can find and encounter Jesus more easily. We learn how to put others first and our own preferences second. We have seen how Jesus always made time for those people around him and manifested an enormous and genuine concern for them. People who meet an authentic Christian can discover this love of God. They discover they are of value.

You may remember St. Paul’s words on charity when he wrote to the Corinthians, "charity is patient, charity is kind, charity believes all things, endures all things…" Acting as witnesses of the charity of Christ can take several different forms. We learn to acknowledge Christ in others, we learn how to serve those around us better, we know how to go out of our way in order to help others contemplate God in their ordinary daily work and social interactions.

The enormous number of saints that have been canonised by the church are splendid witnesses and striking examples of virtue. And of course, the benefits of having such a host of saints are innumerable. Society is transformed because believers are sustained more in hope, faith and charity. The saints are a source of life and renewal for the church because of their example.

The example and influence of parents

As a teacher of young teenagers for a good number of years, I was always struck by the fact that difficulties with a child were impossible to overcome unless I had the backing and support of parents. Parents exert an enormous influence over their children both consciously and unconsciously.

The curé of Ars, St John Vianney, who also is the patron saint of priests, affirmed that he owed a lot to his mother. As a child, he watched how she prayed, and he imitated her. Virtue was passed from his parents to him while he was growing up. His mother prayed daily for his vocation, and sadly never lived to witness his ordination to the priesthood, as she died at only fifty-five years of age. The example and influence of parents on their children go beyond words and is unparalleled. 

Being the best friend we can

We can always learn how to be a better friend, whether it means listening more closely, being more patient, growing in empathy or cultivating selflessness. We should try and use our talents to help as many people as we can by expanding the circle of our friends because everyone is called to be a saint. And in helping others, we realise that it is we who benefit most. One final thought to remember - 

‘The saint is not the person who never falls, but the person who never fails to get up once he has fallen.’ - Saint Josemaría