One . . . who desires not what is vain.

Two young girls were talking on the day of their First Communion.   “What do you want to be when you grow up?” one asked.   The other replied, “A saint. My grandmother told me I could be one.”   That might sound cliché, but the grandmother was right.   Sainthood isn’t just for extraordinary people.   It’s within reach for all of us.

The Bible describes a person who longs to see God’s face  and who has not devoted his soul to what is vain .   This person puts his hope and his heart into knowing and serving God.   Notice sanctity is not a competition to donate the most money to the Church, to write the most beautiful prayers, or to help the most people.   It’s about seeking to please the Lord.   Pursuing sainthood is just that: a pursuit.   Giving your best effort for God means just as much as whatever you “achieve.”

It’s  a good time to honor the people you have known who made serving the Lord their greatest desire.   Maybe it’s a religious education teacher who stayed up late working on lesson plans.   It could be a parent who tried to get his child excited about special feast days like this one.   Or perhaps it’s a priest or religious sister who supported a new ministry at your parish.   In each case, it is the person’s desire and effort that sets them apart and places them on the road to sainthood.

Never forget that great cloud of witnesses surrounding you.   And never forget that you are part of it!   There is no “us” and “them” when it comes to sanctity.   By the grace of God, there is only “us.”

word among us