When I was little, I grew up hearing stories of the saints. I loved learning about the great men and women of the Church, but to me they seemed set apart somehow. I thought of them as good role models, and great stories, but they lived so long ago and were so much holier than I was that I thought that becoming a saint was almost impossible. However, not only are the saints still an active and important part of the Church, but each one of us is called to sainthood as well.

The word “saint” is typically used only to describe the officially canonized saints. The canonization process includes an examination by the Church of their life and the multiple confirmed miracles that occur through their intercession after their death. Through this process, the Church confirms that the saint is in Heaven, and places him or her on a list for veneration (which means to honor and respect, not to worship) because of the exceptionally holy and virtuous life that the saint led. Though the canonized saints are in Heaven, this does not mean that they are no longer part of the Church! While we are called the Church Militant on earth, because we are still fighting against sin, the saints are referred to as the Church Triumphant, because through Christ, they have triumphed over evil and now live forever in union with Him in Heaven. Now, in the presence of God, they continue the good work that they devoted themselves to in their earthly lives by interceding to God for the rest of the Church on earth: “They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus…So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped” (CCC 956). Not only do the saints provide examples of holiness to the Church, they also strengthen it through their intercessions, and can intercede for each of us individually as well.

The word “saint” comes from the Latin word “sanctus”, which means “holy”, and holiness occurs as a result of grace, the life of God, in one’s soul. This definition means that in a broader sense, a saint is any member of the Church in a state of grace, whether in Heaven or on earth. Everyone in Heaven is a saint, whether they are canonized or not, because they participate in God’s holiness in a unique and glorified way. By the above definition, everyone on earth in a state of grace is a saint as well. This is good news, for each one of us is called to sainthood. Man is ““the only creature on earth that God has willed for himself”, and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God’s own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity” (CCC 356). We were created to live in union with God in Heaven, which starts by living in His grace here on earth. 

In order to find out how to live out our call to sainthood, we can take inspiration from the saints that have come before us, especially those that the Church has given to us as models through canonization. These saints abandoned their lives to Jesus, literally setting themselves apart for God. Some physically died in martyrdom, others dedicated their lives to serving God and the Church. This service looked different for every person; some were great preachers, teachers, or evangelists, while others lived incredibly simple and relatively unknown lives. For example, St Isidore and St Maria, the patron saints of farmers, were poor peasant farmers in the Middle Ages who worked diligently, attended daily Mass regularly, and shared what little resources they had with their poorer neighbors. Even though they didn’t do “great” deeds, they still lived their lives entirely for God. Though the saints came from a variety of stations in life, once they devoted their lives to Jesus, they lived them in pursuit of holiness and heroic virtue, and this is what each one of us is called to do as well. 

We each have a tendency to believe that we are not “that type of person”, that we don’t have the gifts, the holiness, the courage, or any other quality we think we need to be a saint. This is a lie from the enemy, meant to discourage us and stop us from even beginning to live a saintly life. The truth is that our journey to sainthood starts right now. The saints are an incredibly varied group of people, who started their path to holiness at many different stages in life. There is no specific type of person, no specific time to start being a saint, other than you, right now. Like the canonized saints, we are each called to live out our call to holiness by loving God and serving the people around us, no matter where we are in life. Living out Christ’s call to sainthood is not easy, but it is incredibly rewarding, for saints are the happiest people you will ever meet, both in Heaven and on earth.

There are a ton of saints in the Church that aren’t widely known, so if you have a favorite saint you want to highlight, feel free to comment them on this post! If you want to read more about the communion of saints, check out paragraphs 946-962 of the Catechism. If you haven’t filled out the survey I sent last week, please do so! It is completely anonymous and will only take a few minutes to complete, and it will help me to make these posts more relatable to you. I am praying for you all, and I hope you have a blessed week!