Called to be Saints

By Liz Wiskowski

      We know that we are called to be holy – to become saintly in order to gain heaven. Our lives are so ordinary that it seems to be impossible. We think of the great saints of the past, those who lived their lives solely for God or even gave up their lives for Him. We think of the more modern ones, such as Mother Theresa who gave her life to the poor or Father Kolbe who gave his life for another in a concentration camp, and we think that God isn’t giving us the opportunity to live as they did. Remember Jesus’ words, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.”

      Keep in mind that God made many more small, ordinary souls than He did great saints, yet He calls all of us to become holy and saintly. He is not calling us to lay down our lives in a one-time, bloody incident but in little bits and pieces.

      Think of a mother who spends every day cooking, cleaning, washing and caring for the children. She sometimes goes without sleep to care for a sick child. She is laying down her life for her family. Or the daddy who goes to work day after day to support his family. He is giving his life for that family.

      Every time we volunteer, give money to the poor or the Church, visit a nursing home, pray for someone, stand up for life, give of our time, our energy, our talents, our attention in the service of others, we are laying down part of our life for others. The list could go on and on – taking care of aging parents, teaching the faith, even tiny things like smiling at someone who is having a bad day, giving someone a ride, opening a door for someone or listening to someone’s problems. Each time we do a little act of kindness we are giving up part of our life for another.

      God fills our days with opportunities to become holier and more saintly if we only look for them. Let’s look for them.