For all of us All Saints Day raises some serious questions. We were created to become saints, to serve God and give Him glory. We are supposed to bring His love to a world that is hurting. People should see Jesus in us. That is the purpose of all of us. So we all have to ask ourselves some questions:
How well am I doing? Does my life give glory to God? Am I serving Him? Am I living for Him or for myself? Am I living the life I was created for? Do people see God’s love in me? Do they see Jesus in me?
God’s greatest desire for us is that we become saints and spend eternity with Him in heaven. We may not become famous or beatified but we are all called to sanctity. We should really think about and try to examine our lives in terms of eternity.
Was I created to be like every other American, watching the same shows, living the same lifestyles, having the same opinions? Or was I created to be different, to draw people away from the sleaze, greed, self-centeredness and prejudice that seems so much a part of modern life? Am I not supposed to show people that we were created for better than this; that God wants better for us than the world we live in?
We are so caught up in the world, trying to fit in with every body else, to have the latest device, to know the latest gossip, that too often we are living by the standards of the world. Surveys show little difference between the attitudes of Catholics and non-Catholics. How can this be? Anyone can see that we live in a cesspool. Look at how TV has changed since the 1960’s. The rest of society isn’t any better. Is this really what we want or God wants?
We were created for something better! Becoming a saint is something we need to work at. We have to look critically at the things of the world and judge whether something is the best use we could make of our time or resources.
Is this TV show or game really worth it? Will it help or hinder me on my path to heaven? Will it draw me closer to God or my family? Will it help me or someone else in some way?
We were created for better than this. We were created to be God’s hands and feet, to bring His love to a world that is desperately hurting. We can’t live by the standards of the world. It isn’t just that “it’s against Gods’ law” — though it is — but look at how much pain has been the result. We are surrounded by people who have been hurt because they’ve fallen for the lies: anything goes, if it feels good do it, religion is old-fashioned and out of touch, greed is good, look out for number one, and so on. Look at the society these attitudes have created. We live in a society of angry hurting people. Did we used to see something called “road rage”? Did we used to see marriages falling apart at such a rate? Women and children are hurt tremendously by divorce or abuse. Abortion continues, pornography grows, and sexually transmitted diseases continue to spread? Seeing all this hurt and damage, why would we want to embrace the standards of thisworld?
We were created for something better! We aren’t going to become saints by going along with the standards of society. We need to live by God’s standards, to make pleasing Him our goal. So let’s question ourselves:
Do I actively seek to grow in holiness? Am I seizing every opportunity for grace? A I taking advantage of the graces available to me in the Sacraments, especially Reconciliation.
Think about it. Today is a Holy Day of Obligation. Do I know what Mass I am attending? Or will I brush off this Mass because it is on a weekday and blithley go to Mass on Sunday and partake of Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin? Yes, missing Mass on a Holy Day of Obligation is a mortal sin unless you absolutely cannot get to Mass. Yes, it is “against the grain” of our culture to have “holy obligations.” Yes, it makes us different from the world. That is the point!
We must pray for the grace to see and judge things rightly. Pray for the strength and endurance to resist temptation. Pray for the grace to love all our neighbors as ourselves. Pray for the grace to grow more and more like Jesus, to be more patient and loving, more humble and compassionate, more generous and wiser. Pray for the grace to be open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Pray to become saints!
