All Saints are Holy Humans
There have been many holy men and women who have gone before us and who have modeled this path to holiness for us. Their stories are inspiring. Their lives are exemplary. Yet we too often place them on a pedestal so high above us “real people” that of course we feel discouraged about ever following in their footsteps. But these saints haven’t done anything new or extravagant, they have simply followed what Jesus taught and sought to be like Him.
St. Francis of Assisi lived in poverty and prayer, seeking always to be more humble. Some thought he was crazy, because he took Christ’s teaching so literally. But for him that is exactly what a Christian was called to do. St. Thérèse of Lisieux who “like a child” with humility and love became one of the most popular saints of our day. And it is from her childlike, yet profound wisdom found in her auto-biography “The Story of a Soul” that I have compiled the following list.
Thirteen Steps to Becoming a Saint
1. Depend on God’s Grace
This is number one for a reason. If you think you are going to become a saint, to make it to Heaven, of your own effort, you have failed already. It through His free gifts to you that you will become more holy, more like Him.
“It is He alone Who, pleased with my feeble efforts, will raise me to Himself, and, by clothing me with His merits, make me a Saint.”
“The knowledge that it was impossible to do anything of myself rendered my task easier.”
“If an artist’s canvas could but think and speak, surely it would never complain of being touched and re-touched by the brush, nor would it feel envious thereof, knowing that all its beauty is due to the artist alone.”
Give God the glory for everything that you do. Your talents, your abilities, your gifts, are exactly that… gifts. Thank Him for all that He has given you and continue to depend on Him for more.
2. Start Small
“I made mine consist in simply checking my inclinations, keeping back an impatient answer, doing little services to those around me without setting store thereby, and a hundred other things of the kind.”
This is what Thérèse is known for, her “Little Way”. She didn’t perform any extraordinary things in her life, but rather made simple, small acts of kindness and love towards God and others. This is something that in its simplicity is often overlooked.
3. Don’t Lose Hope
“I have never heard Him speak, yet I know He is within me.”
It is easy to lose hope in the times when you feel that God is so far away. Thérèse also went through periods of spiritual darkness where she felt distant from God, but she never lost hope.
4. Accept Trials & Suffering
“I had to pass through many trials before reaching the haven of peace, before tasting the delicious fruits of perfect love and of complete abandonment to God’s will.”
Suffering is often seen as punishment, but in fact is a method of teaching that God can use to help us grow, which is the desire of any parent for their children, that they be the best they can be.
5. Have No Fear
“A soul in the state of grace has nothing to fear from the devil, who is a coward, and will even fly from the gaze of a little child.”
Thérèse’s bold statement reminds how weak the devil is against us when we are pure at heart.
6. Put God’s Will Above Your Own
The biggest battle of Jesus’ life was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Putting God’s will first is a difficult thing to do, especially when it puts you in danger.
“My God, I choose everything, I will not be a Saint by halves, I am not afraid of suffering for Thee, I only fear one thing, and that is to do my own will.”
“He has always given me what I desired, or rather He has made me desire what He wishes to give.”
7. Be Willing to Fail
“O happy failure, from how many evils have you saved me!”
In a self-centered culture that measures personal value by material success, it can be difficult to accept failure and ask for help. But sometimes you need to fail so that you can learn that you can’t do it on your own and must depend on God.
8. Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone
“I ought to seek the companionship of those Sisters towards whom I feel a natural aversion, and try to be their good Samaritan. A word or a smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul.”
In going out of your way to live the Gospel, to love others, you will grow closer to God by challenging yourself to be fully alive.
9. Read the Bible
“I have only to open the Holy Gospels and at once I breathe the perfume of Jesus, and then I know which way to run.”
The Sacred Scriptures are a gift from God through which he reveals Himself and tells you His love story. All you have to do is open the Bible and delve deep into His Word.
10. Receive the Holy Eucharist Daily
“He does not come down from Heaven each day in order to remain in a golden ciborium, but to find another Heaven—the Heaven of our souls in which He takes such delight.”
Thérèse delighted in the pleasure of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist every day. If you truly believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, then why not be united with every chance you get?
11. Learn to Love
“I know when I show charity to others, it is simply Jesus acting in me, and the more closely I am united to Him, the more dearly I love my Sisters.”
“My vocation is love!”
“To love Thee, Jesus, is now my only desire.”
Every time you love others you are sharing Christ’s love with them. That’s authentic evangelization that is the result of true faith.
12. Be Open to God’s Guidance
“We must forget ourselves, and put aside our tastes and ideas, and guide souls not by our own way, but along the path which Our Lord points out.”
In other words, if you want to be Christian, a saint, then check your ego at the door. It’s all about God, not you.
13. Pray, Pray, Pray
“Verily in prayer and sacrifice lies all my strength, they are my invincible arms; experience has taught me that they touch hearts far more easily than words.”
“How wonderful is the power of prayer! It is like unto a queen, who, having free access to the king, obtains whatsoever she asks.”
“With me prayer is an uplifting of the heart; a glance towards heaven; a cry of gratitude and love, uttered equally in sorrow and in joy. In a word, it is something noble, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites it to God.”
Thérèse explains that, like most saints, her power comes from her time spent in prayer. For her prayer became second nature and she didn’t look at it as an obligation but as a natural extension of her relationship with God. What does prayer mean to you?
Do You Want to Be a Saint?
A saint is someone who has made it to Heaven. So of course if you want to make it to Heaven, that means that you want to be a saint. You want to be with God, His saints, and His angels in His love forever in eternity.
“Jesus, Jesus! If the mere desire of Thy Love awakens such delight, what will it be to possess it, to enjoy it for ever?”
Becoming a saint requires work just like anything else in life. If you want to lose weight you are willing to eat healthy and exercise. If you want to have a family you are willing sacrifice your time, your body, and money to have children. But why when it comes to God are you so much less willing to make sacrifices?
You can learn more about the life of the “Little Flower” St. Thérèse of Lisieux in her auto-biography “The Story of a Soul” which is available for free on Kindle.