YOU TOO CAN BE A SAINT
Today we celebrate the feast of all Saints. The Church reminds us that sanctity is within everyone’s reach. Saints are ordinary people who did ordinary things in extra-ordinary way. We are all candidates of sainthood.
The beatitudes is a simple stipulation of what it means to be a saint; “Blessed are the poor in spirit; Blessed are the meek; Blessed are those who hunger an thirst for righteousness; Blessed are the merciful; Blessed are the clean of heart; Blessed are the peace makers; Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; Blessed are you when people insult you and utter every evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven.”
Sometimes, we feel we can never become saint because we are caught in the web of secular and socio-cultural predicaments. And we keep falling short of the very thing we most dearly aspire to be, not necessarily because we are so bad or so unworthy, but sometimes we are so enveloped with self-rejection; self-guilt; self-condemnation; self-contempt; self-pity; self-abnegation; and lack of self-appreciation.
Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter denied Jesus. Both were lost children. Judas, no longer able to hold on to the truth that he remained God’s child, hung himself. But Peter, in the midst of his despair, claimed it and returned with many tears. Judas chose death. Peter chose life. And today, Peter is a saint.
Moses protested his inadequacy; “who am I . . .?” Jeremiah gave an excuse, “I am too young Lord, and I am only a boy . . .” Peter complained, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man . . .”
At times, we pay more attention to our inabilities instead of our abilities; we think more of our failures instead of our success; we worry so much about what we cannot do instead of what we can do; we tend to remember more of our losses instead of our gains; we disqualify ourselves even before the actual interview; we contemplate failure even before the examination.
You may say, “I am not holy, I am not worthy, I am not blessed, I am not educated, I an not healthy, I am not wealthy, I am a nobody, nobody loves me, I am a sinner. I can never be forgiven, nobody recognizes me, nobody wants me, nobody likes me, it is impossible, there is not way, I can’t do it, I can’t figure it out, I am not intelligent, I am afraid, what can I do? Who am I? I cannot be a saint! And in some cases, people make you feel bad about yourself; people can make you think you are doomed. My dear, do not worry. People can call you a sinner but God can make you a saint, people may see nothing good in you but God sees something good in you.
You are qualified to be a saint!
Father Abraham Adejoh