“You got to want it” - So want it! - There really should be only one goal!

Today the Universal Church recognizes all the saints…What is a saint?….To put it simply - A saint is someone who goes to heaven….Obviously, some saints are recognized by the Universal Church…Like St Francis, St Dominic, etc…But most saints (with a lower case “s”) were simply people who did the will of God and allowed God to form them….Let’s stop here and ask a question….Do you want to be a saint?…….Again, a saint is simply someone who goes to heaven……But for that to happen - We MUST cooperate with God because its only by and through his grace that we are transformed into who we were born to be - A holy and unblemished people….That is how it works! - So write that one down!………..Today in the Gospel of Matthew…Jesus gives us the “answers to the final exam”…He tells us point blank how one becomes a saint and also how we can identify saints in real time….Let’s ponder what Jesus had to say…………."Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”………The closer one grows to God, the more he or she will embody these traits….And the more we embody these traits, the more our lives will attract others to God…Why is that?…Why do the saints attract others?…Because when a person becomes holy, the world gets a very small glimpse into what God is all about……The saints reflect God’s love, peace and goodness…If you have ever been fortunate enough to have encountered a holy person….Whether you are a religious person or not…You will agree with me that people who are holy “turn heads” - They literally “stop traffic”…There is “something” about them…..People like this you never forget! - Why? - Because you can’t forget them - Its impossible!…..Our world today values many things that frankly will not amount to a “hill of beans” when its all said and done….Sadly, we “short change” ourself……The Lord has prepared a wonder “feast” for us and instead we settle for “fast food”, which only in the end makes us sick…..This is why Catholics must lead the way……There is only one goal - To become holy!….This is how we change the world but that “change” must begin within ourselves - With our unconditional YES….…We must give God permission to transform us…And that process of transformation is the greatest adventure of a life time…..Our world today needs to witness holiness….People believe what they see…..Not what they read or are told…..The witness of one holy life can impact many…..This is the goal - Because there is only one meaningful goal that matters - To become a saint!…Like everything else in life - You got to want it - So want it!

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, And I will give you rest, says the Lord”

I have been fortunate in my life to have encountered living saints…Yes - You heard that right - Living saints…..In my time working with Mother Teresa’s sisters, I have first hand seen with my own two eyes what a holy life looks like….And how such a life impacts others….One such sister was Sr Frederick…When I would travel to Kolkata each year before Christmas, Sister Frederick was the oldest living Missionary of Charity sister….For a long period of time she served in Rome but when I was going to India, she just so happened to be there…..When you looked at Sister Frederick, she almost glowed - That sounds weird, but she really did - For real…She was so old but her eyes were so ALIVE…More alive then a person in their twenties……Over the years of serving in Kolkata, I met a young woman from Croatia, who was discerning if she wanted to become a nun….I remember her telling me that when she had a conversation with Sister Frederick, she was so overcome by her presence, that she burst into tears…Just from talking to her…This is the impact of a holy soul…People that are that close to God literally overwhelm you, not by “what they did or do”…Just by talking to them…Just by standing in front of them……Why tell you this story?…Because a holy life is possible and holy people really exist - In real time……The greatest “argument” for God is the witness of the saints…..If we want to “change the world” - And when I scroll through my social media feed, I see many people who seem to want to make a real difference…But the question is - Are we going about it the right way?……Because there is only one way to impact the world….And to do so, one must aspire to become holy….God “works” through his saints…..Allow him to work through you!

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them”

Today across the world, the Universal Church will celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints…..The saints show us the way!….Their life points to Christ and it is because of Christ that they became holy - One can not self-manufacture a holy life, its only through a radical surrender that one becomes holy and allows the Holy Spirit to do what it does! - To shake the foundations of the world!……..Ronda Chervin, who is a convert from Judaism to the Catholic faith and a professor of philosophy put it this way…..”The saints are the great revolutionaries in the area of loving God and neighbor - We can not do this unless we become holy (totally open to Christ); only then, through love, can we give the world something of infinite and eternal value”….Only saints change the world in a meaningfully and lasting way……….The universal call to holiness was one of the great messages of the Second Vatican Council……We are all called to a holy life……And in order to make that happen - You got to want it - Like anything else in life…….The journey begins with one “YES”…....For all you naysayers out there - One “YES” changed the world 2000 years ago when an angel appeared to a poor young girl and asked of her the impossible…..”Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.”………With God all things are possible - Never forget that!......Mary’s YES echoed around the world and the world was never the same since…....What about your YES?…..Like I said - “You got to want it” - So want it! - There really should be only one goal!………JMJ

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