The Path to Holiness

Reflection on All Saints Day by Fr. Jason Laguerta

Every November first, churches usually host a Parade of Saints where children and young people dress up like their favorite saints and the intention of this activity is basically for them to know the saints and for them to imitate their virtues, as well.  So, who is your favorite saint?

I, myself, have many favorite sants, but I would say that one of the earliest saints that I was drawn to in my childhood was San Vicente Ferrer.  Although when I was young I do not know him; I only got to know his life story later on.  But when I was growing up, I was drawn to him, because if you are familiar with the image of St. Vincent Ferrer, his is the image with wings, and he has a very gentle face.  And when so when I was growing up, I knew him as the protector of the village, the protector of the barangay, because according to the stories of the old people, because he has wings, he goes around every night to protect the barangay.  And there was even a story when his image disappeared or was stolen, but eventually, he came back; he was able to return because of his wings. 

Thus, my initial understanding of the saints in the very beginning was that saints were people who can do these extraordinary things – they can fly, they can bi-locate, they can heal people, and they are able to perform these things because they were holy.  And I think for many of us, we still have that same idea – they are declared saints because they can do extraordinary things, like Padre Pio, who has been considered as very popular because of his intercession, many people are healed.  Here in the church, we also have with us the relics of the saints of Ezekiel Moreno, San Carlo Acotis, and of course, Santa Maria Goretti, to whom we attribute many healings for ourselves and for members of the family. We also have San Pedro Calungsod and San Lorenzo Ruis, two Filipino saints, whom we look up to because they became they did something extraordinary and became martyrs for the faith, for they laid down their life for the faith.  

But who are really the saints?  Who is a saint?  What is a saint?  Are they really the people who are capable of performing miracles and capable of doing extraordinary things that no ordinary human beings, like us, are able to do?  But holiness is not measured by the ability to perform miracles.  In truth, the saints were people just like us; they were ordinary people like us.  And if there was something extraordinary about them, perhaps it was simply their love and faithfulness to the Lord.  So, if we were to describe a saint, if there is one measure of holiness, it is how faithfully we love God and live that love each day.

However, for many of us, it is unthinkable to be thought of as a saint, or a holy man or woman, or a holy person, which is, somehow, a wrong way of thinking; that way of understanding holiness is mistaken.  Because all of us are called to become saints, to become holy.  As Pope Francis said, “The greatest tragedy in life is not to become a saint.”  What does that mean?  Do you need to be canonized?  Do you need to be beatified?  Do miracles need to be attributed to you?  No, these should not be the measure of holiness.

So what, then, is holiness?  We go back to our Gospel today.  What does it mean to be blessed?  To be blessed is to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to have a clean heart, to be a peacemaker, and to be persecuted for the sake of the Gospel.  To be blessed, therefore, is not about being able to do extraordinary things.  To be blessed and to be holy is to live our lives in the most ordinary way, but at the same time, in a faithful way. 

Simple, but faithful – this is the real characteristic of a saint – that you are faithful to God despite your shortcomings.  To be holy is to be aware and recognize the presence of God in your life day in and day out.  Wherever you are, whatever you do, like if you are a mother, how do you become holy as a mother?  By becoming loving, kind and faithful to your family.  When you do your chores, when you give your life and offer your life for your children, for your spouse, for the sake of the family, that is holiness.  If you are a mother, if you spend all your waking days, and your strength and energy in order to provide for your family, that is holiness.  If you are a student, to study carefully and diligently, that is holiness.  If you are a lawyer and you are able to become honest with your client, that is holiness.  If you are a doctor and you give your life totally for the service of healing, you are becoming holy.  If you are a politician, you can indeed be holy, too – by becoming accountable, transparent, honest and a trustworthy public servant.

You can be holy wherever you are.  Thus, sainthood or holiness is not reserved to the priest.  In fact, a lot of priests might even go to hell!  But of course, we cannot say that for a fact, but one thing is for sure:  We can live on the path of holiness.  We can be a saint like Saint Teresa, like Mama Mary, like Saint Joseph.  All of us can become saints because to be a saint is to live our lives in the presence and love of God.  Despite all our weaknesses, God remains with us.  God is our companion on our journey, and God is our reward in eternity.

I went to a pilgrimage recently and there we visited many churches, Marian apparition sites, and the graves and burial sites of many saints.  One of the pilgrim even admitted that it was her first time to go to church and hear mass in 20 consecutive days and innocently she asked if she will already go to heaven.  And so, we wish it was that easy!  But going to pilgrimages or going to church everyday do not make us holy.  Maybe the places are holy, that they can sanctify us, but holiness is not about merely going to these holy places. 

Holiness is living your life every day in fidelity to God and in glory of God.  Holiness can be achieved in the simplicity of our lives, as we remain faithful to the Lord; not because of our merit, but because of God’s grace and mercy toward us.

On this Solemnity of All Saints, we are called and invited by the Lord to become holy and to become a saint.  We can be saints because holiness is not merely being able to do miracles.  To be a saint is to live your life in faithfulness to the Lord and to live our lives always recognizing that God is our reward, that is Jesus is our friend and companion in our journey.  Holiness is not doing something extraordinary; it is living our lives in the presence and guidance of God every day.