Weekly Reflection 11/1/2020

REFLECTION

The Feast of All Saints

October 31 – November 1, 2020

                Pope Francis said, “To be a saint is not a privilege for the few, but a vocation for everyone.”  Saints come in all shapes and sizes.  There are those who lived an entire life of holiness, while others heard the call only after a dramatic conversion.  Some saints are very well known while others are known only by a few.  So what is a saint?  Perhaps it is best explained in this story.

On the feast of All Saints Day, the entire Catholic Elementary School was in Church for mass.  As the pastor was giving his homily, he continued to notice a first grade boy staring at the stained glass window.  Finally, the priestThe celebrant asked the boy to stand and answer the question, “What is a saint?”  The young boy stood, looked at the stained glass windows with the colorful streams of light shining through them and confidently he responded, “A saint is a person who lets God’s light shine through them.”

It is a simple, but accurate definition.  It is also a guide to becoming a saint.  Take time this week to learn more about a saint you may have only cursory knowledge.  Meditate on their life and discover their message.

At the same time, remember those who have passed before us marked with the sign of faith.  Those who have inspired us with their words and deeds.  They give us a practical example of what it means to be a saint.  It requires us to be Christian every moment of every day.

However, as the saints teach us, saints fail; sometimes miserably.  Yet be reassured that like the saints, when we stumble, our Lord is there to lift us up and give us the strength we need to continue.  God doesn’t ask us all to be St. Francis of Assisi or St. Mother Theresa.  He only asks that, like the stained glass windows in a church, we let God’s light shine through us to the world.

Patrick J. Perkins