Being a Saint

 When I hear the word Saint I think of all the great men and women gone before us recognised by the Church as Saints, people recognised for doing great things in life and for the Church. Saints are ordinary people who did extraordinary things. But Saints are not just all these people gone before us. Each and every one of us has the potential to be a Saint. As human beings we are not perfect, to be human is to be imperfect. Those whom we call saints were not perfect either. They had their struggles, they made wrong decisions, they didn't always get it right. Look at St Paul, he persecuted Christians all his life until he met Christ. After meeting Christ he turned his life around and preached the Gospel to all nations. A Saint is just a sinner who fell down and then got up. We are called by Christ to be perfect. It is not possible to be perfect all the time and Christ knows this. By living the Christian life we strive for perfection. As Christians we reflect on our actions, right and wrong, in order to recognise our imperfections and to make them right. When we fall we say sorry and start again. When we wrong our brother or sister we say sorry and move on by not hurting them again. In the Gospel Jesus tells his disciples that they must forgive their brother "not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy seven times." (Mt 18:22). The same goes for when we have done wrong, We do not get back up seven times but seventy seven times and more. 

The first step in starting again is to say sorry. We also need to avail of the Sacrament of Confession. But if God knows our sins and we can say sorry in prayer why do we need go to Confession? God works through the priest in Confession. The priest can advise and reassure a person that they are not doomed because of the things that they have done. Not everybody hears God in prayer so Confession is an opportunity for a person to hear God through the priest. Even if a person does hear God in prayer the Sacrament of Confession is still important. At times people need to witness another human being not judging them for what they have done in order to be able to forgive themselves.

In life we will fall many times. Each time we fall we choose to get back up, to start again. The most important thing to do when we fall is to get back up. God helps us to get back up. He gives us the strength that we need to get back up and keep trying. It can be a struggle to stay free from sin, to stop falling on the same sins but with God's help we can overcome our weaknesses. "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

Life can be hard for people. If you are not happy with who you are it is challenging to not fall, the Devil recognises a vulnerability and this is how he gets in. You might think that you are happy with who you are but find yourself falling often. This can be a sign that you are not truly happy. If you find yourself falling constantly, as well as turning to God for support, seek out professional help. Remember, God works through people. A professional can help you to look inwards and heal so that you can truly love yourself again. 

We can all be Saints, we just don't know it.