I have always been intrigued by the phrase “called to be saints” (Rom 1, 7; 1 Cor 1, 2) found in the introduction of both Paul’s letters to the Romans and 1 Corinthians. Obviously, the kind of saints Paul is talking about are the Christian believers. Yet, if one takes a closer look, one can also detect in the phrase the universal call to holiness. All Saints’ Day, which is liturgically celebrated on 1 November, is a strong reminder of this reality.

The Bible and its taught and lived expression in the life of the Church, commonly known as the Church Tradition, is imbued with the constant call for holiness. In the book of Leviticus God urges us: “For I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11, 44). In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus extends the same invitation to us: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5, 48). In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul explains that God’s will is that we become holy.

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thes 4, 3).

In the Church’s tradition, saints are a point of reference directly linked to the focal point of all holiness, Christ himself.

Pope Saint Clement I used to say: “Brothers, we must follow such examples. For it is written: Follow the saints, because those who follow them will become saints.” Moreover, holiness is an incumbent duty of the Christian calling. The third century bishop of Carthage, Saint Cyprian, augured that “all Christians be found worthy of either the pure white crown of a holy life or the royal red crown of martyrdom.” Holiness is an urgent responsibility to be carried out quickly. The founder of the Redemptorists and patron saint of moral theologians, Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri, said: “Today God invites you to do good; do it therefore today. Tomorrow you may not have time, or God may no longer call you to do it.” Now we can easily understand why Blessed Teresa of Calcutta courageously affirmed: “All of us must be saints in this world. Holiness is a duty for you and me. So let’s be saints and so give glory to the Father.” Holiness makes God’s holy presence be seen, heard and touched!

How can one become a saint? When the ‘Doctor Angelicus’, Saint Thomas Aquinas, was asked the same question he simply replied: “Will it”.

Although once wish is essential it needs to be translated into one’s everyday living. When confronted with the same question, Blessed John Paul II answered: “True holiness does not mean a flight from the world; rather, it lies in the effort to incarnate the Gospel in everyday life, in the family, at school and at work, and in social and political involvement.” In other words, he just repeated what the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, had to say concerning the laity’s holiness: “The laity, by their very vocation, seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God. They live in the world, that is, in each and in all of the secular professions and occupations. They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven. They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven. In this way they may make Christ known to others, especially by the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope and charity” (§ 31).

In his recent voyage to his homeland, Germany, Pope Benedict XVI bid farewell to his country’s people by reminding them what he had said at the solemn inauguration Mass that started his Petrine ministry six years ago: “There is nothing more beautiful than to know Christ and to speak to others of our friendship with him”. Is this not what true holiness consists of?

Mario Attard OFM Cap

SAN GWANN