Lenten Campaign 2025
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God wants everyone to become a saint. This means everyone, including you.
You may never be recognized as a canonized saint, but that is secondary. Regardless of if we are officially recognized as canonized saints, God's plan is that everyone be a saint. He wants each and everyone of us to live a heroic life of virtue.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church repeats this call to holiness:
"All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity." All are called to holiness: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (CCC 2013)
St. John Paul II noted that this was a particular reminder from the Second Vatican Council:
The Second Vatican Council has significantly spoken on the universal call to holiness. It is possible to say that this call to holiness is precisely the basic charge entrusted to all the sons and daughters of the Church by a Council which intended to bring a renewal of Christian life based on the gospel.
This can seem like a tall order, and so we retreat from God's invitation and try to live our ordinary lives outside of God's plan.
We try to ignore him as much as we can, afraid at what will happen if we turn around and follow him.
Or we may think that being a saint is impossible for someone like us.
Example of the saints
If we dive deeper into the lives of the saints, we will quickly find out that they really were not much different from us.
St. Francis de Sales points this out in his Introduction to the Devout Life:
They were but what we are, they wrought for the same God, seeking the same graces; why may not we do as much in our own state of life, and according to our several vocations, on behalf of our most cherished resolutions and holy profession of faith?
The saints may seem like they were born holy, but they weren't (besides the Virgin Mary).
In fact, many of the saints were terrible sinners, who did some extremely bad things.
There were murderers, thieves and adulterers who became saints. This doesn't mean that their sinful life was good and holy, but that they repented of their past sins and embraced the mercy of God.
The good news is that God's mercy is endless and he is always knocking at our door.
What's holding you back from embracing God's call to become a saint?
