Saints in the Making

Over the last two months our faith has been challenged probably in a way that it never had previously in our lifetimes. Certainly it has left us with mixed emotions and struggles of how practicing our faith has changed. In order for us to grow, it is important for us to reflect on how our faith has been impacted and, more importantly, what are we going to do as we move forward? 

Over the next few weeks, we will start to see the state reopen, including the return to the public celebration of the Mass. I know we all have been longing for the return of this opportunity. I want to remind all of us that the heartbeat of the Church never stopped. The Mass never stopped being said by our religious across the globe. Many churches allowed you to still go in for private prayer and in some places Adoration. While we all miss the Sacraments and being able to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist, the fact remains that our Church is alive and well.

Our priests (and their staff members) are doing their best, as is the Archbishop, in these unprecedented times to keep parishioners safe from a deadly virus. While we may disagree on the shut down, I would like to think that we all can agree that we want to protect the most vulnerable among us. Please, in charity and mercy, be patient and understanding, and remember what has been done has been done to try to save lives. Maybe you think the steps were too aggressive or this has gone on too long, but try to remember that it was done with the best intentions. All of us are struggling and want normalcy again, especially with our faith, but we have to be careful because there are so many unknowns about the virus. The reality is that we are now living in a society that exists with COVID-19, not without it and that does change things. 

I say all this not to bring you down, but to encourage you to have faith, to continue to support your parishes and priests. Be patient with our Archbishops. Hold fast to your faith and to continue to be strong, faithful Catholics even in our separation. It will not last forever. Our God is mightier than this situation and He gave us Faith and Reason to navigate these uncertain times.

It's tough, but I truly think we're seeing saints in the making right now. We are being refined in the fire. The saints of our Catholic Tradition were bold, intelligent, and full of faith and reason. Let us think of this time as being the refining period for our faith. 

Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring. 

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine understood that trials and tribulations were a part of life, a life that is intertwined with our faith. This time of enduring is preparing us for greatness. How you may ask? When we can access the Mass and Sacraments again, let us seek them in full fidelity and faith to Holy Mother Church. We now have a deeper understanding of what it is to go without. The Church is alive and well; so, during this time of preparation, let us pray more fervently, focusing on the Spiritual Communion we can make and the sustenance it provides. As I said previously, we may disagree on the politics, but I think we can agree things were done with the good intention to save lives, just like the measures our Archbishop and Our Holy Father put into place. I believe we must devote ourselves in one accord to prayer as the Disciples did in the Upper Room as they waited. Let this be a time when our hearts truly learn what it is to cultivate a pure desire for our relationship with Christ. Offer your frustrations up for all those who normally can't get to Mass, or the sick and dying, or the suffering. 

Ultimately, this brings us back to the question of what is our faith going to look like going forward? This isn't to say we should do nothing. First, let us turn to Scripture and look at Philippians 2:1-11. 

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and found human in appearance,

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name

that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

We are called to serve. The apostles were called to serve and our saints were called to make a difference in the lives of those around them. In fact, if you research saints and the religious in history during times of pandemic and plague, you'll see they rose and answered the call to serve the sick and dying. They cared for orphans, they nursed patients, they cleaned hospitals or care facilities, they dug graves for those who had no one. All because our faith calls us to serve those in need. 2020 is a time of sacrifice more than we could have ever imagined it being. We are being called to minister through our acts of service. God hasn't abandoned us. Instead, He is calling us to more. We will be returning to Mass soon, but until then I encourage you to have faith. Find ways to grow your faith: study the lives of the saints, the Early Church Fathers, the doctors of the Church, Sacred Scripture. Renew your commitment to your prayer life. Find ways to serve those around you. Use your gifts and talents to serve where God might be calling you. Sew masks, deliver groceries for a neighbor, mow their yard, or write letters to the elderly. Serve through your kindness and your love with sincerity and humility. 

Ultimately, let us be a Catholic faithful to the Magisterium and find ways to serve as Christ calls. Every saint is unique for we are called to sainthood. Now is our time to rise up and be a saint in the making.