The Saints of today versus the Saints of Yesteryear

The Saints of Today versus the Saints of Yesteryear

Eleen Renders

We know of so many Saints of many years ago, they go back so far that our grandparents chose their names for their Confirmation names. There are Saints such as Bernadette, Therese of the Little Flower, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There was Saint Joseph, and the Apostles Peter, Paul, and Andrew, including our dear Blessed Virgin Mother Mary. We have St. Joan of Arc, St. Patrick, St. Augustine, St. Catherine of Siena, and far too many to mention.

Some of our most recent Saints include Fulton Bishop J. Sheen (still in the process of Canonization), St. Therese, and, more recently, Carlos Acutis, to mention a few. But let us not forget the Saints of today in the making that we know nothing of at this time, and who will also one day go down in the Book of God and become known to us. They are in the making and living in our generation.

What personality characteristics do they share similarly? They know God, they realize how much He loves us, and they live their lives to serve Him gratefully and joyously. They are humble, they share their suffering tolerantly and silently. They perform acts of charity silently and privately without requiring or seeking recognition.

Many of us, amid our acts of unkindness, might be heard saying, “I’m no Saint!” Might it be that we believe there is no way that we can, nor want to, work toward becoming a saint? We can believe that many of the Saints were not perfect, because they, too, have sinned. Mary Magdalene is recognized as a Saint, and was called the “Apostle to the Apostles” as she was the first to witness and proclaim the Resurrection of Jesus.

We are all imperfect, and God recognizes this as He created us. Only God is perfect. So, we come to the question we might ask of ourselves, “Could we one day become a Saint?

The answer depends, I suppose, on how much we love Jesus who sacrificed Himself to save us. Do we find joy in serving Him here on earth? Do we want to meet our Bridegroom one day with joy in knowing that we lived our lives to serve Him? Let us all reflect prayerfully.