All Saints Day- Chatting about our Family in Heaven

We often think of the Saints as the “untouchables,” people who are superhuman and who have lived a life of such heroic virtue that we share almost nothing in common with them. We tend to think of their lives as enjoying a blissful heavenly beatitude, as they walk hand-in-hand with Jesus every day. But the reality is that the Saints are no different than any of us.

The Saints lived through struggle and suffering and sin. Saint Paul, one of the greatest saints, said this: “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). He also wrote:  “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it” (Romans 7:19). You see, the reality is that every Saint has gone through battle of overcoming sin and fully adhering to Jesus. What these words of Paul remind us is that nobody is a saint by one’s own power. HIs words can be spoken by every Saint: “but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16).

Every Saint has in common the fact that they were saved by Jesus Christ. Even the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is without sin, relies on the grace of her Son; Mary needed to be saved like everyone else. We share this in common with every Saint. We all need Jesus.

We need Saints in our lives to inspire us. They inspire us not because of some thing they have done that we deem impossible, but they inspire us because they have allowed Jesus Christ to increase in them and overcome their old selves. The Saints inspire us because they are mere mortals like all of us. They give us hope that Jesus, too, can transform all of us.

The Visitation Order celebrates St. Jane de Chantal and St. Margaret Mary as canonized saints, co-founder, St. Francis de Sales, as Doctor of the Church, seven Blessed martyrs from Madrid, and a host of venerable sisters and those in the process of beatification, including Leonie Martin, Madre Icaza, Ven Marie Bogner and Ven Anne M Remuzat, to name a few.

Each Saint offers us a special quality to imitate: Sr Francis – gentleness and humility. St Jane – courage and fortitude. St Margaret Mary – love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Martyrs- fidelity in persecution.

Most importantly, the Saints all offer us encouragement that being open to the power of the Holy Spirit can change us and those around us, and even the whole world.