This weekend we are blessed to be able to celebrate the Saints of our Church. These are the great men and women who have given us an example of how to be more Christlike in our daily lives. I think we have all learned that the Saints were regular people, just like us. They had their good points and their bad points, just like us. And that they strived to follow Jesus even despite their human shortcomings, just like us. I remember when I was in the seminary there was one friar (word for “Franciscan” brother) who loved the Blessed Mother. That was fine. What wasn’t so fine is that during evening time when we were trying to study or get ready for bed, he would start walking up and down the halls singing “Ave Maria.” You would think that we would say: “Oh, how much he must love the Blessed Mother, and say that this was wonderful. However, he would do this for about an hour! The rest of us couldn’t study or sleep because we could hear him! You may wonder, “was this man saintly?” We who suffered from his night singing might answer, “Are you kidding? He was a royal pain!” So, what is a Saint like? Of course he or she is not perfect. None of us are perfect. Every saint in the Catholic directory had their own personality quirks, as well as good points. Today’s Scripture readings help us to understand what/who a saint really is. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor In Spirit,” “Blessed are they who mourn,” “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” etc. These qualities are what we call dispositions. The Saints had the right dispositions or attitudes in the way they treated people. They may have had personality quirks, like we all do, but they developed the right ways of treating people in their lives - with dignity and respect. For example, I think of St. Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun and doctor of the Church. She had a great desire for God, and sometimes her temper would flare up. Yet she also established countless schools and orphanages, mindful of the poor and needy. She had the right dispositions even though her personality could rub others the wrong way at times. You might say with St. John in today’s 2^nd reading that the Saints are the ones who know God not because they were super holy. They know Him because “they see him as He is.” That is, through loving others.       

 

~ Fr. John