For most of my young adult life, I was not close to the saints. I’ll go one step further and tell you that I didn’t want to be close to them. I saw them, or what I understood of them, to be everything I am not. Perfect. In my misunderstanding, I believed they were Saints because they were perfect followers of Christ.
Early in my marriage, my husband and I sat down to watch TV but our cable was out so we only got one channel. We were so tired from recently moving and putting our three young children to bed, so we decided to sit and watch whatever was on that one channel. It was the movie, “Peter and Paul” starring Anthony Hopkins and Robert Foxworth. I thought I remembered my Bible stories about the early Church but watching that movie really opened my eyes to who the saints were.
These two saints weren’t perfect. They were normal, flawed men who led imperfect lives. And then, Jesus changed them. They wanted to be different. They wanted to live differently. And I learned that even then, they made mistakes, but they made the decision every day to be a follower of Christ and to strive to be holy, that is, perfect.
That realization blew me away and changed my perspective on sainthood, but more importantly, on my own path to holiness. It’s okay that I am not perfect right at this moment. As someone who loves Jesus and strives to be a follower of Christ, I can learn from the saints how they lived their holiness. I now love reading the stories of the saints, as I find they encourage me in my journey as a follower of Christ.
When I read today’s Gospel from Matthew, I realized that years ago, my first instinct would have been to recoil, believing I could never and would never be perfect. But now when I read the word “perfect,” I reflect on the words found in The Way by St. Josemaria Escriva as encouragement in my journey of faith. In Rule 29, he writes, “To reform. Every day a little. This has to be your constant task if you really want to become a saint.”
To be a saint is the goal of each of us who lives as a follower of Christ. And these words from St. Escriva encourage me not to be overwhelmed by my imperfection. That I am to make the effort and continue to grow in holiness and faithfulness to our Lord in small moments every day.
Simplicity has now become my starting point, and I encourage you to do the same. Grow in perfection one step and one day at a time. Turn to the Lord for help. Call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance. Invite the saints to pray with and for you. And speak directly to God and share your heart about your desire to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Durante la mayor parte de mi juventud, no me sentía cercana a los santos. Incluso diría que no quería estar cerca de ellos. Los veía, o al menos lo que entendía de ellos, como todo lo contrario a mí. Perfectos. En mi error, creía que eran santos porque eran seguidores perfectos de Cristo.
Al principio de mi matrimonio, mi esposo y yo nos sentamos a ver la televisión, pero no teníamos señal de cable, así que podíamos ver un solo canal. Estábamos muy cansados por la reciente mudanza y por haber acostado a nuestros tres hijos pequeños, así que decidimos sentarnos a ver lo que estuviera dando en ese canal. Era la película “Pedro y Pablo”, protagonizada por Anthony Hopkins y Robert Foxworth. Creía recordar las historias bíblicas sobre la Iglesia primitiva, pero ver esa película me abrió los ojos sobre quiénes eran realmente los santos.
Estos dos santos no eran perfectos. Eran hombres normales, con defectos, que llevaron vidas imperfectas. Y entonces, Jesús los transformó. Querían ser diferentes. Querían vivir de otra manera. Y aprendí que, incluso después, cometieron errores, pero tomaron la decisión cada día de ser seguidores de Cristo y de esforzarse por ser santos, es decir, perfectos.
Esa revelación me impactó y cambió mi perspectiva sobre la santidad, pero, lo que es más importante, cambió mi propio camino hacia la santidad. Está bien que no sea perfecta en este momento. Como alguien que ama a Jesús y se esfuerza por ser seguidora de Cristo, puedo aprender de los santos cómo vivieron su santidad. Ahora me encanta leer las historias de los santos, ya que me animan en mi camino como seguidora de Cristo.
Cuando leí el Evangelio de Mateo de hoy, me di cuenta de que hace años, mi primer instinto habría sido rechazar la idea, creyendo que nunca podría ser perfecta. Pero ahora, cuando leo la palabra “perfecto”, reflexiono sobre las palabras que se encuentran en Camino, de San Josemaría Escrivá, como un aliento en mi camino de fe. En la Regla 29, escribe: “Reformarse. Un poco cada día. Esta tiene que ser tu tarea constante si de verdad quieres llegar a ser santo”.
Ser santo es la meta de cada uno de nosotros que vivimos como seguidores de Cristo. Estas palabras de San Josemaría Escrivá me animan a no dejarme abrumar por mis imperfecciones. Me impulsan a esforzarme y a seguir creciendo en santidad y fidelidad a nuestro Señor en los pequeños momentos de cada día.
La sencillez se ha convertido en mi punto de partida, y les animo a hacer lo mismo. Crezcan en perfección paso a paso, día a día. Recurran al Señor en busca de ayuda. Invoquen al Espíritu Santo para que los guíe. Pidan a los santos que oren con ustedes y por ustedes. Y hablen directamente con Dios, compartiendo con Él su deseo de ser “perfectos, como su Padre celestial es perfecto”.
Lisa Henley Jones is a wife, mom, and native Texan. Her life is influenced by her Catholic faith and she shares it through writing and on her podcast, Of Sound Mind and Spirit, together with her sister, Shelly Kelly. For fun, Lisa enjoys reading, walking, dating her husband, and wearing the college colors of her young adult kids.
Feature Image Credit: Kelsey Todd, unsplash.com/photos/a-bookshelf-filled-with-lots-of-books-on-top-of-a-wooden-table-tPpca3wSUw4
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
Daily Reading
Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1 Kings 21:17-29 After the death of Naboth the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite:“Start down to meet Ahab, king of Israel,who rules in Samaria.He will be in…
Saint of the Day
Saint John Francis Regis
Saint John Francis Regis was a French priest of the Society of Jesus. Making himself available to the poor, he spent the afternoon at prisons and hospitals. The post Saint