Cardinal Tobin: We are all called to be ‘saints next door’
In his Apostolic Exhortation GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE, ON THE CALL TO HOLINESS IN TODAY’S WORLD, Pope Francis calls our attention to what the Second Vatican Council termed “the universal call to holiness.” We Catholics believe that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God, and all of us—no matter who we are or what our personal history may be—are called to be holy.
What does it mean to be holy? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “the desire for God is written in the human heart” (#27). We human beings are meant to search for God, to find him and to become united with him—both here on Earth and in our heavenly home.
Holiness is the quality of our union with God, the indication of our closeness to him. Holy women and men are close to God. That’s why we call them “saints,” which comes from the Latin word sanctus or holy.
In his encyclical “Spe Salvi” (“Saved by Hope”), Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI writes: “Life is a voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy, a voyage in which we watch for the stars that indicate the route. The true stars of our life are the people who have lived good lives.” They are the lights of hope, the Holy Father writes, because they point us to Jesus Christ, “the true light, the sun that has risen above all the shadows of history” (#49).
Saints shine with the light of Christ. Many of the saints have been officially recognized by the Church through a process that results in the solemn proclamation (canonization) that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace.
But during the last 2,000 years, many other holy women and men have given themselves wholeheartedly to Jesus Christ without being declared saints by the Church. These are the men and women that Pope Francis calls “the middle class of holiness” or “saints next door.” These are the saints we celebrate on Nov. 1, the Solemnity of All Saints.
All of us are called to holiness, to closeness to God, but unfortunately, most of us find ourselves further away from God than we would like to be. That’s why Christ gives us the sacraments—especially the Eucharist and the sacrament of penance—to help us in our daily struggles on the way to holiness. We are all called to be close to God, but for many of us (most of us?), the journey is a long and difficult one. [Continue Reading]
This is an excerpt from the latest edition (July 30, 2021 / Vol. 2, No. 22) of Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s Rejoice in the Lord newsletter. Read the full edition and past editions of the newsletter in English and Spanish here.
