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November 1, 2023All Saints Day
I heard a story the other day of a very holy man. The commentator said, "We shouldn't call him a saint. If we sanctify him, we don't have to imitate him." This is precisely the opposite of the meaning of saints! Throughout the Church's history, we have honored saints, but not to set them apart. We honor saints to remind us of what is possible for a person who loves God. The saints have stories as varied as our own. We have bishops, martyrs, teachers, doctors, former thieves and prostitutes, politicians and kings, soldiers and pacifists, single mothers, desert hermits? the list goes on! On this Solemnity of All Saints, we remember this garden of holiness, rich with diverse flowerings of a holy life. When you look at the life of your favorite saint, ask yourself, "How can I imitate this person? What is possible for me when I love God?"
