As a teenage Catholic girl who’s trying her best to follow Jesus in a secular world, the saints have always been such an inspiration to me. It is a privilege that we have, as Catholics, to get to know, love, and seek their intercession.
They are so much more than just people who did good deeds. The hearts they have touched, sacrifices they made, are real examples of a life given to God. The greatest beauty of the saints is that they are human, just like you and me. But because they have let God move in their lives, they have done things that we, by our will and flesh alone, could never do. The forgiving heart of St. Maria Goretti, who chose to love and forgive her aggressor as he took her life. St. Louis Ibaraki, a Nagisaki native, who decided at age 12, that he would die for God.
When I read about the saints’ lives, it feels like looking through a window at what God can do with my own heart. To me, they are proof of how deeply we can put our faith in God, despite any mental or physical test.
I always think about how the saints might not have known that we would remember their names until today. Yet, their lives have such significance because they have lived for the Lord. By their inspiration, I recognise that while it is hard to live for the glory of God and not one’s self, it is not impossible. I pray that I can live in full surrender like that.
The saints remind us that we, brothers and sisters in Christ , are truly made for God!