My Catholic faith is a simple fact of who I am. I go to Mass; I pray; I don’t eat meat on Fridays; I spend time with Scripture. These are all so important to my daily life that I can sometimes let it become mundane. There is grace in simplicity. There are huge blessings in living in a way that honors God and His Church. I am a servant of God. Part of His Body. Huge realizations, but not the whole story.
“Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,” Jesus says in today's Gospel reading. (John 14:10) When we truly believe in Jesus Christ, we are transformed! Our hands become His hands. Our good works are His good works. In His grace, our lives can become miraculous.
Today alone, we celebrate a whole host of Saints, including three that I find particularly compelling: Saint Peter Hieu, a Vietnamese martyr; Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, a physician and mother who lived in the 20th century; and Saint Louis de Montfort, whose love of and devotion to Mary continues to inspire Catholics around the world.
These three very different Saints lived vastly different lives. They were born in different centuries, lived on different continents, carried different crosses. All of them, though, model the transformative power of Christ in our lives. Their true belief in Jesus allowed them to do His work on Earth. Miracles have been worked through their intercession. The lives of others have been changed. Their strength to carry crosses I cannot fathom inspires me. Martyrdom—in body and in spirit. Dying to self to live in Christ. Truly Easter people.
Saints walk among us today. Peter, Barnabas, and the other early Christians are at the head of a line that continues on in every community. When we have true faith, we can truly do Christ's work on Earth as part of His body. No matter our century, continent, or cross, we can do the works of Christ. We are called to be Saints.
No matter our century, continent, or cross, we can do the works of Christ. // @br1gidClick to tweet
Read up on the lives of the Saints. Find a book or peruse a website. Be inspired.
Brigid Hogan is a high school English and ESL teacher who lives in northeast DC. She is passionate about Catholic social teaching and tries to live it out daily in her relationships and community. Most of her pleasures are guilty ones like television, burritos, and Twitter. Find out more about her here.
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