“It is no pride to desire to be the greatest saint and to sanctify the greatest number of souls, trusting only in God through the Immaculata.” – St. Maximillian Kolbe
Do you want to be a saint? Is it arrogant or presumptuous to believe one can become a saint?
Jesus wants you to be a great saint, and He will grant you the grace to be one. The Father created you to be a great Saint.
St Thérèse of Lisieux recognized that the greatness of God’s saints vary depending on their love for Him: “I saw that one could be a Saint in varying degrees, for we are free to respond to Our Lord’s invitation by doing much or little in our love for Him.” Understanding this she said “my God, I don’t want to be a Saint by halves.” Being a plain old ordinary saint was not enough for Thérèse. She wanted to be a great saint and she was confident that she would be: “I am daringly confident that one day I shall become a great Saint.”
Thérèse’s words might be interpreted as arrogance or presumption, but for the fact that she understood becoming a great saint was only possible by God’s grace and not through her own talents or abilities: “I am not relying on my own merits; because I haven’t any.”
These words reveal that Thérèse was not arrogant or presumptuous. Her confidence was based on her total trust in God. This childlike trust is absolutely necessary for our journey to sainthood. Not just trusting that God will provide for our material needs, but also absolute trust in His mercy and Divine Providence.
Do you fear you don’t have what it takes to be a great saint? Never fear, God the Father created you in His image and likeness. He gave you everything you need from the time He ‘dreamed’ of your existence and every day God gives you an abundance of grace to reach this great crown.
Stop thinking in a worldly manner and think heavenly. I challenge each of you on The Road of Faith to start each day with the prayer, “God, my Father and Savior, I strive starting fresh today to be the saint You created me to be. I need buckets of grace to make real Your dream for me. I trust in You and renounce any lies of the world that say I can’t be a great saint. Give me a heart to not do this ‘by halves’ This is what You created me to be and nothing stands in the way of Your Divine Will. Remove my fear and stress and set me free to be Your saint.”
“Do not fear anything, I am with you. These matters are in My hands and I will bring them to fruition according to My mercy, for nothing can oppose My will.” Divine Mercy in my soul # 573