Q. How Do We Become Saints?

Q. If God made us to become saints, how can we do so?

A. This is a question we should ask ourselves every day of our lives!  The answer to this question is neverending.

It’s true, we are made to be saints.  God made us to be one with Him forever in Heaven.  We call this holiness, sanctity or saintliness. But how do we become saints?

First, we seek the truth.  Truth is discovered by faith.  Faith is not just believing in something we cannot know for sure.  It’s not just wishful thinking. Faith is knowledge. Certain knowledge.  We ultimately obtain faith by allowing God to speak to our inner consciences and reveal that which is true.  This happens when two things are present. First, we engage our minds in the truth, such as in the Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the teachings of the saints, etc.  Second, reading the truth is not enough.  We also need the “gift” of faith, meaning that when we hear the truth, God needs to confirm it as “true” in our consciences.  God’s voice first revealed the truth through the Scripture, the Church, or the saint, but then God tells us in our souls that this is His Truth.  When this happens, we must believe. When this happens, we are gifted with faith. We know, with deep interior certitude, that which God revealed.

Second, this process of coming to know the truth in faith is strengthened by prayer.  When we pray, it’s like adding fuel to a fire. The fire, which is faith, grows in intensity.  As it grows in intensity, we grow in faith.

Third, we must live what we come to know through faith.  This is an act of our wills. When we choose to live the faith we come to know, we grow in charity, holiness, and saintliness.  We become saints.

Though this is a greatly simplified explanation of the path to holiness, it should point you in the right direction.


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