October 1 St. Therese of Lisieux: Our sister on the journey of holiness!
"Always keep lifting your foot to climb the ladder of holiness, and do not imagine that you can mount even the first step. All God asks of you is good will."
-St. Therese of Lisieux
"Always keep lifting your foot to climb the ladder of holiness, and do not imagine that you can mount even the first step. All God asks of you is good will."
-St. Therese of Lisieux
Why do we need saints? How are they models of holiness? Our founder, Bishop Giaquinta said,
"In the Church, when a person becomes a saint, love grows in intensity and spreads in quantity according to the fervor with which it is received and responded to. Consequently, the greater the holiness of a saint, the more the grace merited for our brothers and sisters.
In fact, for the Church, one person, a saint, who lived 100% in a state of grace would be more meritorious than a thousand people who lived their life of grace only at 10%. In other words, one saint can mediate more grace and be more beneficial to the Church and to humanity than a thousand lukewarm people. St. Therese of the Child Jesus alone can mediate more grace than hundreds of souls who merely live in a state of grace. You understand then how necessary it is that the number of saintly people be increased not only for the benefit of the Church, but also for sinners who need mediation in order to become converted and return to the Lord.
By emphasizing holiness we can more easily encourage people to move from merely a state of conversion to a higher state of grace. Actually, every interior movement – from sin to grace to holiness - is important, but we strive to make holiness the focus so that the Church may be enriched with saints who mediate for all their brothers and sisters. This is one of the reasons why holiness is so paramount in the Church." (Giaquinta, Spirituality of the Pro Sanctity Movement)
Please feel free to post comments on holiness and quotes of saints!
1 comment:
"In fact, for the Church, one person, a saint, who lived 100% in a state of grace would be more meritorious than a thousand people who lived their life of grace only at 10%."
I have thought and believed this for so long...and I have never heard anyone say it quite like Bishop Giaquinta! What more joyful or hope-filled goal is there to work for than holiness?? Even though often I don't know how I am helping others to holiness (especially in the specific times that I think I should be doing this a lot), I pray that God would use me without me even knowing, so that he can bring everyone to that 100% of holiness - so that all hearts may be on fire!
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