Becoming Saints

First of all, love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:37–39; Mark 12:30–31; Luke 10:27). Then the following: You are not to kill, not to commit adultery; you are not to steal nor to covet (Rom 13:9); you are not to bear false witness (Matt 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20). You must honor everyone (1 Pet 2:17), and never do to another what you do not want done to yourself (Tob 4:16; Matt 7:12; Luke 6:31).

Renounce yourself in order to follow Christ (Matt 16:24; Luke 9:23); discipline your body (1 Cor 9:27); do not pamper yourself, but love fasting. You must relieve the lot of the poor, clothe the naked, visit the sick (Matt 25:36), and bury the dead. Go to help the troubled and console the sorrowing. (RB80.4.1-19)

This selection from the beginning of Chapter 4 of the Rule (The Tools of Good Works) sounds a little like a list for an instant saint. Who can actually do all of this??? In 19 verses, Benedict has included the 2 greatest commandments, the 10 commandments, the Golden Rule, and the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. Who can reasonably expect to fulfill these directives? And this is just the beginning.

Reflecting on Baptism and the implied call to holiness which is included in the sacrament, we are all called to this kind of living. These are characteristics of who committed Christians are. This is our identity.

How am I living my faith today? How am I being consistent with who I am called to be as a baptized Christian?

Sr. Catherine, OSB