It has been several weeks since my last posting. The reason behind this delay is because I finally took an overdue vacation with my wife. We spent just shy of two weeks to relax and rejuvenate. Then as soon as we returned, I had to go to Amsterdam for business. Now I am back, ready to write again!
Taking a vacation is a wonderful thing – especially since the last one was several years ago. We ventured east to the great state of Maine in order to visit Acadia National Park and to do some hiking and communing with nature. And with the colors of the Autumn season, we were not disappointed. After spending several days in Maine, we drove to Montreal, Canada for our anniversary. After a couple of days there, we headed home. It was truly a beautiful journey, and one that we will remember for many years to come.
We also managed to experience many “saintly” sites along the way. We had an opportunity to see the now St. Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine along with the Shrine of the North American Martyrs. While in Canada, we also saw two additional saint shrines including Andre Bessette. (Our mothers would be proud to know that we visited holy places during our vacation!)
Seeing all those saintly sites made me think about saints in general, especially as we approach the feast of All Saints’ Day. Think about it: isn’t All Saints’ Day our day too? This day does more than honor those whom we know as saints. It also offers hope and consolation to all who doubt their potential for goodness. It reminds us that not every saint was living in a desert or martyred for virtue. This is a feast of parents, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters and friends. It is the feast of those who believed in God, who struggled and sometimes failed, and who tried to be faithful. Oh my gosh: that’s us!
All Saints’ Day is a reminder that we become what we choose to be. We are all invited to sainthood, but we must pursue it. We need to remember that sinners are saints-in-the-making. There is no one among us that is so good that he or she does not have to work out his or her salvation. This feast reminds us that all that is required to be a member of the communion of saints is a turning around and accepting that fact that God loves us.
Let’s make a commitment to make the love of God real in our lives. Let’s make a commitment to act like a saint, because we are one!
