"What does it mean to be a human being?.....He knew now that at the end there was only one thing that counted-to be a saint....What interests me is learning to become a saint."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life." pp.244-245)
Buechner quotes from two different books with the answer to his question; Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory and Camus The Plague. Certainly interesting that two different characters come up with a similar answer, be a saint, and how to be a saint.
When we hear the word saint we immediately think of some super human religious person. One who does incredible things in the name of God and who, so the stereotype goes, does nothing wrong.
Both of course like most stereotypes is greatly exaggerated. While certainly the more famous saints, the one's that get the press' attention do extraordinary things in the name of God, there are saints each and everyday, who live out their faith to the best of their abilities, but for whom notoriety is not going to be coming.
But if being a saint is the answer to being a human, then all we have to be is truly ourselves. To bring forth from ourselves the best we have to offer. To allow the light of Christ to shine through us much like the stained glass windows that are found in many religious buildings.
If sainthood was only perfection we'd have no saints. If sainthood was only about the extraordinary and not the ordinary, we'd be short changed. If being human is being a saint, meaning I suppose that we are named and we have a purpose, then sainthood is achievable for anyone.
Blessings,
Ed
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