August 9th Fast

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JMJ

"I also, would like to be a saint but I don't know where to begin.  There's so much to do that I limit myself to the desire.  I often say, "My God, how I would like to be a saint!" Then, I don't do the work! Though it's high time I started. . ." 

(Letter from Bl. Zélie Martin to her daughter Pauline, Feb. 26, 1876)

The witnesses of holy people are so necessary to our spiritual formation because their lives reveal the possibility of progress.  Their humility shines forth, and makes them accessible to us in a way that encourages and strengthens our resolve.  In another letter to her daughter Pauline, Blessed Zélie, the mother of St. Thérèse, exemplifies this:

"I want to become a saint, and that won't be easy.  There's a lot of wood to chop and all the wood is as hard as rock.  It would have been better if I tried earlier, while it was less difficult. Oh well, better late than never!"

The struggle for sanctity can be an arduous undertaking.  One becomes discouraged when his efforts to grow in virtue seemingly fail and he thinks it impossible to ever overcome his weaknesses.   How disheartening it can be when he finds himself examining his conscience only to be confessing the same sins over and over again!  And yet, this admission of repeated faults is itself a wonderful sign of the root of all virtues: humility.

God has created us to be perfect, but He did not create us as perfect already, and so in His wonderful mercy, He looks lovingly on us as we strive, in all earnestness, to be good and holy.  He is our Father, and looks on His with a tender love.  He sees the progress we make, the sacrifices we offer, and though we may fall, He is not there to knock us back down, but rather to pick us back up.  He forgives us when we fail, and cherishes us as He sees how hard we try to smooth the rough edges of our souls. When fatigue or anguish prompt us to despair, let us be like St. John at the Last Supper and rest on the bosom of our Lord.  Let us remember that others fought too, and eventually won the victory.  

It is good to remember the Gospel story of the loaves and fishes when we believe our offerings are too meager.  After the Apostles noted that the people should be sent away, Christ replied:

 "They need not go away, you give them something to eat. They said to him,'We have only five loaves and two fish.' and He said to them,'Bring them here to me.' Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. (Mt. 14:16-18)

Christ worked a miracle, but not of nothing.  Though only God can truly create something out of nothing, our Lord chose to use man's offerings to show His power.  In the same way, God cannot change our lives if we have nothing to offer Him; but through His grace, He can miraculously convert our poor offerings into something noble and resplendent.  God loves us and desires, even more than we do, our eternal happiness; therefore, He is eager to do all He can to help us when our desires coincide with His own.