Santo Subito: Answering the Call to be a Saint

by Mark Rothe
Master Catechist, Diocese of Arlington

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. (Apostle's Creed)

Pope Benedict celebrated Mass one week ago for the canonization of seven saints and we are soon approaching the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1. Thus, this is an opportune time to begin a new continuing series on the saints and sainthood.

We are invited in this Year of Faith to rediscover and receive once again the precious gift which is our faith, including studying, meditating upon, and praying in communion with the saints. In this Year, we might seek to learn more about those saints whose names we took in Baptism and/or Confirmation, those saints whose feast day we celebrate on a particular day, those saints for whom we already have a certain affection, and those saints who we know little or nothing about.

By faith, across the centuries, men and women of all ages, whose names are written in the Book of Life (cf. Rev 7:9, 13:8), have confessed the beauty of following the Lord Jesus wherever they were called to bear witness to the fact that they were Christian: in the family, in the workplace, in public life, in the exercise of the charisms and ministries to which they were called. (Porta Fidei 13)

By their lives and testimony of faith, those saints who reside now in Heaven provide excellent examples for us to follow in addition to interceding for us before God. This is an exceedingly good thing. Yet, at the same time, it does present some difficulties for many people.

Author Sherry Weddell recently spoke here at Blessed Sacrament about the great need to remedy the problem of, among other things, the large numbers of people who have a poor understanding of the faith and/or have left the Church for various reasons. In her book, she writes:

As we listened to Catholics talk about their spiritual journey, we began to realize that many assumed there were two basic spiritual "tracks"; "ordinary Catholic" and "saint." (Forming Intentional Disciples, p. 63)

In making such a distinction, despite the universal call to holiness (Lumen Gentium 39 et seq.), many Catholics believe that sainthood is simply beyond them. They hear the epic stories of the saints and those on their way to canonization, such as Blessed Mother Teresa, and they see larger-than-life superheroes. The prospect is daunting -- fearing that sainthood requires a high level of perfection that they simply could never attain, they do not even seek to live as saints. Moreover, they might even scoff and discourage others from wanting to be saints, accusing them of being arrogant and “holier than thou,” or by being overly technical with the term "saints," insisting that the correct Catholic understanding is that only those in heaven are saints, in contrast to a more Protestant view that anyone who has accepted Jesus is already a saint. At the same time, many of these same people assume that they will just naturally go to heaven when they die.

Of course, the truth is that the canonized saints were not superhuman, they were imperfect human beings like the rest of us. They too were works in progress during their lives, they too needed to go to Confession now and then. To be saints, these men and women needed grace. Besides, as popular saints such as St. Thérèse of Lisieux show us, one can be a saint by performing little things with great love. St. Josemaria Escrivá taught that, by united ourselves to the Lord, the work of our everyday lives could be Opus Dei, the work of God, and thus an occasion for our sanctification. Moreover, proper Catholic teaching is that the communion of saints includes the Church Militant (the faithful here on earth), as well as the Church Triumphant (those saints in heaven) (CCC 823, 946-962). While we are still works in progress and our "yes" to God will not be definitive until the end of our worldly journey -- being imperfect humans, there is always the chance that we will fall in sin -- if we persevere in the grace of the Lord, if we seek His forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession so as to be restored to grace when we do sin, then in hope we are already saved, we are already "saints" (See Spe Salvi). So while a measure of humility in considering the lives of holy people is a good thing, we should not go so far as to believe that, because of our limitations, we should not even try to seek sainthood.

Wanting to be a saint is not prideful or arrogant, it is an act of humility. One becomes blessed and obtains the Kingdom of God not by being superhuman, but by being poor in spirit, by putting one’s life into the hands of God, by persevering through it all in His grace. One does not need to be a superhero to be a saint, one needs only to be heroic enough to ask God for that grace. This distinction between “ordinary Catholic” and “saint” is a false distinction. The saints were ordinary people, and ordinary Catholics are called to be, and should be, saints.

Bishop Names Blessed Sacrament Church as a Place of Pilgrimage for the Year of Faith

Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde has named our Church of the Blessed Sacrament as a place where Catholics can obtain a plenary indulgence as part of the observance of the Year of Faith. A plenary indulgence is the complete remission of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains,

Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the "eternal punishment" of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the "temporal punishment" of sin. (CCC, 1472)

The gift of a plenary indulgence takes away temporal punishment so that a person can begin again with a “clean slate,” so to speak, in one’s relationship with Almighty God as well as with our brothers and sisters in the mystical body, the Church. According to a decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which governs the reception of indulgences in the Church, the faithful can obtain the plenary indulgence if one is truly repentant, has received the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Communion, and prays for the intentions of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, at a place designated by the local bishop. There the person should at least pray with devout meditation and end the visit with the recitation of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith, and any invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the patron saints of the shrine or church. (See the Decree of the Apostolic Pententiary, 14 September 2012)

In addition to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Bishop Loverde has designated the Cathedral of St. Thomas More and the Churches of Our Lady of Hope, St. John the Baptist, All Saints, St. Andrew, and St.Mary’s Fredericksburg as places of pilgrimage for the Year of Faith.

Blessed Sacrament Church is open every day by 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, by 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays, and 6:30 a.m. on Sundays.

Baptism at Blessed Sacrament - Part 3

By Danielle Hetzel

This is the third part in a series about Baptism at Blessed Sacrament.

On July 8th, my husband and I welcomed our baby boy, Brendan Thomas, to our family. Everyone was healthy and we started to settle into our new lives together.

Brendan Thomas, two days old

Both my husband and I were drawn to the name Brendan. After we did some research, it seemed appropriate because Saint Brendan is the patron saint of sailors and my husband is in the Navy. We chose the name Thomas because I had an Uncle Thomas growing up who died when I was in college. Saint Brendan and Saint Thomas are two great saints of the Church and we ask their prayers as our son grows in his relationship with God in the Church.

We had scheduled the Baptism for August 4 at 9:30 AM and we anxiously awaited getting to see friends and family. More importantly, though, we wanted to welcome Brendan into the Church family.

I highly recommend showing up at the Church at least 20 minutes before the baptism is scheduled. We were able to get prepared, and it eliminated any rush or worry. It was very nice to be in a calm, focused mindset for the ceremony. It also allowed our families to get settled and ready.

Brendan was wearing a Baptismal gown created from his grandmother's wedding dress. They are also available online and at Catholic bookstores. There were three babies getting Baptized that day, and every one had a unique gown.

In the Blessed Sacrament courtyard after the ceremony

As mentioned in the last post, the ceremony started outside of the actual sanctuary. After an initial blessing, we processed in to begin bringing our children into the Church body. The whole congregation was invited to take part in this procession, which was very unifying and welcoming.

The ceremony was similar in many ways to a Mass, which lent a nice familiarity. There were readings and a homily, and the choir sang some lovely songs.

Fr. Dyer's homily was about how Baptism should be the greatest day in your child's life. In his life, he realized that his favorite number, which was the jersey number of his favorite football player, was also the date of his Baptism. That was just one time where he realized that God works in many ways. Perhaps someday Brendan's favorite number will be 84.

The actual Baptism was a very happy and exciting occasion. It was wonderful to be surrounded by friends and family and welcome our son into the Church. He didn't even cry when the water was poured on his head, which was great. Overall, he was very good for the ceremony.

As a remembrance of the day, each family gets to keep the small white garment the child receives after being baptized. The priest presents the meaning by saying, “See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.” You also keep the baptismal candle that the child’s parents and godparents received for the child during the liturgy to symbolize that the light of Christ is kept by the family after the baptism. During the liturgy the priest says, “Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ.” When Brendan is old enough to hear the story of his Baptism, we will have his candle and white garment to show him, along with pictures of the ceremony.

If you are curious about the words of the Rite of Baptism, you can read them online. The iBreviary site provides them in English and Latin.

We were very blessed to celebrate the sacrament of Baptism at Blessed Sacrament. It was a wonderful community experience. We bought a brick commemorating the day to help support Blessed Sacrament's Courtyard Project and so that someday we can show Brendan how important this day was.

Thank you for joining us on our journey of Baptism at Blessed Sacrament. If you have any questions or comments of your own, please feel free to leave it below.

Brendan with his brick in the courtyard at Blessed Sacrament

God bless!

Preparing for Marriage - Part 2

by Nicole (Fernandes) Racadag

“Marriage is a lifelong partnership of the whole of life, of mutual and exclusive fidelity, established by mutual consent between a man and a woman, and ordered towards the good of the spouses and the procreation of offspring.” Marriage is a model institution of the love of God that a couple is called to in the world. The sacredness, trust, and commitment builds a forever capacity to live out the sacrament for the rest of their lives. - The Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 1601)

As my husband Ivan and I approach our three-month anniversary, it seemed time to reflect on the events of the week leading up to our wedding on July 21. The weeks before our wedding were a hectic, emotional and exciting time in our lives as we prepared to exchange those vows that six months of pre-marriage counseling had prepared us for. As our wedding day approached, it was so easy to get swept up in the last-minute details and preparations. Would the cake, food and alcohol be enough to satisfy our growing guest list? Would we be able to finish all the place cards in time? Would it be a sweltering 100 degree day that would impede our plans to take photos outside the West Virginia State Capitol?

We are sure all brides and grooms can relate to this. The feelings of anxiety, anticipation, excitement, etc. We get so consumed with perfecting the details of the wedding that it becomes easy to lose sight of the fact that what we are preparing for is not the “wedding” but the “marriage.”

Ivan and I took time, amidst last-minute catering checks and salon appointments, on the Tuesday of our wedding week to meet with our home parish priest, Father Carlos Melocoton. Father Carlos urged us to slow down and to pray for love, understanding and guidance as we approached the day we would exchange our vows before God, our families and our friends in our home parish church of the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Charleston, WV. Although we only met with him for an hour, it filled us with a renewed understanding of the importance of the upcoming event.

We were not going to be bogged down over the minute details of preparing for a day - we were going to plan and pray for every day after that day. In my parents' speech to us at our wedding reception, they said, "Marriage is not a bed of roses." It takes commitment, love and understanding to make a marriage last a lifetime. That's why it is so important to have your hearts and minds centered on that as your wedding day nears and especially on the day of the wedding.

Our advice to soon-to-be-married couples is this: Take time during your wedding week to reflect on the sacrament you are about to participate in. Marriage between a baptized man and woman is a sacrament and it means that the bond between husband and wife is a visible sign of the sacrificial love of Christ for his Church. Remember that your wedding day is simply that - a day. Marriage is a lifetime.
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Read Preparing for Marriage (part one) here.

Sherry Weddell on Forming Intentional Disciples

Sherry Weddell, co-founder of the Catherine of Siena Institute and author of the book Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Know and Follow Jesus spoke at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church last Friday and Saturday about the current state of affairs in the Church in the United States. The talks drew large crowds of people, many from other parishes.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Reed

Ms. Weddell, who gave her talks here on the eve of World Mission Sunday, has been giving similar presentations to parishes and dioceses all over the country, making it her mission to help people to understand their mission of being a fruitful witness of Jesus Christ. In her talks at Blessed Sacrament, she took as her starting point various survey results and statistics (which confirmed what many have suspected all along) showing a disappointing level of knowledge of the faith and involvement in the Church, but more importantly, a failure of so many to understand that our faith is not about simply knowing some religious facts or adopting certain moral and ethical guidelines or about following a bunch of rules.

These survey results demonstrate that, for various reasons, so many people fail to grasp that our Catholic faith is actually primarily about relationship -- having an encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ and establishing and fostering a joyous personal relationship with Him. Our faith must become a living and dynamic lived faith, a faith that reflects that relationship of love that we are called to have with our Lord, and not merely a begrudging or passive faith, much less a joyless or even an antagonistic one.

Accordingly, as Ms. Weddell implored, there is a need for us to become "intentional disciples" of Jesus, not merely for ourselves, but so that we might be better able to spread the light of His love and truth to others. Perhaps this need is most pressing with respect to our brothers and sisters in Christ who have drifted or fallen away or ran away from the Church or those still in the Church but who are at risk of leaving now in favor of something else, either Protestant congregations, secular worldly concerns, or outright agnosticism or atheism.

The summary for Ms. Weddell's recent book describes the situation this way:

How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples.

These are times of immense challenge and immense opportunity for the Catholic Church.

Consider these statistics for the United States.

•Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing.
•Fully 10 percent of all adults in America are ex-Catholics.
•The number of marriages celebrated in the Church decreased dramatically, by nearly 60 percent, between 1972 and 2010.
•Only 60 percent of Catholics believe in a personal God.

If the Church is to reverse these trends, the evangelizers must first be evangelized -- in other words, Catholics-in-the-pew must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. This work of discipleship lies at the heart of Forming Intentional Disciples, a book designed to help Church leaders, parish staff and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Drawing upon her fifteen years of experience with the Catherine of Siena Institute, Sherry Weddell leads readers through steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world.

Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion, how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the Great Story of Jesus, how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship, and much more.

And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.

Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Know and Follow Jesus is available for purchase at the Catherine of Siena Institute website (where proceeds will go toward helping the Institute's mission of equipping parishes for the evangelization and formation of lay Catholics for the sake of their mission in the world) or at other places where books are sold. The website also includes the Intentional Disciples Blog, where Ms. Weddell posts and continues the discussion she began in her book and speaking tour.
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See also "Called to radiate the Word of truth," Message of Pope Benedict for World Mission Day 2012.