Originally posted Nov. 2, 2019:

This month began with the feast of All Saints' Day. Let us reflect this month on what it means to be a saint, i.e., what is holiness?

The path to holiness: 

Let the Beatitudes be your guide

Adapted from Donald J. Kettler

In his recently published apostolic exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate” (“Rejoice and Be Glad”), Pope Francis reminds us that everyone is called to holiness. We are all called to be saints.

This can sound like a lofty goal — something reserved for special people. It brings to mind those who are already beatified or canonized by the church — people like the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Christ. Or St. Teresa of Calcutta, who started a religious order and devoted her entire life to helping the poorest of the poor.

Sometimes God calls people to be Gospel witnesses in these exceptional ways. But more often, he doesn’t. More often, God encourages us to answer the call to holiness in less dramatic, but no less important ways — in our day-to-day interactions with spouses, parents, students, neighbors and co-workers.

For this, the Beatitudes offer guidance. The pope calls them “a Christian’s identity card.” If you want to know how to live your life, you can turn to these teachings that Jesus gave in his Sermon on the Mount:

Added Nov. 11, 2019:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.

The path to holiness requires focusing less on wealth and material things, and giving more time and attention to the most important things in life - God, our families and the needs of others, especially the poor.

Added Nov. 20, 2019:

Blessed the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Are we humble? Are we patient with the faults and limitations of others? 

Added Nov. 27, 2019:

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Do we show compassion (from the Latin word meaning to "suffer with") to people we encounter who are experiencing illness or sorrow? Do we pray for them and offer our assistance?

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Do we desire and work for justice on behalf of society's most vulnerable people - the unborn, the immigrant, the marginalized and the abandoned? Are we good stewards of the Earth?

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Do we truly do to others as we would have them do to us - forgiving them for wrongs they have committed against us, and seeking forgiveness from those we have hurt?

(to be continued...)