32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024

Do you know who you are? Who do you see when you look in the mirror? A man/woman? A Father/Mother? A Child? A Husband/Wife? A doctor/lawyer/accountant? A teacher/office worker/skilled laborer? Our self-image and how we identify ourselves is key to how we operate in the world every day.

We recently celebrated All Saints Day, a day when we recognize those who have finished their race and gone to the heavenly Beatific Vision. What made them so special? Or were they special at all? The saints we remember are really not much different than any of us. They were faithful to what God called them to, fulfilling their mission and relying on His grace. Their calling is no different from ours. Our mission may be different, but the goal—the calling—is the same: to be a saint.

To be a saint is simply to fulfill the unique call God has put on your life. Many saints did not do spectacular things. Some were faithful, godly parents who attempted to raise godly kids (Ex: Saint Monica who raised Saint Augustine).  Monica patiently prayed for her son and left it to God to bring him to faith. Her actions were not particularly spectacular. But, they were consistent, faithful and longsuffering. Augustine was no saint as a young man, but his mother’s example and faith planted the seeds that brought him to faith. Her faith showed him what his identity could be if he surrendered to God’s will.

Do we see ourselves as God sees us? Do we embrace our position as a child of a loving heavenly Father who delights in even our feeble attempts to please Him? Those of us who have children can recall them bringing home from school their first piece of artwork. It was probably not a museum-worthy piece of art, but we proudly magnetized it to the refrigerator to show them how much we loved them and appreciated their effort. My actions to try and please my heavenly Father may not always succeed, but I am convinced even my failures delight His heart.

Simply put, that is what a saint does. A saint tries to faithfully love and serve God one day at a time, recognizing that even the effort—the attempt—is part of God’s plan to change us with virtue into the image of Jesus. The more I surrender to His will, the more He sees Jesus when He looks at me.  St. Paul himself recognized this in his letters to the churches.

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to all the saints who are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 1:1



Saints were not perfect, just surrendered. And only saints go to heaven. That is our calling, our goal and our true identity. So, Church, be who you are, and are called to become.