What does a saint look like? That’s hard to say. Both men and women were saints. Some lived long lives; others died young. Some were priests and nuns; others had families, lived singly or were widows and widowers. Some were highly educated, preached sermons, wrote books, became famous; others were illiterate, left no words behind and died in obscurity. Some devoted their lives to prayer and silence; others engaged in all kinds of activities and careers—especially working for those in need. Some met violent deaths; others died peacefully. Some were sweet-tempered; others were not. But despite their differences, all saints had one thing in common: They all believed they were God’s children—and so was everybody else too!
Question for today: Can you see any traces of a saint in your mirror?
- Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.
Dearhearts! Such a glorious day! All Saints Day, and I have such a Litany of Saints to remember and thank for getting me to this point in my life...only by the grace of God!
Some saints were children, like 2 of the 3 shepherd children of Fatima, who did not live to reach adulthood. We can learn from them, especially Jacinta, who offered her suffering from her illness for the souls in Purgatory & was overjoyed to do so.
With fear of sounding arrogant, Yes I do Father. AMEN!
"Lord Jesus, may I always honor you, both in my work and in my rest, and in the way I treat my neighbor. Fill me with your love and keep me free from a critical and intolerant spirit that I may always seek to please you and to bring good to my neighbor as well." Amen
Mirror, mirror, on the wall Any saint in you at all? Not so much I dare to say, Get on your knees and start to pray.
Love this Bill! Thanks for sharing. Ken, asking God to be with Sal, Debbie and Anna!
Bruce love the saying about mirror. Living faith family today's wisdom of the saints " Do not be Afraid to be saints. Follow Jesus who is the source of freedom and light. Be open to the Lord so that he may lighten all your ways" Saint John Paul the Great. I woul always tell my wife and best friend Kathy ( be patient with me I am a work in progress) She replied " yes but your not progressing " Living faith family please keep praying for Sal and Debbie and her daughter Anna. Bill thanks for a sinner's prayer Ken
Great Bruce! Much to pray about in this new month.
Sr. Melannie, this is so thought provoking and beautiful - thank you! I love pondering the Saints among us….from all walks of life. We are all called to be holy. Sometimes I think my hearing is not so good. Maybe more apt to say, I hear it and don’t always heed it :-). May my patron saint help me to listen to the call and help my activation skills. Amen.
Lord please hear our prayers and bring your light to all those experiencing natural disasters, as well as those in Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur, the Sudan, in addition to all those suffering around the world - also for their strength, courage and resilience to continue walking in faith. Send them your light. Father in Heaven, have mercy on us and on the whole world! You sent Your Son, the Prince of Peace, for the salvation of the world. We pray that the Peace of Christ will reign in Haiti, the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Darfur and Sudan. Please protect and send aid to those in need and all who are at-risk. We pray for peace and rebuilding– we who are working towards it and for all those who are suffering or in danger from conflicts. We pray for an end to violence and war – we pray for wisdom for all leaders who have a hand in this. Lord God please help those in most need of thy mercy. Amen.
On this most Holy day we pray for the intersession of our own patron saints to guide us as we welcome a new month. Celebrating the birthdays/anniversaries this month of the LF Family. Also, remembering A sinner's prayer. An apt prayer for yesterday's devotion.... Amen! Thank you, Holy Father, for this beautiful day and for this Gospel today. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for my faith, my life and for my family. Thank you, Holy Father, most of all, for your great sacrifice and for the opportunity of forgiveness and reconciliation. Please Lord Jesus Christ have mercy. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, King of Endless Glory. Amen Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you release your warrior angels and heavenly hosts. We decry and declare that they would take us off the enemies' radar and scramble the enemies' frequencies (airwaves). Your Kingdom must come now. Your will must be done right now, as in the heavens, also on earth. Amen Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host - by the power of God - Cast into hell satan and all evil spirits that prowl about the earth seeking the ruin of souls. Amen
Bill L... Thank you for remembering! Remembering the celebrations of our Living Faith Family's lives each month, and for remembering A Sinner. God Bless Us All And ALL Who We Love!
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How do I become a saint by looking in the mirror? Can I become a saint based on my own good works? Can anyone become a saint by doing enough good works? Do you think anyone can do enough good works to become a saint? Is it subjective or objective conclusion in becoming a saint? *** If I can do enough good works to be a saint and a child of God, then I don't need Jesus or His sacrifice on the cross, do I? But if I don't do any good works, how do I know I am a child of God and a saint? The horse (Salvation in Christ alone) before the cart (good works as a result of Salvation in Christ alone) in Ephesians 2:8-10, "God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your Salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it. We are God’s creation. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good works. Long ago God prepared these works for us to do!" *** The only way to become a child of God and a saint is to wear the blood of the Lamb, a gift from God in Christ alone on the cross in Revelation 7:13-14, "Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND MADE THEM WHITE!" ******* When you look into the mirror, you either see Jesus or yourself!!! I suppose if you have one of those distorted mirror, you will see Jesus or yourself depending on the angle of your sight! *** 1 Corinthians 13:12, "Now we see only a dim likeness of things. It is as if we were seeing them in a foggy mirror. But someday we will see clearly. We will see face to face. What I know now is not complete. But someday I will know completely, just as God knows me completely!" *** Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do what My Father in heaven wants will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord! Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in Your Name? Didn’t we drive out demons in Your Name? Didn’t we do many miracles in Your Name?’ Then I will tell them clearly, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who do evil!’" *** Are you a child of God? Do you know the Father? Does the world recognize you as a child of God? 1 John 3:1-2, "See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world (are these or 'all' people children of God?) don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know Him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is!" ******* John 1:12-13, "But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are REBORN—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God!" Galatians 3:26, "For you are all children of God through FAITH in Christ Jesus!" *** We don't need good works to be a child of God and a saint to go to heaven! I do good works BECAUSE I am a child of God and a saint for I put my faith in Jesus Christ alone by His grace! *** The criminal who never did any good works in his life in Luke 23:40-43, "But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes (Repentance), but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into your Kingdom. (Confession)” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise. (Salvation)” *** Acts 16:29-31, "The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”