I want to be a lowercase s saint

Let me give you some background - when I was born, my mother was in the process of joining the Catholic Church - the priest who was leading the classes came and visited us while we were still in the hospital and explained to my mother which Saint Therese to name me after.  Afterwards that priest ended up becoming a Bishop - so I'd like to think my name is blessed.  And I love reading and learning more about Saint Therese and her "little way."

This week while in Adoration in my church's chapel, I was beginning my prayers and discussion with the Lord.  After my initial prayers on my knees, I like to sit back and relax - like having a cup of coffee with an old friend - one you can say anything to and know they will not judge you - but give you great advise.  So there I was sitting, gazing at the Blessed Sacrament, telling God how great he was - that He was my God, my Lord, my Friend; that how in awe I am in in his creation.  And how thankful I am of his love and mercy.  And then I said it, "I want to be a saint."  Not a Capital S Saint - by a lowercase s saint.  And my thoughts drifted to St Therese.  For she too wanted to be a saint.  And she developed a marvelous way to do it.

One of the things I love about St. Therese is that she did not feel we had to suffer our way to heaven, but instead we had to "love" our way to heaven.  It is recognizing our littleness (compared to God) and that in the big scheme of things we are nothing more than little children who cannot climb the first step of the staircase and call out to our Lord who will come and lift us up.

Now, just what is a lowercase s saint and how does someone become one?  I believe she (in my case) would be someone who tries on a daily bases to do the Father's will.  Notice I said try - for we are all only human and we are destine to fail - but the key is not in the failing but in the ability to rise anew each morning and try again.  A lowercase s saint sees Christ in everyone and shares the love they have received with all who they encounter; they love life - all life - from conception to natural death; they love the marvelous creation the Father has placed in our hands.  And most important they recognize nothing can happen without the Father's love and mercy - they know we are not on the journey on our own.

So, declaring yourself a lowercase s saint may sound pretty scary - it was for me the first time those words crossed my lips; just what will be asked of me and what happens if I fail.  Let's think about it this way - first as I said earlier we are human and God knows we are human and he knows we will fail.  But it's faith that leads us to try again; and with the failing comes our growing in our trust in the Father to be there for us.  And second - the Lord has already given us everything we need to be a lowercase s saint for this is truly what he wants us to do.  He has equipped us with all kinds of blessings, gifts and tools to do the job; he has given us his Word in the Bible; he has sent the Holy Spirit to guide us and he has given us the sacraments to help sustain us on the journey.  So now, we just need to love our way to heaven.

I challenge you to join me - make the commitment to the Lord that you too what to be a lowercase s saint - we will travel together, failing and getting back up with each step knowing the Lord is at our side as any good parent would be cheering us on.

Also, if you have not read St. Therese' autobiography "The Story of a Soul" I highly recommend you pick a copy up - it is so enlightening; easy to read and relate to.