What does it mean to be a saint in today’s world? How can we better understand the qualities that make someone saintly? On this special day, when we honor all saints, let’s explore these questions together.
Firstly, happy Feast Day to you, a member of the Communion of Saints. May today’s blessings inspire us to strive for sainthood and holiness and ultimately find our place among the heavenly.
What does it mean to be a saint?
What does it mean to be a saint? The most straightforward answer is to be holy. But what does it mean to be holy? This question often arises in spiritual discussions, and at its core is a longing to live a saintly life, a yearning for holiness.
I long to be a saint. I know many people who passionately desire the same. It is a holy desire, a priority for anyone born anew in Christ. No ambition of the human heart compares to the ultimate aspiration of holiness.
The saints’ commitment to God’s holiness, which we’re all called to embody, inspires us. We’ve heard many examples of holiness: the lives of the saints we honor, as well as the virtuous people around us who exemplify faith, hope, and charity. Don’t we look at them and want to be like them? Even when we fall time and time again, something about the holy moves us deeply. The Psalmist (24) speaks of our longing, to see the face of God. And Revelation 7 takes us on a spiritual journey, a glimpse of the Glory of God.
Thus, understanding the concept of sainthood and holiness allows us to deepen our desire to live saintly lives. By knowing who we become as saints and what we do as a saintly community, we can enrich our practice of a saintly life. I’ve always believed that we appreciate what we’ve been given when we understand deeper aspects of its value. It is so with the idea of holiness, the treasure of being a saint.
Saints and Holy
Let’s start by exploring what the Bible says about saints and holiness. The term “saints” appears 83 times in 82 verses, mostly in the New Testament. The singular “saint” appears only once (Philippians 4:2). The Old Testament mentions “saints” just 21 times. In contrast, “holy” appears far more frequently—652 times across 584 verses of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible.
The related term “holiness” is found 26 times. In the New Testament, “holy” is used 176 times in 166 verses, making “saint(s)” a more distinct New Testament concept. It’s mostly used by the Apostles and disciples to describe believers in communion with Christ (God). Interestingly, the singular form, “saint,” is rarely used, occurring only once.
This suggests that the term “saints” refers to members of a community—the Body of Christ. Therefore, being a saint isn’t about isolation; it’s about being part of the communion of believers. A person becomes a saint through their connection with Christ, who is our Lord and Savior, and the head of the Church.
Therefore, living a saintly life, first and foremost, means communion in the life of God. We appreciate the communion that God is because we are brought into it by God, who loves us and shares His life with us. In today’s world, where radical self-absorption is prime, and self-love is extolled beyond all else, including to the detriment of care for others, the saint today stands as a complete contrast.
Being a saint, therefore, seems to contrast with the idea of a spiritual life that is radically my way or my private thing. It is radically communal.
Instead of the self-centered attention to pleasure, the saint seeks the transformative life of sharing, the sharing that God is who pours His life for us to have life in abundance. This communal aspect of sainthood becomes more apparent as we reflect on its synonym, being holy.
I invite you to continue reading parts two and three of this reflective teaching on being “Saints Today.” Part two is on “What it means to be holy,” and part three is on “What it means to be a Saint Today.“
Remain blessed, and Happy All Saints!
