Matthew 5:10-11
Finally, Saints are people who, no matter what happens to them, stand firm in faith.
Jesus knew, as he addressed his disciples on the mountaintop, that the day would come when they would be persecuted for believing in him. Jesus knew that living this kind of life that he outlined would be difficult. In his final beatitude, Jesus tried to warn the disciples that the Christian life is sometimes very difficult.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." Jesus told his disciples. When those things happen, and they are bound to at one time or another, Jesus says, "rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven." All through the ages, there have been saints who have suffered because of their Christian convictions. They took unpopular stands, but they remained strong in the faith. They did not waver in the face of adversity. Such persons are examples for us. They offer us a word of hope. They endured, and so can we.
When Margaret Helminski was seven, she received a gift from her grandmother. It was a tiny cross on a wisp of gold chain so fine, its weight was barely perceptible. "Never forget what this cross means," her grandmother said as she fastened it carefully around Margaret's neck.
Over the years, Margaret says that the cross became a part of her, like the long freckle on her left cheek. She could look at herself in the mirror and not even see it.
As a graduate psychology student, she took a job tutoring at a school for emotionally disturbed children. Suddenly surrounded by children who expressed their displeasure by kicking, biting, and screaming, she was terrified, though determined not to let it show.
On her first night there, the head counselor said that three of the boys had asked to escort her to dinner. Alone! How would she handle it if all three decided to act out at once? She swallowed hard. She desperately needed this job, so she fought back the panic and walked with her charges to the dining hall.
They passed through the cafeteria line as tantrums and fights erupted around them. Fortunately, none of her boys exhibited any kind of misbehavior outburst. They made their way to a table in the center of the busy cafeteria, and the boys took their seats. Margaret picked up her fork and was about to take the first bite when she noticed that all three boys were staring at her.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Aren't you going to ask a blessing?" asked eight-year-old Peter.
"I didn't think I was supposed to," she responded. "This is a state school, isn't it?"
"Yes," said David, his blue eyes brimming, "but you wear a cross."
Her grandmother's words surged to the surface of her memory. "Never forget what this cross means," her grandmother said.
"We thought that meant something," said Roman, clearly disappointed.
"It does. Thank you for reminding me," Margaret said, as she bowed her head, no longer afraid. Margaret learned something about sainthood that day. Saints trust in God and God alone for their ultimate security. Saints submit their will to the will of God. Saints stand firm and witness to their faith.
I've known a few saints in my time, haven't you? Some of them are now with God. They were not perfect people, but they fit these three criteria: trusting, submitting, standing firm. They blessed my life, and they blessed all that knew them. And on this fourth day after All Saints' Day, I would like to say one thing in their behalf: "Presente!"
Questions to Ponder:
Are you standing firm in the faith?
Is the cross a significant part of your life?
How can we become more saintly?
In His Service,
Terry Phillips
