"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." -Hebrews 12:1
Saints do not have superhuman powers. Like us, they lived in a secular world with competing values, yet they remained different from the world by being like Jesus. As one theologian describes, the saints in heaven can be imagined as a great stadium of people who have run or are running a race. While we each independently approach the starting line, we are lifted by the accompaniment of those who have gone before us, who cheer us on in our race.
The celebration of All Saints Day is simple, but not easy. If we want to be saints, we must be willing to be like Jesus: selfless, unconditionally loving, and forgiving, even if the world tells us otherwise.
How can you live out your vocation to love, to sainthood, today?