Today's Saints

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

I was thinking the other day about how hard it would be for me to remain in the world and to grow in sanctity. That got me thinking about what lay Saints would be like from our times. People who were not Priests or Religious, but married or single... We all know people like Jphn Paul II and Mother Teresa were great and will be great Saints! But what about the others like St. Gianna Beretta Molla? What would they be like today in this society?

I was just wondering what you guys thought of what today's Saint would be like and the things they would have to endure... What would be their heroic acts of virtue? I was just curious and this thought kept going through my mind...

[Era Might]

I was actually thinking about this the other day, about how eventually there will be people born in the '80s and '90s becoming Saints. Even though there are some modern Saints (Little Flower, Mother Teresa, etc), they weren't really "modern" in the sense that we understand it. It'd be pretty cool to read about a Saint who listened to Mars ILL and played video games.

Edited November 7, 2005 by Era Might

[franciscanheart]

I too was thinking about this (yesterday even). I have to laugh and agree with Era Might. It is a crazy thought to know that in the future our chidren's children's children will learn of saints who played video games, surfed the web, and listened to rap music.

I can't ever really pinpoint what heroic acts of virtue would be. There is such a long list of things out there today that could be resisted in which one would become a Saint. It is a very interesting thing to think of but I'm not sure I could ever really put a finger on the things a Saint would possess in our world. They all possess very obvious things but what will be their biggest 'accomplishment'?

It makes me go like this:

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

: I know how you feel Laura... lol

I just keeping thinking about how difficult it would be too! There is so much out there, much more and far worse than in previous generations...

[franciscanheart]

most definitely. and in a society when even the most basic evils are presented as pleasing and good, it makes it more difficult for the average to become holy. in the same sense however, the truly holy will see ease in being holy for it is through Him alone that we are most perfected. it is through Him alone that we resist temptations that the world presents and see not this world, but the one to come. it is in that fixed thought of Him and His will and that perfection that one succeeds in denying themselves the pleasure of this world's evils and instead leads a life for Him (in Him, with Him, through Him), a saintly life. this mindset, this understanding of sorts, is what makes a Saint a Saint and seperates those who live for Christ from those who live for themselves.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

You are so smart. And right too! (You rock...)

Totally right on... it may not seem easy, but nothing was ever said to be easy...

I cannot promise you joy in this life, but in the next...

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='FutureNunJMJ' date='Nov 7 2005, 03:44 PM']You are so smart.  And right too!  (You rock...)

Totally right on...  it may not seem easy, but nothing was ever said to be easy...

[b]I cannot promise you joy in this life, but in the next...[/b]
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(tears of joy of course!!)

[Myles Domini]

[quote]most definitely. and in a society when even the most basic evils are presented as pleasing and good, it makes it more difficult for the average to become holy. [/quote]

A truly important point and one too often underestimated. For almost a thousand years the spirit of consumerism was restrained and then the enlightenment re-opened the spirit of Rome definitively: individualism and want were placed above common values and it has given birth to a society much like the one the Church was born into. In this era where drugs, sex, violence, fraud, copyright infringement and other types of theft, are so common and presented to all of us on a daily basis it is--daresay--more difficult for lay people in the Western world to become saints than it has since the Goths took Italy. I can envision their being many Boethius types in the 21st century, good upstanding virtuous individuals who act from the very heart of the polis. But saints...that will be more difficult. When they arrive (and they will) we should be infinitely grateful.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

Lots of smart peoples here! Insightful too! Nice points Myles... It will be like a fresh spring in the midst of a desert when a Saint will be among us...

[franciscanheart]

indeed! i have faith that when Christ allows the manifestation of the Saint(s) of our time that the faithful will know and rejoice. i find comfort in the knowledge that He has a plan for that person to walk among us and that we should be so lucky, especially in this day and age, to have lived when he/she lived! we are a people truly blessed!

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

And we are all called to be Saints! So anyone we know now could be declared a Saint in the future! What blessings and graces one could recieve!

[franciscanheart]

i feel truly blessed to know those i do. so many are so holy, much holier than i could ever imagine myself. how neat it would be to know that Saint! how wonderful it is to be affected by their holiness.

even those undeclared, the ones whose lives are simple and true, what a blessing they are to our lives!

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

[quote name='hugheyforlife' date='Nov 7 2005, 03:19 PM']i feel truly blessed to know those i do. so many are so holy, much holier than i could ever imagine myself. how neat it would be to know that Saint! how wonderful it is to be affected by their holiness.

even those undeclared, the ones whose lives are simple and true, what a blessing they are to our lives!
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: yeah!

[franciscanheart]

i love the Saints.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='hugheyforlife' date='Nov 7 2005, 04:23 PM']I too was thinking about this (yesterday even). I have to laugh and agree with Era Might. It is a crazy thought to know that in the future our chidren's children's children will learn of saints who played video games, surfed the web, and listened to rap music.
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St. Dustin S.
St. Laura H.
St. Jennie M. (hehe)
St. Micah M. (I WISH!)
St. Angela (what's your last name?)
St. Katie S.
St. James L., III

...and the list goes on...

[Dreamweaver]

I wouldn't be suprised if many of the saints of our generation end up being martyrs, especially with the Church in Asia or some parts of Africa. Maybe many will end up being "normal" people, who lived lives of love to God and others. They may end up being the people with 6 kids, showing their children the love of the Eucharist and the other sacraments, coaching softball.... :

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

I just think this is so awesome to think about!

May we be blessed with many Saints and Holy People in our generation!

(And Micah, I'm not giving my last name out unless I have to, but for informational purposes, it starts with the letter H.)

[franciscanheart]

i wouldn't be surprised by that either Dreamweaver. i think its a sad reality (commendable, honorable, dignified..... but still sad).

[blovedwolfofgod]

the blood of the martyrs, the seed of the church.

i have a friend who's greatest desire is to be martyred. he wants to die for God so much... its really weird sometimes. and he is very happy with his life, no psychological issues.

and it is truly a blessing having him around. everything he touches changes and he left for a semester... and its noticeable.

sometimes, im really jealous... but i have to remember that i must be humble...

actually, i have a couple friends like that. both left for this semester here...

truly holy people... its absolutely amazing.

[Era Might]

I dream of being a martyr sometimes...

...And then I read stuff like this:

[quote]At these words, those wicked men, utterly devoid of humanity, were roused to a fiendish barbarity, and reached such a degree of cruelty that they inflicted still more horrible sufferings on the soldier of Christ. Once again, "he was scourged, a crown like that of Jesus Christ was bound about his head, he was struck heavy blows and lay wounded by a scimitar. Next, his right eye was gouged out, strips of skin were torn off, his wounds were savagely scorched and rubbed with prickly bundles of straw. Nor was that enough: his ears, nose and lips were cut off, his tongue torn out by the root, and finally, a weapon plunged into his heart. And, at long last, the valiant athlete, three hours after midday, displaying a truly marvelous example of fortitude, was pierced by a sword and achieved the glory of martyrdom."

--Pope Pius XII on St. Andrew Bobola

[url="http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pope2601.htm"]http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pope2601.htm[/url][/quote]