The Sainthood Checklist

Gilda Rose Kalathil offers a 3-point checklist to measure our progress in living the life of a saint.

Do you want to be a saint?
What does it mean to be a saint?
Am I living the life of a saint?
Here’s a 3-point checklist to assess your progress toward sainthood.

 
Is God my first priority?

Simply put, is God at the centre of my everything?
Not, I WANT Him to be. Is He?
Do I let Him guide my every step?
How do I assess this practically?
Like everything else in the world,
you know your priorities based on how much time you give to it.

You can say you love gardening, but if you ain’t giving time to it,
then it isn’t really on your priority list.
Is God really my priority?
How much time do I give to spending quality time with Him in personal prayer?
Do I invest enough time reading His Word, to know Him better, to love Him?
The saints were never too busy for Him.
If I have been too busy for Him, then today is the day I need to re-assess.
Me?

I do have personal prayer time, I read the Bible regularly, I journal, I spend time in Intercession.
But there are definitely days I end up spending more time DOING things for Him, rather than enjoying His presence. I get lost in my ever-growing checklist more than in being loved by Him. Today, I pray for the grace to become aware of those moments and to make the choice to pause and acknowledge Him. I pray that my busyness may become opportunities to encounter God. In doing so, I want to make sacred: the ordinary and the routine.

 
Do I Love like Jesus?

Over the years, there are many values that I have considered important.
Honesty, Integrity, Courage, Authenticity, Commitment, Generosity … you can add your own to the list.
I have now come to realise that as important as all of these are in a Christian, the most important is LOVE.
St. Paul tells us,

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1)

All virtues move to another level when Love is the drive behind them rather than in themselves.
 
The saints were all holy men and women who pursued this beyond all else.
This verse by St. john Bosco drives it home:
“It is not enough to love, people must feel that they are loved.”
 
I can say that I love but the quality of my love is something that only the other can access.
I could be a great person to be around outside.
People might love my company and great things to say about me.
But I think the ultimate test is at home.
 
The question then for me is:
Do the people around me feel loved by me?
Does my husband feel cherished by me?
Do my children feel treasured?
 
Here’s the twist: Loved in the way they want to be?
Not just love the way I know, but love in the way that makes them feel loved.
That is something else. It requires us to first understand the other person.
To go beyond being nice and helpful, to really knowing what to say or do to truly nourish them. To consciously take the steps that build them.
 
Here’s an example:
I know my husband’s love language is words of affirmation.
I have to then make a conscious effort at loving him that way.
By using my words to let him know how much I appreciate him.
Not flattery. Genuinely.
Which means I keep looking for opportunities to applaud him.
I can do this once in a while. And yes, he will feel loved.
 
But true love would ask: How do I do this always, not just momentarily?
Honestly, this doesn’t come easily to me.
That is tough, because that means going against my convenience and comfort and ways of expression, to match what he needs from me.
It requires sacrifice, repeatedly. Consistently.
 
Sounds like a huge standard to place on oneself.
But that is exactly what our Lord has commanded us to be.
Be perfect like your heavenly father is perfect
It is not easy, but the saints show us it is possible.
It is the mark of a saint.
And I have a long way to go.

 
Do I Share Christ?

A defining mark of a saint is his/her ceaseless participation in sharing Christ.
God’s love cannot be contained.
Saints are so full of God that they cannot but share Him.
They go to great lengths in distance, perseverance and courage, even to the point of death to make Him known and loved.
They have done so even if they have been in cloistered convents or young families or even restricted to their bed.
The question then is: To what extent have I gone to share about Him who cannot be contained?
How often do I stand for what he stands for?
What do I actively do to help others experience Him?
In my vocation in life, am I using my talents and gifts to give Him glory by going out of my comfort zone?
 
For me personally, I know that with Faith Blocks I have stepped way beyond my comfort zone, pushed myself in areas I never thought I would explore, learnt things I have never tried. On the other hand, it doesn’t feel enough. There is so much more that needs to be done, so many areas that need to be touched, so many miles left to go. The one thing I really need to work more consciously around is the gift of time. I need to learn to use it better. I need to find more time for rest and leisure. Not easy, if you know me. And that will be one very practical and tangible step for me on my way to sainthood.

Click to tweet:
It is not easy, but the saints show us it is possible. A 3-point checklist for living like a saint. #catholicmom

How about you?

Are you using your time and talents for what it was purposed?

Do you feel a tug in your heart and not sure how to proceed?

Is there a gift that you need to share?

Copyright 2022 Gilda Rose
Images: Canva