IMITATING AND BECOMING A SAINT

IMITATING AND BECOMING A SAINT Fr. Luke A. Veronis How many times do we pray at every Divine Liturgy: “Remembering the most holy, pure blessed Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commit ourselves, and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God.” What does it mean when we say “with all the saints, let us commit ourselves, and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God.” Obviously, this prayer challenges us to place ourselves in the midst of all the saints of the Church, and to commit our lives to Christ as they committed their lives to Jesus!  Remember that throughout his letters in the New Testament, Saint Paul use to call every follower of Jesus Christ a saint. Why? Because he wanted to remind every baptized believer of their divine potential. We all need to be reminded of our potential to become saints! Look around at the people standing next to you in church and imagine 100 years from now how there should be new icons in our sanctuary with pictures of saints from our generation! This is our calling, and our potential!!! Now, many of you may be skeptical. You may question about the possibility of becoming saints. Yet, this is a fundamental foundation of our faith. This is the great promise that Jesus gives to us and the possibility He offers through the power of His Holy Spirit. This is the fruit of Pentecost, which we just celebrated last Sunday – the coming of the Holy Spirit with power which can enlighten and guide us and even change and transform and transfigure our lives according to His Will! Today, on the first Sunday after Pentecost, which we remember as All Saints Sunday, we hear the beautiful Scripture reading from Hebrews which recalls the saints before the coming of Christ. The reading ending with a beautiful command: "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith." Along with remembering that we are “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses,” this Sunday of All Saints also falls on the Feast of the 12 Apostles who received the Lord's command to "Go forth and make disciples of all nations." Thus, we remember not only the last commandment of our Lord Jesus, but we also reflect on the fruit of His Great Commission by remembering all the saints throughout history who have become His disciples, who have discovered the "pearl of great price" in our faith, and who have lived lives dedicated to imitating our Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Paul then reminds us that "we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" and these faithful witnesses offer an example for us to follow. Therefore, we also must lay aside the burden of our past sins and mistakes, laying them at the feet of Jesus, and then with boldness and perseverance we must run the race of life that is before us. As we journey through our spiritual struggles, however, may we always keep our focus on Jesus Christ, never getting sidetracked and never giving in to the deceptive allurements of the world. He is the Perfector of our Faith and we need to keep our eyes clearly on Him each and every day of our journey. In this way, one day we will join the great cloud of saints! This is HOW do we pursue this path towards holiness.” Saint Paul reminds us to keep our eyes on Christ. He wants to live in us, walk with us, and be our God. In other words, He is ready to help. We cannot become saints on our own. Our Risen Jesus wants to empower us with His Holy Spirit, which will guide us each and every day, helping us whenever we have the need. Last week, we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples with power. This power is the special strength we have to overcome the temptations and distractions of the Evil One, and to live a life of discipline and sacrifice, a life of service and love, helping others and glorifying God.  Thus, our effort to become saints obviously will not be an individual one but will be in cooperation with God and His Holy Church. We participate in a synergy by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and with us. By our effort, and with His grace, we all can journey the path of sainthood. There is a story about how St. Anthony the Great heard God tell him to go into the city of Alexandria and meet some holy man. St. Anthony was very interested in meeting another serious co-sojourner in the Kingdom of God, so he got up, left the Egyptian desert, and went into the big city. Thinking that he would meet some great ascetic, or some holy Bishop, St. Anthony was surprised when the Holy Spirit led him to the home of a simple shoemaker. This humble man lived together with his wife and children. Anthony was surprised that God would hold this simple man as a model for him to learn from, but he realized that this simple, humble man was quite attentive to the Spirit of God within him. So, St. Anthony stayed with the man for a few days. What he noticed was that the man lived his life according to the Gospel. With his wife, with his children, in his work, with his customers, and with anyone he met, he treated them all with respect and humility, in service and love. He did all in the name of God, and for the glory of God. After a few days, Anthony returned to the desert, praising God for this lesson he learned in seeing holiness in among the most simple and humble people! Sainthood doesn’t imply doing great things the world will admire. It does imply doing simple things with great love and humility, all for the glory of God’s name! Doing ordinary things with extraordinary love for the glory of God! I think it’s also appropriate that as we focus on this message of All Saints Sunday and on the Feast of the Holy Apostles, we also are remembering the one year memorial of my father, Fr. Alexander Veronis. He was the spiritual father of this Annunciation Lancaster Church Family for 60+ years, setting a simple example of loving God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving his neighbor, especially the marginalized and least of our neighbors. He used the gifts and talents that God had given him in a way that glorified the Divine Name of our Lord. He set a simple example in his every day life with his deep love for Jesus Christ and with the joy he discovered in his life of faith. He is a modern-day example of how we all can “lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” + + + We are all called to become saints! Will you accept this great privilege and responsibility? Remember, it does not depend on God alone. He already created us in His image and likeness, sent His Holy Spirit to live in us, and showers us daily with the potential needed. Our holiness depends on each one of us – whether we are ready to commit our lives in an absolute way, to die to our old, sinful selves and live our lives in a holy way dedicated to Jesus Christ. If we choose to open up our hearts to the power of His Holy Spirit and follow the path that He gives to us, then our reward will first be a life of inexpressible peace and joy here on earth, while simultaneously leading us to the crown of sainthood in eternity. Let us honor all the saints whom we celebrate today on All Saints Sunday, let us remember the 12 Apostles whom we commemorate, and let us meditate on these words of St. Paul in the epistle readding, evaluating the direction of our lives, realizing the potential that lies within us, and beginning our serious, sober, and committed journey toward sainthood. And let us remember this calling every time we say in the Divine Liturgy, “Remembering the most holy, pure blessed Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commit ourselves, and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God."