Become a Saint Anyway

The whole world was watching last Sunday as the Church rejoiced in the canonization of Saint Teresa of Calcutta to be numbered among the saints, although most of us had al­ready placed her in their number during her lifetime. It was certainly an occasion of great joy for us, but also maybe a bit of a discouragement because it might have seemed that Mother Teresa of Calcutta had 'set the bar high' to become a saint!

Saint Teresa would be the first to disagree. She knew that husbands and wives, sons and daughters, people serving the poor at home, could not readily leave all behind and attend to the dying and forgotten in the streets of teeming slums as she had done. That was her path to sanctity. She readily ascribed, however, to the 'little way' of her patron, Saint Therese of Lisieux, who taught that it is not necessary for us to accomplish great and extraordinary things in this life. It is only important that we do the 'ordinary things with extraor­dinary love for God.' This 'little way' is adaptable to each of our lives as we seek to place the spirit the 'call to holiness' we received at Baptism within the routine of our everyday lives.

This poem was found tacked to the wall of the orphanage in Calcutta soon after the death of Mother Teresa. She gifted it to us an 'everyday path' to sainthood within the interac­tions and challenges of our daily routines.
 
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self- centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.