What are your “Be-attitudes?” I recall that the Army once used the slogan, “Be all you can be.” The slogan was often interpreted to mean, “be strong, be independent, be successful, and be perfect.”
That message encouraged recruits to be positive about themselves; but, anyone who adopts this attitude could encounter trouble sooner or later because it could also suggest we don’t need anyone else, not even God. But in fact we do need God and one another.
Can you picture yourself living in total isolation? I doubt it since we aren’t meant to live alone. In the beginning God said that it wasn’t good for man to be alone. Relationships are very much a part of our lives. Some are close and some are distant; some are intense while others are indifferent; some are warm and some are cold.
What shapes our relationships with God and others are our “Be-attitudes.” As you ponder the litany of today’s gospel, better known as the Beatitudes, ask yourself, “What do you want to be?” A selfish person left with few if any relationships or a loving person who cares about others, that is, a saint?
Many consider the beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel to be ideals that few people can achieve, but that isn’t what Jesus has in mind here. They are not an abstract code of behavior; rather, they are his recipe for holiness and his design for finding happiness; they promise us fullness of life in God’s kingdom. They are the values and virtues that should form our character.
The beatitudes should be evident in our daily lives: in our families, our neighborhoods, our work places, and in our leisure. They are the guidelines by which we are encouraged to live and grow in God’s love. They enable us to be God’s children, and find our way through the darkness of this world into the brightness of God’s presence. They are the epitome of Jesus’ teachings.
On this feast day, we remember the countless souls in heaven who are not canonized; their names are only known in the hearts of a small circle of people, whose lives they shaped and touched. Their lives were not marked by any great occurrence, their accomplishments too insignificant to be recorded in history, but they lived through the stresses and trials of everyday life. They were tempted just as we are tempted and when they sinned, they reconciled with God.
Many think that sainthood is a privilege reserved for only a chosen few. They assume saints never sinned. Not so, for we are all created to be saints. The mission of every Christian is to become a saint. Sainthood is the outcome of a long and painful struggle against sin and temptation. Good persons are prepared to overcome selfishness and to change their ways.
The word saint comes from the Latin word for holy: sanctus. Holiness is achieved by doing ordinary things well. What fills us with great joy is that among this vast multitude of saints are people with whom we shared intimately and who, until recently, lived among us. Their lives influence us because they lived the Beatitudes, placing God first in their lives. The great example of their goodness was not wasted on us. Contemplating their victory over evil gives us courage to fight the good fight with prayer, penance, perseverance and works of mercy. By seeking to live the beatitudes, as the saints did, we too can look forward to being numbered with them someday.
To deepen their relationship with God, I would venture to say every saint also recognized the value of stewardship in their lives; each made time for God to pray, each used their talents to proclaim the Good news, and each shared their treasure in gratitude for all that God had blessed them with. May God bless us with “be-attitude” to follow the example of the saints so that someday our reward will also be great in heaven. Last week, we heard about time from Bell; today we will hear from Elizabeth on talent, the second of the three T’s that make up stewardship.