Our hearts are restless, until they rest in you, O Lord.

~ St. Augustine of Hippo

The Christian way of life at its core is about a deep, profound and ever-developing relationship with God. Similarly, the primary task of spirituality is dealing with the Relationship one has with God and because of that relationship, with all of God’s creation (which includes the relationship we have to each other).  It is from this relationship with God that everything flows…. what one values, how one treats others (their spouse, their children, their co-workers, their neighbors, the clerk at the grocery store, and even the person who cuts them off on the free-way).  Spirituality is about the lifelong process of finding God, continuing to discover Him and His creation further and then living and growing in that relationship with God and all of His creation.

Tying into the Universal Church’s (and our parish’s) celebration of the “Year of Faith,” some special, formational webpages have been created for our parish.  The aim of these resources is to help one another delve more deeply into our faith and grow in holiness by learning about the virtuous lives, teachings and practices of some of our Catholic saints (or holy men and women) and incorporate and adapt these lessons of holiness into the ongoing conversion process of our daily lives.  The Second Vatican Council declared, “In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history” (Lumen Gentium, no. 40).  We begin this effort by selecting a few saints that started religious communities, such as St. Benedict (the Benedictines), St. Francis of Assisi (the Franciscans), St. Ignatius of Loyola (the Jesuits), St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (the Sisters of Charity) and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa – the Missionaries of Charity).  In addition, St. Aelred of Rievaulx (a Cistercian) is also covered because he provides specific insight on spiritual friendships/relationships.  With each saint, we summarized their life story and created a “Holiness Toolbox” offering practical suggestions for incorporating the virtues, spirituality, teachings, active practices and spirit/charisms of the saint and/or their religious community.

It is our hope, that by incorporating this sense of holiness into our lives, these resources and insights will assist us in nurturing our faith and prepare us better to share our faith with others.  Please keep in mind that many saints were not always holy from birth, but through the grace of God, went through a process of profound conversion that transitioned them from a very sinful state to one of great holiness.  We are all called to holiness (Lumen Gentium, no. 39) and with God’s grace, it is within the reach of everyone who is willing to say “Yes” to God’s call or invitation to live more closely the joyous life that he intended for us.  When we choose to place God first in our lives, as the saints did, we will have more – not less.  The spiritual rewards of having a close relationship to God will more than offset the many sacrifices we will have to make.  The measuring stick we use will be different than what the world uses once we come to realize that what the world values, doesn’t bring happiness.  The key to true happiness is living the way God wants us to live and God wants us to be happy.  “I came that you might have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)