Pope Francis' new document on sanctity // A saint can be very weak but he is always full of joy

We have all felt the quandary: I know how weak and sinful I am, but how can God want me to be holy, (1 Thes 4:3), and even tell me holiness is for everyone, and there is no opting out?

One of the latest news from the Vatican is that Pope Francis is about to release a new document, an Apostolic Exhortation, on the very topic of sanctity this April 2018.

In the past, Pope Francis has already explained that "Sanctity is not something we can procure for ourselves...it is a gift granted to us by the Lord."

This is a key teaching of the most recent popes. Pope Benedict, before his election, even clearly taught: "A saint can be very weak and with many mistakes." He told us that there is a common misconception that the saints are extraordinary gymnasts, heroically perfect, but instead they are only normal people who were transparent to God, who allowed him to enter and do the work.

His article which I have re-titled "A Saint Can be Very Weak and with Many Mistakes" is a must-read for everyone who wants to understand how to become a saint with all our defects and weaknesses. 

Another important article that can help us be aligned with Pope Francis' thrust on holiness  is Spiritual Consultant: on spiritual direction  by Fr. John McCloskey. If the key way to holiness as Pope Francis stressed is receiving the gift of sanctity, and the two basic ways to do so, as St. Thomas specified, are prayer and the sacraments, then a third indispensable element, according to St. Josemaria, the pioneer of sanctification in ordinary life, is spiritual direction.

As in any quest, you need a guide, an objective coach, who will help you know what God is specifically asking of you, and pray for you. Because again, it is God and his grace that sanctifies us.

In the end, as the Church has taught: "Free will is so weakened, that no one can do good unless by the grace of the divine mercy." (Council of Orange, 529 A.D.)

Pope Francis has consistently been teaching about sanctity that is within our reach. Two tweets illustrate this:

• To be saints is not a privilege for the few, but a vocation for everyone. (21 Nov 2013)
• The Saints are not supermen, nor were they born perfect. When they recognized God’s love, they followed it and served others. (5 Jun 2016) 

What is clear from his two main documents, Joy of the Gospel and Joy of Love, true Christian life, a life of holiness, is all about joy:

"When the Lord invites us to become saints, he doesn’t call us to something heavy, sad... quite the contrary! It’s an invitation to share in his joy, to live and to offer with joy every moment of our life, by making it become at the same time a gift of love for the people around us".

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You can get the one-page leaflet for distribution to your contacts, A Saint Can be Very Weak and with Many Mistakes, here. And Spiritual Consultant: on spiritual direction, here.