Called to Be Holy

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy

An Introductory Thought “Perhaps history is always divided into Romans and Catholics—or, better churches. The Romans are the rich and powerful who run things their way and must always accrue more because they instinctively believe that there will never be enough ‘to go around;’ the Catholics, as their name implies, are universalists who instinctively believe that all humanity makes one family, that every human being is an equal child of God, and that God will provide. The twenty-first century will be spiritual or it will not be. If our civilization is to be saved, if we are to be saved, it will not be by Romans but by saints" (From Thomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization, Doubleday, 1995, pp. 217-218).

Purpose Participants will examine the universal call to holiness, exploring that call in the Gospel and the teachings of the Church. They will do this by exploring aspects of holiness in the lives of the faith-filled People of God, and by using the Scriptures to “tease” out what it is to be holy.

Materials Needed •Prayer focus: Bible, nice cloth, candle(s)—Easter (Paschal) candle if possible, small table, matches or light stick •Bibles, one for each participant •Slips of paper with Scripture quotes on them (see #8 in Prepare in Advance) •Name tags for participants (see #3 in Prepare in Advance) •Newsprint, several sheets placed end-to-end (‘landscape’) on the wall •Large-tip markers, one per participant •Permanent finer tip markers that can write on glass, one per three participants •Small mirror or reflective metallic piece, one for each participant. Check out a local crafts or hobby store, such as Hobby Lobby (http://www.craftsetc.com/Store/ShowProduct.aspx?p=242313).

Prepare in Advance 1. Set up room with the prayer focus in a prominent place and visible from anywhere in the room. Arrange tables or chairs so that participants can dialogue easily with a small group and/or the large group. Set up the prayer space using a small table, covered with a cloth. Place the Bible and candle(s) on the table.

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 1 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. 2. Devise a way to divide participants into dialogue groups of three members each (e.g., counting off—a group of fifteen would count off 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. and up with five groups of three participants each; pre-group by putting identifying dots or stickers on the name tags).

3. Prepare nametags ahead of time with each participant’s name preceded by Saint; e.g., St. Myron, St. Tiffany, St. Ryan, St. Maria, St. Alonzo, St. Jane. Nametags also should be prepared in the same way for adult participants, catechists, and other adult youth ministry leaders.

4. Set up other tables for sign-in and hospitality (if drink and snacks are usually available for participants at the break or after the session). Have one or two people at the sign-in table with the check-in sheet and the prepared name tags. Encourage them to be welcoming and to call participants by name.

5. Tape/attach the newsprint on one wall of the room so that it extends like a graffiti wall for several feet. Title the wall—“Profile of a 21st Century Saint.” Start the graffiti wall by placing two statements about qualities of saints on the newsprint with some creativity in style, size, color, and/or print. Suggestions: A saint is a leader who serves others. A saint doesn’t put people down. A saint prays daily. A saint is one who makes God real to people today A saint cares for and takes care of the poor. A saint ______.

6. Create and place around the room “posters” with some of the following messages. It is important to have several of these posters around the room. o It’s easy to be a Saint. Do the ordinary things in an extraordinary way. Accept what the day brings. St. John Bosco to young people o A saint is someone whose life manages to be more than a ‘cranny through which the infinite peeps.’ Thomas Long o Life holds only one tragedy, ultimately: not to have been a saint. Charles Peguy o Saints are not freaks or exceptions. They are the standard operating model for human beings. Peter Kreeft (National Catholic Register, October 1987) o We become saints not by thinking about it, and not (certainly) by writing about it, but simply by doing it. There comes a time when the “how?” question stops and we just do it. Peter Kreeft (National Catholic Register) o A man does not have to be an angel in order to be saint. Albert Schweitzer

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 2 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. o A man can be as truly a saint in a factory as in a monastery, and there is as much need of him in the one as in the other. Robert McCracken o Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing. Blessed Mother Teresa o You can't be half a saint. You have to be a whole saint, or not a saint at all. St. Therese, the Little Flower o Saints are people who shine with faith and trust—not in themselves, their own virtues or achievements—but in the virtues and achievements of Christ on their behalf. Garry J. Deverell o True holiness … lies in the effort to incarnate the Gospel in everyday life, in the family, at school and at work, and in social and political involvement. Pope John Paul II o When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist. Dom Helder Camara o Add or find your own quotes about being a saint.

7. Have Bibles, fine tip markers, and small mirrors easily accessible for handing out when needed.

8. Put the following Scripture citations on slips of paper. Have enough for one per participant, making sure that each person in a small discussion group has a different citation. You can repeat as necessary—just not within the same group. Prior to the session, look at each passage yourself, noting the quality/qualities of holiness stated or implied in the reading. o Mt 4:2a and 4:23 o Mk 7:24-30 o Rom 14:1-4a o Mt 5:3-10 o Mk 8:34-38 o Rom 14:13-18 o Mt 5:16 and 19:21 o Mk 9:1 -37 o Rom 15:1-6 o Mt 5:21-24 o Mk 10:17-22 o 1 Cor 10:31-33; 11:1 o Mt 5:38-41 o Mk 10:17-22 o 1 Cor 12:4-11 o Mt 5:42-48 o Mk 12:28-32 o 1 Cor 12:27-12 o Mt 6:1-4 o Lk 1:26-38 o 1 Cor 13:1-3 o Mt 6:5-8 o Lk 1:39-40; 56 o 1 Cor 13:4-7 o Mt 6:19-21 o Lk 6:37-39 o 1 Cor 13:8-13 o Mt 6:24-25; 33-34 o Lk 6:27-32 o 2 Cor 5:11-15 o Mt 7:1-5 o Lk 13:18-22 o Gal 5:13-15 o Mt 7:7-9 o Lk 14:13-14 o Gal 6:1-6 o Mt 7:12-14 o Jn 6:14-15; 19-21 o Eph 5:25-32 o Mt 7:21 and 8:22 o Jn 13:1-9; 12-17 o Phil 2:1-4 o Mt 10:37-42 o Jn 15:1-6 o Col 3:12-17 o Mt 12:36-37 o Jn 15:18-22 o 1 Thess 4:9-12 o Mt 26:42-44 o Acts 4:32-35 o Jas 1:19-21 o Mk 4:30-32 o Rom 13:8-10 o Jas 1:22-25

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 3 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. o Jas 1:26-27; 2:1-5 o 1 Pet 3:13-17 o 1 Jn 2:7-11 o Jas 2:14-19 o 1 Pet 4:8-11 o 1 Pet 1:22-24 o 1 Pet 5:5-10

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 4 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. Session at a Glance 7:00 pm Welcome and Session Introduction 7:10 pm Saints Alive! 7:35 pm Thinking Like Saints 8:00 pm Break 8:15 pm Living Like Saints 8:35 pm Conclusion 8:40 pm Closing Prayer 9:00 pm Dismissal

Welcome and Session Introduction (10 minutes) Welcome the participants and make sure that everyone has his/her nametag. Introduce them to the session, Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? and the first exercise using these or similar words:

“I, ______, (your name) greet you, the holy ones of the Church of ______(parish/school name). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

If Paul the Apostle were speaking to you or writing to you, he would have greeted you in words just like that. He used such language when he wrote to the churches in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, etc. Interestingly enough, Paul was usually writing to folks whom he had to correct for some wrongdoing or another. Yet, he, like all the early Church, recognized that all the followers of Christ were holy ones of God. Take a moment and call to mind some really good people that you know or knew. They may be family, friends, teachers, someone you hardly know, or maybe someone whom you’ve never met.

What was/is it about that person that makes him/her truly good? Pause and allow a minute or two for responses from the participants.

What does it feel like to see the word, ‘saint’, in front of your name? Pause and allow a minute or two for responses from the participants.

Since it is likely that this discussion will surface the idea that saints are usually thought of as people who are already dead, introduce the different meanings of “saint”:

▪ In the New Testament, the use of term saint meant holy people who were living.

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 5 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. ▪ The more common understanding of saint is a reference to the dead faithful who the Church believes are with God. These include people whose names we don’t know (who we celebrate on the Feast of All Saints), as well as people who have been officially recognized by the Church as saints. ▪ The understanding of saint in the Creed’s phrase “communion of saints” is the living and the dead faithful.

So, do you have to be dead to be a saint? The answer could be yes or no, depending on what you mean by saint.”

Let the participants know that this session focuses on the first meaning and the challenge of living holy, “saintly,” lives.

Note to Leader: Teens may feel uncomfortable about walking around with “Saint” in front of their name; however, if your nametag also has “Saint’ before your name, they will be more at ease. At this point share your personal feeling about being called “saint.”

Saints Alive (25 minutes) Step 1 (10–12 minutes): Continue with the following instructions:

“At Pope John Paul II’s funeral in April 2005, we saw a large banner among the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square: ‘Santo Subito’, it said. In other words, ‘A Saint Now’. It expressed the desire of the People of God to have him declared a saint of the church immediately in recognition of his holy life. However, if people find that John Paul’s life inspires them to holy living and even if John Paul is never declared an ‘official’ saint of the church, would that make him any less a holy person, a saint?”

Note to Leader: This is basically a rhetorical question, but if there is a response from the group, allow it for one minute or so.

“As a way to begin our conversation about holiness, let’s take a look at the posters around the room … I’d like you to gather yourselves in groups of three.

Note to Leader: Explain to the participants how they are to find their group. Allow a minute or two for them to do this.

“There are various comments people have made about the sanctity, holiness, what “good” looks like in a person’s life placed around the room. I am going to assign a saying to each group.” Assign the posters—one or two per group as time allows—then continue.

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 6 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. “In your small group, have one person read the saying out loud. Then talk about what you think the author is trying to say about holiness. Make sure each person in your group has a chance to express his/her opinion. Does the saying give you a new insight into holiness? If so, why? If not, why not?”

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 7 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. Note to Leader: Circulate among the participants as they are sharing. If a conversation seems to be lagging, ask a question to get the group talking. Listen for groups that might be digressing from discussing the quote on their poster and help get them back on track. Allow about 8-10 minutes for their discussion (this may vary depending on how long it took them to form their small group).

Step 2 (2 minutes): Call time to the above discussion and ask the large group the following question:

“Was there something said in your group that you’d like the rest of us to hear or consider?”

Allow a minute or two for sharing from the small groups.

Step 3 (7 minutes): Distribute one wide-tip marker to each participant and give the following instructions:

“On the wall you see some newsprint labeled, Profile of a 21st Century Saint.

We are going to create a ‘graffiti’ wall that describes what saintly living might look like today. Please take a minute of silence to complete this statement in your mind: A holy person ______. I’ve put a few statements on the wall already to give you some ideas.

Invite the participants to go to the newsprint. Give them 2 to 3 minutes to write their statement. Call them back and then ask:

“Is there a statement on the newsprint that anyone would like explained or clarified? Let’s take a few minutes to do that.”

Note to Leader: Monitor the discussion for about 3 to 5 minutes and move on to the next part.

Thinking Like Saints (20-25 minutes) Step 1 (10 minutes): Introduce this section by saying:

”In general, the term “saint” refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy— someone close to God. It can be applied to both the living and the dead as we pointed out earlier. It is an acceptable term in most of the world's popular religions. The Church holds up particular Christian saints as examples of how we all should act. The life stories

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 8 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. of the saints are usually recorded and retold in order to inspire future generations. These stories help us to understand how to make our own lives holy.

We are now going to look at the New Testament, to see how what we’ve named as qualities of holiness and saintliness compare or depart from what Christ and the early writers of scripture taught us about being holy.”

Divide the participants into small groups of three people again. Distribute a Bible to each participant, along with a slip of paper with a scripture citation on it (be sure each person in the small group has a different citation). Once they have their Bible and the slip of paper, ask the participants to open their Bible to the scripture passage. Circulate among the participants and assist those who have difficulty in finding their scripture passage.

After each one has found his/her passage say:

“Take turns reading your passage to the others in your group. After you have read your passage, tell the others in your group the quality of saintliness/holiness Jesus was encouraging us to emulate or imitate in our lives as his followers. When each person in your group has finished, name some people you know or knew of that might have these qualities.”

Circulate to make sure the discussions are focused and on task. Call time after about 8 minutes.

Step 2 (10-12 minutes): Say to the group:

“I would like you to go back to the newsprint and write down any new qualities of holiness/saintliness that came up during your sharing and that are not yet on the newsprint. Just write the word down. Also, please, write the names of those you decided have or had these qualities in their lives.”

Call time after about 5 minutes and ask the participants to return to their seats. Ask them to share any new ideas they put up on the graffiti wall. After 5 minutes, invite them to take a break and get some refreshments.

Break (15 minutes)

Living Like Saints (20 minutes) Step 1 (5 minutes): Re-constitute the participants as a large group and ask:

“Are you feeling more comfortable with being called, ‘saint’? Why or why not?” Allow the discussion to develop for a few minutes, before continuing.

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 10 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. Develop your input for this next part by incorporating the following points:

. “The early Church, building on the teaching of Christ and the apostles, recognized that everyone was called to holiness. . There are literally dozens of references in the New Testament to the “holy” ones —in Jerusalem, in Antioch, in Philippi, in Rome, in Corinth. Everyone is invited to serve the holy ones, take care of the holy ones, and to remember the holy ones. . What did “holy” mean for our ancestors in the faith? What should it mean for us? We get a hint from Jesus in John 17:15—19 [a part of his prayer to the Father for us—his disciples]: “I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to guard them from the evil one. They are not of the world, any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them by means of truth—Your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world; I consecrate myself for their sakes now, that they may be consecrated in truth.” (Cf. also 2 Tim. 1:9 for the same sense of holiness.) . The understanding of saint in the passage from John has to do with being consecrated, literally, being made sacred. [The Greek word for ‘saint’ is ‘hagios’ which means holy, sacred, dedicated to God.] . Maybe, up to today, you heard the word, ‘saint’ and thought of St. Francis of Assisi, or Blessed Mother Theresa, or St. John Bosco, or St. Therese the Little Flower, or your own patron saint, or the patron saint of your parish/school. You thought of someone who had died and then had their sainthood officially pronounced by the Pope. . Hopefully, now, you know that all believers are already saints in the sense that all are holy; you and I are saints, holy ones of God! We are all called to recognize our God-given holiness. If we listen carefully, we can hear this call echoing through the people and events of our lives. We are holy because of what Christ did for us. Our sanctity, our holiness comes alive in the ordinariness of our lives in how we speak to and about one another; how we care for each other and for the ‘stranger’; how we work for peace and justice; how we tend the sick and the lonely; how we meet the daily expectations of our families and friends; how we, when we sin, we return to God in sorrow and with the determination to keep on being holy! We gain strength through our communion with all those departed holy people who are united with God, and we gain inspiration and guidance from the stories of those people who have been officially recognized as saints because of their exceptional lives.”

Step 2 (10-15 minutes): Distribute the mirrors or pieces of reflective metal to the participants and one permanent marker for every three or four participants.

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 11 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. “Please pick up your mirror and look at it. Do you see the reflection of a saint? Take a moment to think of one of qualities of saintliness/holiness we’ve talked about tonight that you possess and live in your life.”

Allow a minute or two to think of a quality.

“Now write that quality on the mirror, leaving enough space for you to write one more thing.” Pause while the group does this. “Take another moment and think of one of the qualities of saintliness that you would like to live in your life.”

Allow a minute or two for them to think of this new quality they would like to have in their life.

“Please write that quality on the mirror.” Pause while the group does this. Take another moment to think how you will work at this quality of holiness in your life.

Allow a minute or two for them to reflect on this.

“I invite you to take your mirror home with you and keep it somewhere where you will always be reminded of the saint that you are and the saint you are yet to become.”

Conclusion (5 minutes) Offer this summary to the participants:

. The Scriptures call us to holiness both in the life and words of Jesus in the Gospels and in the letters to the early Christian Communities. . As God’s holy people, we are called to strive daily to be holy. We are challenged to see God’s presence—in ourselves and in the world. . We see holiness in the lives of the officially recognized saints of the church, and we see holiness daily in the ordinary lives of the ordinary people around us— in our friends, our families, in our communities. . Many officially recognized saints are not canonized, since the process wasn’t formalized until the Middle Ages. Note to Leader: Because the participants may not know how the notion of saint came about or how the canonization process developed, use the following points:

▪ When the early Christian communities started losing members to death, especially martyrdom, the term “saint” shifted in meaning to include the dead faithful as well as

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 12 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. the living. In time, “saint” was used exclusively to refer to the dead who were believed to be with God in glory. This continues to be the most common usage of the term.

▪ Beginning in the early Church, the various local Christian communities established liturgical and pious practices to honor particular deceased members of their communities. The decisions about who would receive this special recognition were made by the bishops and the people and were often spontaneous.

▪ The pope had no official role in the process of designating saints until the 10th century. By the 13th century, only the pope could name new saints. The official designation of a saint—canonization—takes its name from canon law, which guides the process.

▪ Some of the Church’s most well-known saints were never officially canonized because their sainthood was widely affirmed long before the process of canonization was in place. The apostles and Mary fall into this category.

[The source of information incorporated above: Elizabeth Johnson, “Saints and Mary,” in Systematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives, ed. Francis Schussler Fiorenza and John Galvin (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991), pp. 147-148.]

. Vatican Council II in Lumen Gentium reminds us of this great teaching: ‘Therefore in the Church, everyone whether belonging to the hierarchy, or being cared for by it, is called to holiness, according to the saying of the Apostle: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (#39). The Council Fathers remind us that we are to lead holy lives in the “marketplace”— that is, wherever we find ourselves. . The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#823) states it again for the church of this century: "The Church . . . is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as 'alone holy,' loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her; he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God." The Church, then, is "the holy People of God," and her members are called "saints." (emphasis added) Note to Leader: This usage corresponds with the usage in the phrase “communion of saints” in the sense that it includes the living and the dead faithful.

“Saints of God let us pray!”

Closing Prayer (20 minutes)

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 13 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. Gather the participants together for closing prayer around the prayer setting.

Gather Consider processing to the prayer space singing, “When the Saints Go Marching In,” or open the prayer with a song such as “Come to Our Gathering” by Ricky Manalo (OCP), “For All the Saints” by Christopher Willcock, S.J. (Gather Comprehensive, Second Edition, GIA), “Saints of God” by Bob Hurd (OCP), or “Song of the Body of Christ” (Spirit & Song, OCP).

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 14 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. Call to Prayer Leader: Let us begin our prayer with the sign of our salvation, the sign of our having been set apart by and for God: All: In the name of the Father …

Listen Invite a volunteer to proclaim 1 John 3:1-3. Allow a few minutes for quiet reflection.

Respond Leader: We confirm our dignity as children of God and heirs of heaven, set apart by God. Let us pray the Litany of the Saints.

Note to Leader: The Litany begins in the usual way, but, instead of the regular “canon” of the saints, please have a list of all the participants (and add some of the names of “holy” people mentioned during the session”) ready to proclaim. Depending on the group, you may want to prepare them for what is coming before the prayer actually begins to stem giggling or discomfort on the part of some.

Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy

Holy Mary, Mother of God Pray for us Holy angels of God Pray for us St. ______(start with the name of an adult present, continue with the names of youth present.) Pray for us St. ______Pray for us St. ______Pray for us St. ______Pray for us St. ______Pray for us St. ______Pray for us St. ______Pray for us St. ______Pray for us Continue until all names have been mentioned.

All You Holy Men and Women Pray for us

Leader: Let us pray. God is the joy and glory of all his saints. May his blessing be with us always.

Do You Have to Be Dead to Be a Saint? Called to Be Holy, p. 15 © Center for Ministry Development, 2005. All rights reserved. All: Amen. Leader: May the prayers of all the saints of God deliver us from present evil, and may our lives of holiness turn our thoughts to the service of God and neighbor. All: Amen. Leader: God rejoices that all his saints reflect his glory and are filled with his love. May he bless us,  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All: Amen.

Go Forth Leader: Lord, you care for your people even when they stray. Grant us a complete change of heart, so that we may follow you with greater fidelity. Grant this through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

Consider singing another of the songs mentioned earlier to close the prayer.

Family Follow-up Idea Invite the participants to invite their family to “movie night” at home. Rent a DVD or a video of any of the following movies: ▪ Romero (PG-13, 105 minutes, 1989) ▪ The Mission (PG, 125 minutes, 1986) ▪ Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (NR, 111 minutes) ▪ Brother Sun, Sister Moon (PG, 121 minutes, 1972) ▪ Millions (PG-13, 2005, release date to DVD unknown) ▪ St. Clare of Assisi and the Poor Clares (Available from marianland.com: http://www.marianland.com/visionbest/4550_.html) ▪ Miracle of St. Therese (Available from Ignatius Press: http://www.ignatius.com/ViewProduct.aspx?SID=1&SKU=MST- V&Category_ID=34&) ▪ Any of the many movies on the life of Pope John Paul II

Watch the movie together and, when it’s over, talk about the qualities of sainthood in the lives of all the people in the movie—not just the main characters.

This session was written by Leota Roesch, director of training and formation, Office of Youth Ministry, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas. Maura Thompson Hagarty, Ph.D., served as theological consultant on this session.