As we get older, we find it easier to understand the world around us. However, there are still many things that we can’t fully understand and explain. Understanding God, His kingdom, and His plan for us requires faith.
While we may understand some aspects of reality and much of what Jesus teaches, we need to have faith to fill in the gaps. Faith bridges these gaps in understanding and allows us to better grasp the truth. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos once wrote, “None of the damned was ever lost because his sin was too great, but because his trust was too small!” Jesus also told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.” Jesus gives us the sacrament of reconciliation to wipe our souls clean, but do we have faith that we can be forgiven? Many people think they are too far gone to gain forgiveness, but Jesus’ mercy is endless.
We also need to have faith in ourselves. We can be our own biggest critic and sometimes give up too easily. We may not all have the ability to participate in the Olympics, but we all have the capacity to become saints. The Catholic Church proclaims certain individuals as saints, but there are many more unnamed and unknown saints in Heaven.
We want to be saints, but it seems like an insurmountable task. We look at saints as Olympians who are vastly superior to us. However, the saints are like us in many ways. Some of them did many bad things and suffered through much pain. Being weak isn’t a deal breaker to become a saint. Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” It’s often weakness and failure that cause us to grow stronger.
If an athlete doesn’t believe he will be successful, he won’t be. Olympians didn’t get where they are by not believing in themselves and saints didn’t get to Heaven without faith. We need to believe that we can be saints as well. Have faith in God and in ourselves, and we will cross the finish line of life with the prize of everlasting life.
