The saints remind us that there is a better place than this world, Bishop Edward Malesic told students, faculty and staff at St. Edward High School in Lakewood. He made his first visit to the school on Nov. 1 – All Saints Day – to celebrate Mass, tour the facilities, have lunch and talk with students. Mass for the 900 students was celebrated in the gym, which features dozens of banners awarded for the school’s state championships in athletics.
The saints pray for us to keep trying to get to heaven. “They want us to be saved, to be with them and to find the happiness that all of us long for,” he said.
Listing some of the better-known saints including St. Augustine and St. Monica, St. Francis, St. Clare and St. John Paul II, he also mentioned St. Carlo Acutis, who used the internet to promote his devotion to the Eucharist, and 24-year-old St. Pier Giorgio Fressati, who was an athlete and an advocate for the poor. The bishop told the congregation we should know about the saints, who inspire us to be our better selves, to follow Jesus, to pray, be holy and seek God first.
Sometimes the saints can be a bit removed from us, but saints are being made every day, he said, noting that Pope Francis refers to them as “‘the saints next door.’ I hope there are a few in here right now,” he added. We’ve all encountered holy people in our lives and today is their day, the bishop said.
“They beg us to imitate them in their goodness. They beg us to want to be saints like them.” He explained that we become saints by resisting the devil inside of us who tries to call us away from holiness. “Be counter cultural. Do good, avoid evil. Find happiness – and follow your true destiny.”
There are some simple ways to be holy, the bishop said. If someone starts to gossip, don’t speak badly of anyone. Sacrifice and patience also bring holiness. If you feel anxious, prayer such as the rosary or another expression of faith can be a path to holiness. Stopping to share a kind word with a poor person on the street is still another way. “It is about being faithful to Jesus,” he added, “knowing him, loving him, serving him and finding him in each other – respecting each other as made-in-God’s-image people.”
Bishop Malesic told the group they are not just “a coincidence of many molecules coming together … the Lord knew you as you were being formed in the womb. He knew you the moment even before you came to it. He knows your future, but you must say ‘yes’ to it in order to get there. Say ‘yes’ to God’s plan for you. It has a happy ending, if you want.”
The saints cheer us on and pray for us, he said. “They are the ones praying for us. We depend on their intercession for us.”
Today, in a Church rocked by scandals, a community rocked by violence and a society torn by anger and division, we need the saints; we need holy people, the bishop said. “In a particular way, gentlemen, we need holy men. That change in our culture and in our Church begins with you,” he said.
“Be men who proclaim Jesus without fear. Men who profess the Christian faith without shame. Be men who claim Christ as your first devotion. Be poor in spirit and not puffed up with an inflated ego. When you see injustice, mourn it and correct it. Be meek, not arrogant. Hunger for what is right. Show mercy. Try to have a pure heart, make peace and even, if it comes to it, suffer persecution for the sake of Jesus,” Bishop Malesic said.
“If you do that, you will be blessed, like the saints, and find your peace.”
He asked them to think of a person – living or dead – who inspires them to be a better Christian and then thank God for giving them that saint who makes them want to be a saint, too.
“Go, Eagles,” he said. “Soar to the greater heights that God has called you to fly. Be the saints among us.”
While touring the school with James Kubacki, president, and KC McKenna, principal, the bishop learned about St. Edward’s ministry of hospitality, based on the school’s Holy Cross sponsors. He also learned the school’s four pillars: faith formation, excellence, relationships and servant leadership.
The bishop visited some classrooms and chatted with students in the St. Andre Scholars Program, which makes a Catholic education available for students with moderate cognitive disabilities or learning differences that indicate a need for extensive academic support. He learned that the school has a garden and donates produce to help needy families in Lakewood. They soon will have chickens on the school campus and are planning an apiary to house bees.
During lunch, he had a casual – yet candid – conversation with students from each grade level. The bishop encouraged them to pay attention to forming relationships. Also, he said having faith without action is an empty faith. He urged them to focus on the school’s four pillars and to pay attention to what God wants of them for their lives.
For more information on St. Edward High School, click here.