Ordinary Saints

"The saints are people just like us, from all walks of life, from every age and place."

Spiritual Warfare

We are engaged in a war here on earth. The prophet Job tells us, “The life of man upon earth is warfare.” We are constantly faced with obstacles and obstructions to peace, happiness, and justice. In recent years the battle has become more fierce and we have lost much ground. Abortion, same sex marriage, gender identification, are just some of the skirmishes we have lost to the progressives, the new pagans. And having won those battles the victors have dropped all pretense of fairness and neutrality and now seek to punish the losers.

The politicians of the new paganism have become very outspoken in their desire to punish the Church along with anyone else who does not renounce their old beliefs and offer sacrifice to the new Gods of tolerance and diversity. Our world is now much more like it was in the first three centuries of the Church, we have become signs of contention against the modern age.

Today, for just a moment, we take our eyes off the battlefield where the Church Militant fights and sweats and bleeds, and we lift our gaze to Heaven to see the “great multitude which no one could count” gathered around our king, enjoying the victory that is sure to come. These are the saints in heaven, this is the Church Triumphant.

We often think of the saints as having lives so holy and pious that we cannot relate to them. But they struggled in this life just as much as we do now.

Before his conversion, Saint Augustine lived with a woman he was not married to, and even had a child with her. Iñigo López, who became Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a vain man who read trashy novels for entertainment. When he was wounded in battle his biggest concern was whether or not his shattered leg would continue to turn the heads of the society ladies.

Ordinary Saints

The saints are people just like us, from all walks of life, from every age and place. They survived their own time of great distress and found their way to walk with Christ. We look to them for encouragement, strength, and inspiration, because they have fought the good fight and they are eager to have us follow in their footsteps.

All Saints Day is an everlasting reminder that the powers of evil are no match for the power of Christ.

Most of us live ordinary lives on the outside. And perhaps because of that we may think we cannot live up to the holiness of the saints. But today's celebration assures us that we can. If we live each day as Christ would have us do, if we strive to do God's will with all our strength, and show that love by how we treat our neighbors, then our lives may look ordinary on the outside, but they will be extraordinary on the inside.

Pray without ceasing for the grace of wisdom and fortitude — the wisdom to avoid persecution and the fortitude to endure it. There can be no retreat from this. We must “take up our cross and follow Jesus,” whatever the cost. The reward is eternal, and the outcome of the battle is already decided. We win.

Pax Vobiscum
Solemnity of All Saints

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© Lawrence Klimecki

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Deacon Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary art that seeks to connect the physical and the spiritual.. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org 

Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection