We\u2019re all called to martyrdom. That\u2019s what the word martyr means: It\u2019s the Greek word for \u201cwitness.\u201d We may or may not ever suffer personally for our love of Jesus Christ, but we\u2019re all called to be witnesses. In proclaiming the Year of Faith, Benedict XVI wrote:
\n\u201cBy faith, across the centuries, men and women of all ages, whose names are written in the Book of Life \u2026 have confessed the beauty of following the Lord Jesus wherever they were called to bear witness to the fact that they were Christian: in the family, in the workplace, in public life, in the exercise of the charisms and ministries to which they were called.\u201d
\nThe only thing that matters is to be a saint. That\u2019s what we need to be. That\u2019s what we need to become. And if we can serve God through the witness of our lives by kindling that fire of holiness \u2026 then God will make all things new: in our Church, in our families and in our nation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Today is a day we have been granted in our journey to our Father. That\u2019s what we\u2019re meant for, to be with Him. Will today help or hurt us on that journey? We make that decision. Will we follow Him today? Will we live the universal call to holiness, or not? Today. This is the day. We have no guarantee there is a tomorrow. We<\/p>\n
Do we encounter Christ? Do we bear witness to Christ? Do we bring other to encounter Christ? <\/p>\n
The only thing that matters is to be a saint. That\u2019s what we need to be. That\u2019s what we need to become. And if we can serve God through the witness of our lives by kindling that fire of holiness \u2026 then God will make all things new.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Will we say yes to God\u2019s call? Today? Now?<\/p>\n
Say yes<\/i>. God will give us what we need to be truly Christian with our families, at work, in public life, wherever we are, whomever we are with. To be the saint we are called to be.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It is the only thing that matters. That was the message Archbishop Charles J. Chaput delivered in an address in Philadelphia: We\u2019re all called to martyrdom. That\u2019s what the word martyr means: It\u2019s the Greek word for \u201cwitness.\u201d We may or may not ever suffer personally for our love of Jesus Christ, but we\u2019re all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[112,45,282],"class_list":["post-2655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-archbishop-charles-j-chaput","tag-sainthood","tag-universal-call-to-holiness"],"yoast_head":"\n
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