Is It Really This Hard?

[Annie12]

Hi Pham,

Recently I have been reading the catechism and things have been jumping out at me that I have never noticed before. I am realizing things that are sinful that I never knew were.Not to mention,there are so many temptations our there. I'm not even sure how to formulate my question here... it just seems so hard to be a saint. I am trying my best. I go to confession. I read the bible. I pray. I go to Mass. But, I always feel like I am falling short. It seems like it it so hard to be a saint. I don't want to sound so grim and not trustful of God's mercy. However, If someone is doing all they can to be a saint but still feels so far from sainthood, how can they not lose hope and resist the temptation of becoming discouraged and giving up the fight?

 

God bless! Pax!

[PhuturePriest]

"God does not ask for perfection; he simply asks that you strive for it." - Blessed Mother Theresa.

[BG45]

According to Saint Paul in the book of Romans, we've all fallen short of the glory of God.  I'd not be so hard on yourself personally...we're imperfect people, striving for sainthood.  We won't find it in this world, but we can hope to in the next. 

[CatholicCid]

“The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” ~Pope Benedict XVI

 

One thing to remember right off the bat is a simple truth: The fight is won. Christ has risen! 

 

No matter how close we might feel to despair, always struggling, we must remember that as our hope. Christ has won. Christ has risen. We can do it. We can become saints!

 

That being said, I personally believe that, as one grows in holiness, they also grow in pain. Pain because, as they grow closer to God, they recognize even more clearly how they also try to run away from Him. It is falling in love. You don't want to do anything to harm your relationship with God, therefore, you end up agonizing over the smallest of details. But, even more so than a spouse, God loves us and is there with us. In our victories; In our failures. He is there. When we feel Him, and even when we don't. He is there. So, when you feel discouraged, or about to lose hope, run to Him. Tell Him. Ask for His help. And, continue on. 

 

For, we follow Christ, our victor. We follow Him by carrying our crosses. And, like Him before us, we can only say "It is finished" when we give up our life on our cross. But, again, like Him before us, in doing so, we truly will enter into sainthood. No longer trying, no longer resisting; Simply loving.

 

TL;DR - It is hard to become a saint. It's a life-long journey. And, it is worth it.

[PhuturePriest]

Also, I hear so many people say that this is one of those rare ages where it's incredibly easy to become a Saint. The greatest Saints were all made in times when the Church and society were in really bad condition (Saint Francis, Saint Dominic, Saint Anthony, Saint John Vianney, Saint John of the Cross, etc). I think it can't be disputed that we are in one of those times when the culture is bad and heresy is rampant among members of the Church. This is a time for great Saints, and you can see them around us if you only look.

 

Finally, God would never call you to something you are incapable of doing. He is calling you to holiness because with his help, you'll be able to attain it.

[Lilllabettt]

the closer you get to holiness the further it will seem from you.

[OnlySunshine]

Hi Pham,

Recently I have been reading the catechism and things have been jumping out at me that I have never noticed before. I am realizing things that are sinful that I never knew were.Not to mention,there are so many temptations our there. I'm not even sure how to formulate my question here... it just seems so hard to be a saint. I am trying my best. I go to confession. I read the bible. I pray. I go to Mass. But, I always feel like I am falling short. It seems like it it so hard to be a saint. I don't want to sound so grim and not trustful of God's mercy. However, If someone is doing all they can to be a saint but still feels so far from sainthood, how can they not lose hope and resist the temptation of becoming discouraged and giving up the fight?

 

God bless! Pax!

 

Look at St. Therese:

 

When she was stricken with tuberculosis and on her death bed, she had so many temptations coming at her to give up and kill herself just to stop the pain and suffering.  She wrote that there was so much darkness that she couldn't see the Light but she knew He must be there somewhere.  St. Therese held on to her faith not because of health, good spirits, comforting assurances, miraculous healings, or religious experiences but by the tenacity of her choice to believe.

 

The choice is yours to continue to believe, even though all seems lost.  The temptations will continue but you have the strength in Christ to go on.  He trusts you to continue the fight even when He seems so far away.  You are not the only one going through these problems.  Even the greatest believer has problems with doubts but it will lift.  If you need more direction, it might be a good idea to see a Confessor or spiritual director.  If that doesn't help, and your still having bad thoughts, you might want to think about getting professional help in the form of a therapist.  There are therapists out there that practice what the Church teaches as I have one myself and she has been a lifeline.  It's not a sign of weakness.  It just means that you need someone to guide you through this difficult time.  Prayers!

[CatherineM]

If it was easy, everyone would become a saint.

[Clare Brigid]

However, If someone is doing all they can to be a saint but still feels so far from sainthood, how can they not lose hope and resist the temptation of becoming discouraged and giving up the fight?

 

"Now I want you to have confidence in me and believe my word.  It is not our perfection which is to dazzle God, Who is surrounded by myriads of angels.  No, it is our misery, our wretchedness avowed which draws down His Mercy. All God's dealings with us are a consequence of His mercy (Mercy is God's goodness touched by the sight of misery).  And that is why the great Saint Paul says, let others go to God leaning on the perfection of their life (as the Pharisee), "for me, I take glory in my infirmities that my strength may be Christ's virtue." If you could only once understand that you are never dearer to God, never glorify Him more than when in the full realization of your misery and unworthiness, you gaze at His infinite goodness and cast yourself on his bosom, believing in faith that His Mercy is infinitely greater than your misery.  Saint Paul tells us that God has done all in laudem et gloriam gratiae suae, "for the praise and glory of His grace."  Now the triumph of his grace is when it raises up the miserable and impure and renders them worthy of Divine union." -- Bl. Columba Marmion, Union with God: Letters of Spiritual Direction by Blessed Columba Marmion

Edited January 25, 2014 by Clare Brigid

[cappie]

It is that our direction, not our position is what counts. For those leading the Christian life, progress will be made,  our goal should not be perfection for its own sake, but pleasing God. Most times when I am first aware of sin in my life, my first reaction is a profound disappointment in myself. I really thought I was beyond that. A person like me should be above that. What arrogance! And how subtle this attitude can be. 

We need to regularly remind ourselves that it is God, not ourselves, that we sin against. Love is the greatest motivator to obedience. When you find yourself striving, start loving. God's standard is perfection. Our life as Christians is meant to be one of perfect freedom. The only way we can reconcile the two is to keep our eyes, not on our perfection or our failings, but on Jesus Christ.