Have you ever thought that you could be a saint? 

Holiness is the DNA of the Church. Through Baptism, we become children of God. And if we are children of God, then within us there is a seed of divinity. Is that not amazing? 

Being a saint does not mean being a perfect man or woman. Rather, being a saint means being open to God, allowing Him to work within us through His grace and the Holy Spirit. 

But where does this beautiful invitation come from? It comes from the very Word of God. 

Holiness in the Bible 

First of all, God alone is holy. He is the source and fullness of all holiness. In the Book of Leviticus, God says to Moses: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Lv 19:2). 

In the Old Testament, holiness is a profound invitation to the People of Israel. They are holy insofar as they follow the commandments of God. But this invitation finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 

In the New Testament, Jesus is the Holy One of God. The Angel Gabriel says to Mary: “Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). 

Jesus opens a new way to become saints, not only by fulfilling the law, but also by following Him and living as He lived. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaimed “blessed” those who are poor, meek, merciful and pure of heart. The Beatitudes are a mirror of the life of Jesus Himself. 

Holiness in the teaching of the Church 

We can see that holiness is a path for everyone. Jesus invites everybody to follow Him. The Catholic Church teaches that holiness is a universal vocation, a truth proclaimed powerfully by the Second Vatican Council. 

In Lumen Gentium, the Church declares that everyone, clergy and lay people alike, is called to holiness (n. 39). This holiness is expressed in many different ways according to each person’s walk of life. 

Holiness, therefore, does not look the same for everyone. Each of us can pursue holiness regardless of our state or condition in life. 

Lumen Gentium concludes its chapter on holiness with this powerful affirmation: “All the faithful of Christ are invited to strive for the holiness and perfection of their own proper state” (n. 42). 

The “saints next door” 

Pope Francis speaks of a daily holiness. He calls those who live it the “saints next door.” 

They are ordinary people, perhaps people close to us, who live holiness through their actions: caring for their loved ones, forgiving in silence and doing good to others. Pope Francis reminds us that holiness is not found only in canonized or beatified saints. 

Who knows? Perhaps you have a saint among your friends or relatives, or in a simple person you know. And perhaps you yourself are someone’s “saint next door,” because God works silently within us. 

A call for all of us 

I want to finish this reflection with the words of Cardinal Semeraro, spoken during the Lectio Inauguralis for the formation course on the Causes of Saints: 

“To be canonized or beatified, it is necessary to be a saint. But to be a saint, it is not necessary to be canonized.” 

Holiness is greater than we can imagine. Above all, holiness is a gift from God and not a personal achievement. 

So, would you like to be a saint?