“You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all.” (Saint Thérèse of Lisieux).
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux said, “You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all.”
And I have been reflecting on that sentiment over the last few days because it is the same idea as faith… You see, when people comment and say, “They have great faith”, what they really mean is, “They have faith”…
You see, one cannot half-believe. I must either believe or not believe. I cannot live my life half committed to God. I cannot say, I shall try to be good for God but also be bad because it is easier and more fun for me. I cannot say, I firmly believe that God is with me, but at the same time, I am not really sure that He is. I cannot say, I receive Christ – God Himself – in the Blessed Sacrament, but at the same time, it could possibly just be a piece of bread. I cannot say that I trust in the Infinite Mercy of God and at the same time be afraid of the Prince of Peace…
In other words, I cannot jump off a cliff and hold onto the ledge at the same time. To have faith is to COMMIT to my belief in God. It is to CHOOSE to see God in everything and in everyone…
Saint Teresa of Avila said, “Those who risk all for God will find that they have both lost all and gained all.” And her words are very profound. You see, Saint Teresa understood that it is impossible to have HALF faith. She understood the idea that one cannot jump off a cliff and hold on the the ledge…
Christ explained this premise to us twenty centuries ago when He said, “If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?” (Matthew 16:24-28).
For I have come to realise that the words of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux are altogether true. For I cannot be HALF a saint in exactly the same way that I cannot have HALF my faith… I can only be a WHOLE Saint with my WHOLE faith...
And so, as I pray the prayer of Saint Augustine, who said, “Late have I loved You, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new. Late have I loved You!” I have to stop in wonder at the glory of God – who gives the Gift of Faith… For it is ONLY through that Gift that a miserable soul like mine is able to say, I have faith… I have faith…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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