This Advent, Become The Saint You Were Made To Be

 One of the great mysteries of the Catholic life and spiritual economy is that God, in the great dignity he bestows on us as men with free will, predestines us to be cooperators with grace. That is why the predeterministic theology of Calivin (so called "double predestination") is such an affront to human (and Divine) dignity: God, in His infinite love and goodness, did not pre-destine man for death and damnation, but life and eternal salvation. It is by our free choice that we accept the invitation to be saved, and by our lives that we cooperate with grace to achieve it. We actually do play a part in the divine economy, and what we do in this life matters.

I was reminded of this while watching (for the first time!) with my family last night It's A Wonderful Life, which we rented from the library. I was initially a little snarky about it when it came to the quirky theology ("every angel gets his wings"), but in looking past those shortcomings, found it to be a wonderful, feel-good movie, especially for the start of the Advent season.

It spoke to me especially in that I had had similar thoughts in my twenties and thirties to that of George Bailey's, that "It would be better that I had not been born." This is the distorted thinking of depression that the Devil leverages against us. I wrote a little about my experience with this battle against the demonic here, here, and here. The holidays can also be hard for people who struggle in this way. "No one is a failure who has friends," was one line in the movie, and I realize I am very rich in that regard. But many people suffer from such an acute loneliness that is felt around the holidays because they may lack the gift of friendship, and feel like if they were taken out of existence, no one would even notice. This is the great poverty Mother Teresa spoke about--of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. 

But God has chosen each and every one of us for a purpose, not always apparent on the surface. Lately around campus and while driving, I will see these lawn signs pop up: "You are loved," "You matter," "Don't Give Up." As if there is a spirit in the air in our present age in which many people feel the opposite, and need to be reminded. It's a noble effort, but for the person questioning their continued existence, they can come across as platitudes. "I am loved by whom? I matter to whom? Why should I not give up?" The secular world does its best to answer these questions, but often unconvincingly. That there is a divine appointment in It's A Wonderful Life--an second-class angel named Clarence sent from Heaven to intercede when George Bailey is tempted to end his life--that would be anathema to the present age of filmmaking. 

But for Christians, these questions are easily answered, though we can sometimes take them for granted: God loves me, I matter to Him, and I should not give up because I have a job to do for the Kingdom. It doesn't just happen, either: George admits he is not a "praying man" but is "at the end of his rope" and admits he needs help in his dire predicament. Essentially, his prayer is simple and sincere, and God hears him and sends Clarence to teach him a lesson. God intercedes, and George co-operates, to change the course of his family, his community, and the lives of countless people.

Christians can sometimes fall into the trap of thinking they need to be the next Mother Teresa, or St. Francis, or what have you, when really, we are being called to be the saint for our age. You were born for a purpose, set apart to fulfill a destiny, without any real idea of how many people's lives you may change. George Bailey was given a second lease on life when he was shown what life would have been like had he gotten his ill-fated wish of "never having been born." His world, his community, was not better off--in fact, it was the opposite! 

The great mystery in the predestination we believe in as Catholics is that God is ominpotent and knows when we will reject him, but respects our free will so much that He does not interfere with those choices to willfully say "no thank you" to grace. He does not impose Himself, but stands ready at the door for our hearts to turn to Him with even the slightest posture of openness. When we knock, He opens. When we ask, He gives.  

Mary the Mother of God, is our model of this humble deferance to the invitation to change the course of human history. In the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel announces the Incarnation to Mary, and Mary in turn offers her fiat--her declaration of willing assent to co-operate in this magnaimous work of grace. We are given a new lease on life because of her "Yes." 

Have you ever considered, then, how much hinges on your own "yes" to grace? How many people God has set in your path and who are depending on you to be holy? When we say "no" to God's invitation to carry out the divine will, to cooperate with grace, we are men rich in worldly treasures going away sad (Mk 10:22). When we arrive home, our "good things" fail to fill the hole of purpose. But when we say "yes," leaving all we have to follow Christ wherever he goes, we too find a new lease on life, a purpose, which surpasses all worldly wealth. "My bread," says our Lord, "is to do the will of Him who sent me and to complete His work" (Jn 4:34). 

Our Lord is calling you, and your brothers and sisters in this world are depending on you. He has given you everything you need to become a saint. The bread of grace is filling; the well of eternal life slakes even the deepest thirst. We need a revolution of saints. Do not listen to the lies of the enemy who hates you and seeks to deceive you into turning down the invitation to grace. He has no power over you...but you will have power in Christ to change the course of history with your fiat, your "yes." 

This Advent, become the saint you were made to be.