These are the thoughts that were going through my mind as I participated in the Mass of Canonization of four new saints by Pope Francis at St. Peter's Basilica. Entered in the canon of the Church's saints were: St. Vincent Grossi, a simple and humble parish priest from Italy, who dedicated himself without fanfare to the care of his people, especially the young; St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, a nun who cared for the children of the poor and the sick; and Louis Martin and Marie-Azelie Guerin, the parents of Ste. Therese of Lisieux, who created by their love a Christian home for their children.
What struck me about each of them is the simplicity, humility and "ordinariness" of their everyday lives. They attracted no attention, and certainly didn't seek it. I'm sure they would not have thought of themselves as in any way heroic. They simply sought, day in and day out, to be faithful to their duties and to live in a communion of love with Jesus and in accord with his teachings.
When a person is canonized, he or she is held up to the universal Church as a model to imitate. Well, we can each do this, with God's help. We imitate these new saints by consciously striving, in the little ordinary events of every day, to be faithful to Christ.
