It’s not just “I” but “we” - Our Heavenly Family

I am a big fan of the Olympics; or any game where different nations compete against each other; so, for me, this year’s FIFA World Cup was a blast. Though, what amazes me is that for a few weeks, Australia had our eyes fixated on a group of 23 girls and their coach, being inspired by their every move and success.

In almost all countries, sport is treasured like religion is. Especially in these past few months, what the Matildas have done the most is uniting a nation and promoting women’s sports. These young athletes have come from around the country to participate as a team to achieve their dream of being on the world’s stage.

For most of us, these girls are (to put it bluntly) strangers. However, in some strange way, we act as if we do know them. Many times, when watching a game with Australia playing, I find myself referring to the Australian team as “us” or “we”, instead of “they” or “the girls”. I feel this motive shows that I and other people perhaps have noticed certain qualities and skills from these athletes that we have, or seek to have within ourselves. The Matildas have been our role models and inspiration. But if we don’t know them personally, how can they be our inspiration? The answer is quite simple - they show us that it is possible to achieve our goals or dream.

The same is true for our Christian family, and most especially the saints. I find sport and faith share many similarities. Even in the Scriptures, St Paul speaks about being athletic in our faith “running to the goal”. But in every sport, you must have players. We are the athletes in our faith, and the saints are our world cup champions.

The role of the saints in my life is an essential part of my Christian journey. For me personally, the saints are my gateway to having a deeper connection to Christ, through their individual witness and love for the Lord. One of my favourite saints, St Catherine of Alexandria truly inspired my faith by her witness and loyalty to the Lord. I saw two qualities that I always wanted to have – to speak eloquently and to be a strong defender of the faith. Like athletes, the saints give us insider tips and have said “yes” to committing themselves to achieve their mission. They used their own gifts that God gave to them to serve Christ and other people. The most recent canonised saint-to-be, Carlo Acutis, is a very good example in the way Carlo used his passion and skills in computers to make a resource on the Eucharistic miracles.

If you do quick research, you will notice that Georges Lemaître, the man who came up with the Big Bang Theory was not just a scientist, but also a Catholic priest. For myself, who loves astronomy, this was an amazing discovery that a priest came up with basically a very well-known theory.

Canonised Saints or not, holy men and women can relate to us in all different ways. I find it very special that every saint had their individualities and love for earthly little pleasures, such as video games and love for animals, which we can all relate to. Yet, we must remember that they all struggled in similar ways to us and experienced, tragedy, persecution, and physical sufferings. However, through these sufferings that they experienced, they remained faithful and loyal to the Lord. The saints show me that it is possible to get to Heaven and win that crown of eternal life.

One of my favourite prayer petitions is the Litany of the Saints. I love this prayer because it calls to mind all the faithful people who have come before us and have strived to complete a mission. The saints are our brothers and sisters in Christ, to those who are believers and followers of Christ. For me, seeing them as my brothers and sisters, and their commitment to serve the Lord, gives me the encouragement to also strive for the same goal as the saints did. I believe that we too can be saints. Obviously, it takes a lot of strength, commitment, and loyalty to the Lord to be canonised as a saint, however, wouldn’t it be just as hard getting into the Matilda’s team or becoming a Prime Minister?

Let’s be real though, the saints weren’t perfect on earth. They did make mistakes and fail. St Peter is a perfect example of this. If you’ve read the New Testament, you would know his flaws. However, St Peter and the other saints wanted and desired to live a life for Christ and with Christ. Sometimes I feel it’s good to remember that they were just like us, flawed, struggling with life circumstances, etc; I think this because it reminds us that if they can do it, so can we.

The saint’s testimony shaped my testimony, and just like a family, we need each other to guide us. I believe that we need the saints in our journey of faith.