Is it wrong not to want to be a saint?

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It sounds like a life full of suffering. I guess you will be rewarded in the next life, which I have not seen. I have trouble submitting to God’s will in everything. What is the point of free-will if we must do what He says? I find that to be controlling. Also, people say with God’s grace you will conquer all of your sins. That does not happen overnight. Maybe it is possible. I have my daily struggles. I understand God gives you life, but you did not ask for it. Each person is limited in their own abilities.
I know someone advised me to be give the whole thought of sin rest. If I did not have certain human weaknesses or my sins did not backfire at me, I would not go to church. If the sins I committed were less obvious for others to see, I would not go to church.
This whole getting to know Christ thing seems like a burden of more responsibility.
We are all uniquely different, I just wonder well why did Christ make me the way I am then?
Some people mature faster, age very slowly, more quick-witted.

I DO NOT WANT TO LOVE GOD because I am very insecure, scared of hellfire, or I care what others may say about me.

If I could have all the things I desire on Earth, would I even bother to care for God?
 
Some sins seem more pathetic. Example of pathetic sins - being anxious, cowardly,people-pleaser, self-pity, lazy, taking yourself too seriously, disorganized, lack of cleanliness, not knowing yourself or your limits, insecure, comparing yourself to others, nosy/gossip, doing things to impress others, caring too much for other’s approval/if they like you, not being to able to handle the brutally honest truth, not being able to make your own decisions, caring too much about celebrities & physical beauty, being too emotional, too subjective, letting your anger get the best of your, immaturity

Less pathetic sins - cold-hearted, bullying, being able to have sex with whomever without caring, always putting yourself first no matter who you hurt, know-it-all, being able to defend your position well even if you are wrong, stubborn, pushing the blame on others effectively, manipulative, controlling, not caring for others at all, not needing God, not going to church, accepting life’s fate, lack of compassion/empathy, brutally honestly telling someone the truth, stinginess, not giving any more to the poor, being able to twist scripture to fit your own agenda

I think of certain sins as less pathetic if they make you strong/tough and people will respect/fear you for it.

God loves us all.
 
Just about everything you list here is NOT A SIN. They are human weaknesses.
 
Christians on earth – who are living “in Christ” – are saints.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church 823 :

"The Church, then, is “the holy People of God,” and her members are called “saints.”

And from Pope Benedict XVI:

“In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St Paul addresses “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor 1: 2). Indeed, Christians are already saints because Baptism unites them to Jesus and to his Paschal Mystery…”

(and then discussing becoming --more holy --more conformed to Christ he continues…)

“…but at the same time they must become so by conforming themselves every more closely to him.”

“Sometimes, people think that holiness is a privileged condition reserved for the few elect. Actually, becoming holy is every Christian’s task… The Apostle writes that God has always blessed us and has chosen us in Christ “that we should be holy and blameless before him… in love” (Eph 1: 3-5). … The “Way” is Christ, the Son, the Holy One of God: “no one comes to the Father but by me [Jesus]” (cf. Jn 14: 6).”

1 November 2007

Now over the centuries yes another use of the term saints developed. Saints has been yes used for those who have lived as saints in a heroic way (by the grace of God of course).

And yes later a process of canonization developed to recognize them, honor them and propose them as special models for the Christian faithful in following Christ.

Thus one can say there are saints and also Saints in the canonized sense or at least the recognized sense (they were recognized long before the process of canonization developed…especially Our Lady, the Apostles and Martyrs).
So when someone says to me “oh well I am not a saint” say “you better get to confession then” and the explain what I mean …
 
““To gaze upon Christ!” If we do this, we realize that Christianity is more than and different from a moral code, from a series of requirements and laws. It is the gift of a friendship that lasts through life and death: “No longer do I call you servants, but friends” (Jn 15:15), the Lord says to his disciples. We entrust ourselves to this friendship. Yet precisely because Christianity is more than a moral system, because it is the gift of friendship, for this reason it also contains within itself great moral strength, which is so urgently needed today on account of the challenges of our time. If with Jesus Christ and his Church we constantly re-read the Ten Commandments of Sinai, entering into their full depth, then a great, valid and lasting teaching unfolds before us. The Ten Commandments are first and foremost a “yes” to God, to a God who loves us and leads us, who carries us and yet allows us our freedom: indeed, it is he who makes our freedom real (the first three commandments). It is a “yes” to the family (fourth commandment), a “yes” to life (fifth commandment), a “yes” to responsible love (sixth commandment), a “yes” to solidarity, to social responsibility and to justice (seventh commandment), a “yes” to truth (eighth commandment) and a “yes” to respect for other people and for what is theirs (ninth and tenth commandments). By the strength of our friendship with the living God we live this manifold “yes” and at the same time we carry it as a signpost into this world of ours today.”

~ Pope Benedict XVI 8 September 2007

““I want them to understand that it is beautiful to be a Christian! The generally prevailing idea is that Christians have to observe an immense number of commandments, prohibitions, precepts, and other such restrictions, so that Christianity is a heavy and oppressive way of living, and it would therefore be more liberating to live without all these burdens. But I would like to make it clear that to be sustained by this great Love and God’s sublime revelation is not a burden, but rather a set of wings—that it is truly beautiful to be a Christian. It is an experience that gives us room to breathe and move, but most of all, it places us within a community since, as Christians, we are never alone: first of all, there is God, who is always with us; secondly, we are always forming a great community among ourselves: a community of people together on a journey, a community with a project for the future. All of this means that we are empowered to live a life worth living. This is the joy of being a Christian: that it is beautiful and right to believe!””

~Pope Benedict XVI 2005

(quotes snipped from Vatican website: vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20060108_battesimo_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20120516_en.html )
 
If we should fall into sin let us remember Jesus of Nazareth: The Lamb and the Good Shepherd (and let us think of such even daily…) Jesus forgives us in many ways outside the Sacrament of our “daily” venial sins…and in the Sacrament of Confession he forgives us and fills us with grace.

“Jesus is called the Lamb: He is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. Someone might think: but how can a lamb, which is so weak, a weak little lamb, how can it take away so many sins, so much wickedness? With Love. With his meekness. Jesus never ceased being a lamb: meek, good, full of love, close to the little ones, close to the poor. He was there, among the people, healing everyone, teaching, praying. Jesus, so weak, like a lamb. However, he had the strength to take all our sins upon himself, all of them. “But, Father, you don’t know my life: I have a sin that…, I can’t even carry it with a truck…”. Many times, when we examine our conscience, we find some there that are truly bad! But he carries them. He came for this: to forgive, to make peace in the world, but first in the heart. Perhaps each one of us feels troubled in his heart, perhaps he experiences darkness in his heart, perhaps he feels a little sad over a fault… He has come to take away all of this, He gives us peace, he forgives everything. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away sin”: he takes away sin, it’s root and all! This is salvation Jesus brings about by his love and his meekness. And in listening to what John the Baptist says, who bears witness to Jesus as the Saviour, our confidence in Jesus should grow. Many times we trust a doctor: it is good, because the doctor is there to cure us; we trust in a person: brothers and sisters can help us. It is good to have this human trust among ourselves. But we forget about trust in the Lord: this is the key to success in life. Trust in the Lord, let us trust in the Lord! “Lord, look at my life: I’m in the dark, I have this struggle, I have this sin…”; everything we have: “Look at this: I trust in you!”. And this is a risk we must take: to trust in Him, and He never disappoints.”

~Pope Francis

vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140119_omelia-parrocchia-sacro-cuore-gesu_en.html

"Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” who goes in search of lost sheep, who knows his sheep and lays down his life for them (cf. Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4-7; Jn 10:2-4, 11-18). He is the way, the right path that leads us to life (cf. Jn 14:6), the light that illuminates the dark valley and overcomes all our fears (cf. Jn 1:9; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46).

He is the generous host who welcomes us and rescues us from our enemies, preparing for us the table of his body and his blood (cf. Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25); Lk 22:19-20) and the definitive table of the messianic banquet in Heaven (cf. Lk 14:15ff; Rev 3:20; 19:9). He is the Royal Shepherd, king in docility and in forgiveness, enthroned on the glorious wood of the cross (cf. Jn 3:13-15; 12:32; 17:4-5)."

~Pope Benedict XVI

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20111005_en.html
 
A few quotes to keep in mind:

“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”

~ Pope Benedict XVI Deus Caritas Est

“I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day.”

~ Pope Francis (The Joy of the Gospel)

“I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved.”

~ Pope Francis (The Joy of the Gospel)

“Christian joy thus springs from this certainty: God is close, he is with me, he is with us, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, as a friend and faithful spouse. And this joy endures, even in trials, in suffering itself. It does not remain only on the surface; it dwells in the depths of the person who entrusts himself to God and trusts in him.”

~ Pope Benedict XVI Angelus 16 December 2007

“Faith opens us to knowing and welcoming the real identity of Jesus, his newness and oneness, his word, as a source of life, in order to live a personal relationship with him. Knowledge of the faith grows, it grows with the desire to find the way and in the end it is a gift of God who does not reveal himself to us as an abstract thing without a face or a name, because faith responds to a Person who wants to enter into a relationship of deep love with us and to involve our whole life.”

~ Pope Benedict XVI (Sunday, 14 August 2011)

Remember Jesus is the Good Shepherd who loves us -and is with us and with his Church and gives us true life - even in the midst of any struggles we may have at a given moment.

In Jesus of Nazareth crucified and risen - is* true life.*
 
CRATUS said:
If I could have all the things I desire on Earth, would I even bother to care for God?
Click to expand...
Many of us don’t. When we look at the history of Israel in the Old Testament, we see a cycle of repentance, followed by God’s blessing, and then when everything is going well for them, a turning away from God. There have been many times in my life where I only sought God when things went awry.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Remember that all good things come from God. If we remind ourselves daily to be grateful to God for all that he has given to us, then those things can be the occasion of an increase in love for God, rather than a distraction from Him.

Another dimension to this is that if we seek fulfillment only in the things of this world, losing sight of their source and end (God), we will eventually find that they fail to satisfy us. Think of King Solomon, who said “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” and who came to view everything this life has to offer as pointless vanity.

I hope you will find some encouragement in these words from C.S. Lewis:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
 
Saint means holy.
All in heaven are saints. The angels are holy and are called saint michael, saint Gabriel etc…

Either we become saints or lost spirits

Heaven or hell

Saints are.INCREDIBLY HAPPY. Though they go through some.trials. Any catholic would not swap Jesus for a million dollar fortune.
Jesus gives true happiness

Its.people chained in sin that.are.trully.unhappy.
Sin has its punishments on earth, or mortal sin has.eternal.punishments.if not.confessed
CRATUS said:
It sounds like a life full of suffering. I guess you will be rewarded in the next life, which I have not seen. I have trouble submitting to God’s will in everything. What is the point of free-will if we must do what He says? I find that to be controlling. Also, people say with God’s grace you will conquer all of your sins. That does not happen overnight. Maybe it is possible. I have my daily struggles. I understand God gives you life, but you did not ask for it. Each person is limited in their own abilities.
I know someone advised me to be give the whole thought of sin rest. If I did not have certain human weaknesses or my sins did not backfire at me, I would not go to church. If the sins I committed were less obvious for others to see, I would not go to church.
This whole getting to know Christ thing seems like a burden of more responsibility.
We are all uniquely different, I just wonder well why did Christ make me the way I am then?
Some people mature faster, age very slowly, more quick-witted.

I DO NOT WANT TO LOVE GOD because I am very insecure, scared of hellfire, or I care what others may say about me.

If I could have all the things I desire on Earth, would I even bother to care for God?
Click to expand...
 
Binary said:
Many of us don’t. When we look at the history of Israel in the Old Testament, we see a cycle of repentance, followed by God’s blessing, and then when everything is going well for them, a turning away from God. There have been many times in my life where I only sought God when things went awry.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Remember that all good things come from God. If we remind ourselves daily to be grateful to God for all that he has given to us, then those things can be the occasion of an increase in love for God, rather than a distraction from Him.

Another dimension to this is that if we seek fulfillment only in the things of this world, losing sight of their source and end (God), we will eventually find that they fail to satisfy us. Think of King Solomon, who said “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” and who came to view everything this life has to offer as pointless vanity.

I hope you will find some encouragement in these words from C.S. Lewis:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
Click to expand...
You understand my point. It is easy to love God when you are weak.
 
OurLadysServant said:
Saint means holy.
All in heaven are saints. The angels are holy and are called saint michael, saint Gabriel etc…

Either we become saints or lost spirits

Heaven or hell

Saints are.INCREDIBLY HAPPY. Though they go through some.trials. Any catholic would not swap Jesus for a million dollar fortune.
Jesus gives true happiness

Its.people chained in sin that.are.trully.unhappy.
Sin has its punishments on earth, or mortal sin has.eternal.punishments.if not.confessed
Click to expand...
Yes - it’s really that simple. Become a saint or go to hell.

I think some people think that being a saint means being perfect. We need to try, but our human weakness and original sin will cause most of us to fall now and then. We have to pick ourselves up, repent, and go on trying.

Peace,
John
 
The pleasures of this world are nothing compared to the supernatural Joy that God can give you, glimpses of it in this life and forever in the next. God made everything including you and knows what is best for you. Whatever suffering you go through, for denying yourself and taking up your cross, will be worth it.
 
Cratus, are u the Devil himself or u’re just playing around? Anyway, may God rebuke the devil. Amen.
 
CRATUS said:
It sounds like a life full of suffering. I guess you will be rewarded in the next life, which I have not seen
MANY OF THE SAINTS HAD VISIONS.OF.HEAVEN. IT SURPASSES EVERY JOY OF THIS LIFE.
. I have trouble submitting to God’s will in everything. What is the point of free-will if we must do what He says? I find that to be controlling.
ACTUALLY FREEDOM IS REALLY ABOUT.BEING FREE TO DO THE RIGHT THING. SINNERS ARE BOUND IN CHAINS TO THEIR SINS AND NEED GRACE TO TURN FROM WHAT THEY DO THAT FILLS THEM WITH SUCH SHAME AND GUILT.
Also, people say with God’s grace you will conquer all of your sins. That does not happen overnight. Maybe it is possible. I have my daily struggles.
JESUS TOLD ST FAUSTINA THAT HEAVEN IS NOT FOR THE PERFECT BUT FOR THOSE WHO PERSEVERE. GOD WILL TEACH YOU ONE THING AT A TIME, WHEN YOU SHOW ABILITY FOR LITTLE THINGS GOD MOVES TO BIGGER THINGS.
I understand God gives you life, but you did not ask for it.
Count your blessings, you have blessings, people, material possessions, talents, and opportunities that no one else has.
Each person is limited in their own abilities.
Thats to keep us humble and dependent on one another. The devil was the greatest of all the angels but his pride made him the lowest in hell.
I know someone advised me to be give the whole thought of sin rest. If I did not have certain human weaknesses or my sins did not backfire at me, I would not go to church. If the sins I committed were less obvious for others to see, I would not go to church.
You’re right. We don’t change to be.worthy of going to church. We go to church asking God to change us and make us worthy of Jesus.
This whole getting to know Christ thing seems like a burden of more responsibility.
GOD TESTS US IN THIS LIFE.
We are all uniquely different, I just wonder well why did Christ make me the way I am then?
when you fulfill your lifes mission you’ll understand how no one but you could have fulfilled it.
Some people mature faster, age very slowly, more quick-witted.

I DO NOT WANT TO LOVE GOD because I am very insecure, scared of hellfire, or I care what others may say about me.
read more lives of the saints. Find out what really matterd in life. Not all people around may be on the path to Heaven, so their opinion of you doesn’t matter. Others opinions will not get you into Heaven.
If I could have all the things I desire on Earth, would I even bother to care for God?
Click to expand...
There are no rich people in the graveyard. God is the greatest source of joy. Ask Him to help you find that.
 
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