A presentation redefining sanctity: Can “sinners” become “saints”?

With Fr. Solanus BENFATTI, CFR, Professor of Spirituality and Franciscan Traditions, St. Joseph’s Seminary, Archdiocese of New York and Lisa LICKONA, Editor for Saints, Magnificat

Presented by Crossroads Cultural Center

The lives of the saints often present us with stories of such astounding heroism that we feel we cannot measure up. When we set out on the path toward this “heroic holiness,” we quickly realize that this ideal is impossibly difficult to live up to.

We stumble, fall and then return to our old ways, dejected. We are left to wonder if the saints are really examples for us to look up to, or if they are merely the protagonists of idyllic Christian fantasy stories.

But Pope Francis says that saints are not “supermen” who are “born perfect,” but rather are ordinary people who followed God “with all their heart…They are like each of us, they are people who before reaching the glory of heaven lived a normal life, with joys and griefs, struggles and hopes.”

If the saints are really “ordinary people” like us, then who is to say that my share of “griefs and struggles” cannot be used to bring me closer to God? What if instead of becoming sources of discouragement, our weaknesses and limitations became the place where God manifests His glory in our lives?

This event will feature the “real stories” of saints who struggled with sin as much as any other person, but whose weaknesses were transformed into channels of God’s love and mercy; our speakers will explore such questions as: Is sin an obstacle to sanctity? Can a person be a saint and a sinner at the same time? If so, how did the saints deal with their own sins and the sins of others?

The event is free and open to the public.
Light reception to follow.