Indian Chief

Growing up to become saints

11/02/2024

Mt 5:1-12a When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

When you were small and someone asked you “What do you want to be when you grow up?” what did you answer? Maybe you said, “An astronaut,” or perhaps “a firefighter,” or maybe “a police officer.” My high school history teacher, Coach Long, always summarized our future job opportunities by saying, “Do you want to be a doctor, lawyer, or Indian chief?” I guess since I am pastor of this parish, I grew up to become an Indian Chief.

Yesterday morning we had the funeral of Dc. Bill Curry. At the end of Mass his son Mike stood up to deliver a very moving eulogy. At one point he remarked, “As a kid I always wanted to grow up to be like my dad, but he set the bar too high. I could never be as good as him.” In other words, a very good answer to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up,” is the reply, “I want to be like my dad.”

But did you every think we could ask God what he wants us to be when we grow up? I think we can and we can also expect to get an answer. For example, I tell young men who are thinking about being a priest, “The worst question you can ask yourself is, ‘Do I want to be a priest?’ Rather, ask yourself, ‘Does God want me to be a priest?’” Can you hear the difference?

In other words, God made each of us for a purpose, as the Scottish runner Eric Liddell said in the movie “Chariot of Fire,” to his sister, “God made me fast, Jenny, and when I run I can feel his pleasure.” And when we fulfill God’s purpose for us - when we become what he wants us to be - we too can feel God’s pleasure.

But besides the specific vocation of being a priest – or in my case an Indian Chief – God calls everyone to become a saint. That is, everyone could answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” with one word, “a saint”! At least that is what God wants us to be when we grow up.

And if you want to know what a saint looks like, we have a perfect portrait in the gospel in the Beatitudes. There Jesus teaches us a saint is “meek”, “poor in spirit,” “hungers and thirsts for righteousness,” “merciful,” “clean of heart,” “a peacemaker,” and “persecuted for righteousness.” In other words, besides aiming for becoming a doctor, lawyer, or Indian chief, God wants us to become a saint when we grow up.

I once heard a theologian say this whole universe is one big saint-making machine. How so? Well, everything that happens to us in this world and in our lives is designed to contribute to our sanctity: maybe to make us more meek, or to become more clean of heart, or to hunger and thirst more for righteousness, or to learn to become peacemakers. And I am not talking about going to the Peacemaker Festival in Fort Smith.

That is, try to see all your joys and sorrows, your triumphs and tragedies, your accidents and accomplishments, your stumblings and sacrifices as all designed to help you grow in holiness. So that when you finally “grow up” you will become a saint. That growth in holiness is our principal purpose on earth, and when we live for that, we too will “feel God’s pleasure.”

Today on this feast of All Saints, we praise God for all those men and women who have already achieved the purpose of life, namely, to become a saint. They grew up to be what God wanted them to be. So, next time someone asks you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” now you know the best answer is “a saint.” Why? Because “Indian Chief” is already taken.

Praised be Jesus Christ!