Half A Saint 

   “You cannot be half a saint; you must be a whole saint or no saint at all.” (St. Therese of Lisieux) 

   If I am only willing to give part of myself to God, withholding some to myself then I can never be holy, I can never be sanctified, and I certainly can never be a saint.

   It is not foolishness or arrogance to desire to become holy, to become a saint.  That is what God wants for us, that is our destiny.  He will make us saints if we say yes to Him and His will.  But if we withhold part of life for worldly pleasures and desires, if we aren’t willing to give Him our all, then we cannot receive the gift of holiness He wants to give us.  “You shall not bow down to any other god, for the Lord – Jealous is his name – is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34: 14).  When we retain the pagan gods of this world, money, fame, sex, whatever, we have no room in our heart for God.

   Even in worldly endeavors those who are most successful are those who are willing to offer the most of themselves to achieve success.  Many never achieve their goals because they are unwilling to put forth the effort needed to do so.  A marriage in which one does not love their spouse above all others except God, will not last; it will fall apart.  If these things are true in earthly matters they are even more applicable to spiritual matters.

   We are all destined for sainthood; that is God’s plan for us.  But we must say yes to God, we must empty ourselves of earthly gods and allow Him to fill us with Himself.  He will not share us with our earthly desires; we must belong to Him.