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Good, perfect, holy, sweet, innocent, beautiful, kind, pure – there are so many words that described who I wanted to be ever since childhood.
These were goals to achieve, standards impossible to meet, reminders to keep my behaviour appropriate, and chains that constricted my life.
Stories of the saints partially influenced this.
One story that I read about St. Rose of Lima told of her love of every living thing.
She promised the insects that she would never kill them. In return, no bug bit, stung, or bothered her.
So many times, I tried to do this and was heartbroken when mosquitoes continued to leave nasty welts on my skin. No matter how hard I tried, my effort to be perfect failed.
The Bible too calls us to a high standard. Matthew 5:48 states that Jesus said, “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
That is quite the commandment to live up to.
Certainly the Bible and stories of saints are important to listen to and deeply respect.
We hold the Bible as the inspired word of God. Yet, we need to read it in the context of Jesus’ culture and era.
The saints are amazing men and women who served the Lord in beautiful ways.
That might not mean that every word written about them is helpful, however, especially to a young child who takes everything literally.
Even these holy people made mistakes in their lives, a fact which is sometimes forgotten in tales about them.
Likewise, authors may elaborate on a tale or edit elements to make the story sound more interesting.
Thus, sometimes Scripture and saint stories are taken out of context or taken to an unhealthy extreme.
If I could sum up my life purpose, it would probably be this sentence: “Just be good.”
That is how I lived for years, yearning to be better but always falling short. Continue reading
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- AnnaRose Meeds in Catholic Stand
AnnaRose Meeds is a Catholic writer and speaker who wants to spread hope, truth, and awareness.
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