Even though we have passed All Saints Day, I saw this article about Saints, written by Father Edward Broom, OMV. Here are some excerpts:

Saints Are Not Born Saints

A somewhat prevalent error is to believe that the saints were actually born saints. Nothing could be further from the truth. All saints are conceived and born with Original Sin, with tendencies or inclinations that they must overcome and dominate relying on their own efforts but especially the grace of God. Actually quite a few of the great saints had lived very sinful past lives before their conversion, to name a few: the Good thief, Mary Magdalene, St. Augustine, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Mary of Egypt, and St. Margaret of Cortona— known as the “Second Magdalene”.

You Are Called to Be a Saint

Often when teaching Confirmation I will ask how many of them want to become saints. More often than not, nobody will raise their hands. Then I ask them how many want to avoid hell and go to heaven and then all hands go up. Then I go on to explain that in heaven we have the Triune-God (The Blessed Trinity), The Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels and the saints. So, for you to go to heaven you have to become a saint!

Jesus Commands Us to Be Saints

Listen to the words of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is our model and especially in holiness of life: “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.”(Mt. 5:48) Grammatically, the tense is imperative, which means that this is a command from God Himself. If God commands us to do something then He will give us the sufficient grace to carry it out! God never commands the impossible, but always gives us sufficient grace. Jesus said to Saint Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you.” Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta expressed this truth succinctly: “Sanctity is not the privilege of the few, but the duty of all.” The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, chapter V is “The universal call to holiness.” This is a must read for all who truly desire to become saints—check it out!