In many Christian denominations, November 1st is celebrated as All Saints’ Day. Not that we ignore the saints on other days of the year, but the church sets aside this one day to honor them all.

I fondly remember sermons I heard as a child about the saints, special people who devoted their lives to God. I remember hoping I could be like them. But in almost all cases, they ended up losing their lives because of their complete devotion to God and their unwillingness to renounce their faith. That concept always gave me pause. A special priest friend of mine preached almost every Sunday on a different saint. I was young, and I was more fascinated by how they became saints than by who they were. You see, most of the people who became saints in ancient times were thrown into an arena with wild animals, burned at the stake, or something equally as gory. Such was the punishment for those 0unwilling to renounce their faith in God. And such terrible things still happen today in other parts of the world.

I still find the stories of those martyred saints beautiful and touching, but sainthood is possible without being martyred for the faith. Through Scripture, God himself reminds us that sainthood equally belongs to us, and all that is required is to love God, follow His commandments, and live a life worthy of a seat at the Lord’s table. That’s a goal we can all reach—now!