What does a saint look like?

I was out and about yesterday when I saw this sign. I knew I had to put it up on Wheelie Catholic. The saints have been on my mind lately.

I read the Pope's words at World Youth Day about Pier Giorgio:

God gave Pier Giorgio all the external attributes that could have led him to make the wrong choices: a wealthy family, very good looks, manhood, health, being the only heir of a powerful family. But Pier Giorgio listened to the invitation of Christ: "Come and follow me." He anticipated by at least 50 years the church's understanding and new direction on the role of the laity....

Pier Giorgio was the kind of person who gave the coat off his back to someone who was cold, who on his deathbed handed items for the poor, with specific instruction, for delivery. As the Pope said, he lived the Beatitudes.

Perhaps our backgrounds and resources differ, but the question remains: when we are blessed with much freedom, do we choose to follow Christ? History teaches that many generations haven't had that freedom, but have sought to follow Christ despite persecution. How much more those of us who are at liberty to openly profess our faith and live it can do!

Last night I watched a documentary called Something Within Me, about St. Augustine's School for the Arts in the south Bronx. Back in the 80's, the curriculum was radically changed to include music instruction to help the children achieve better academically. It worked. Enrollment tripled. Counselors were brought in to help the children deal with the violence on the streets and try to get a good education. Generations of children have been helped.

What matters is that we're following Christ.

I remember one of my CCD students asking me: What does a saint look like? and I replied A saint can look like you. And I pointed at every child in the class. If we do the work before us, if we care for the poor, if we help those in need, we don't have to worry about what it "looks like". Not only that, but we don't control the results. Sometimes our actions are small, like giving away our coat, and other times we are part of a larger collaboration, where generations of children can be helped.

Following Christ can take us down roads we never expected to go. What does that look like? I can hear a child's voice asking.

It's only in the living of it that we'll find out.

[image description: A photo of a white truck. The lettering reads: St. John and underneath Chimney Sweeps.]