Friday, November 1, 2013
All Saints Day
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2013/10/homily-for-november-1-2013-all-saints-day/
Follow the provided link to a homily given by Deacon Greg Kandra. If the link is not working, you will have to type in the url. In the homily, he gives examples of "unlikely saints". Respond to his homily noting any literary devices he uses. At the same time, think about what he is saying and discern what actions and thoughts you have exemplified this week that have gotten you closer to sainthood. You may share or not share those thoughts in the blog. Also, include an example of an "unlikely saint" who has been canonized by the Catholic Church.
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Wow! Talk about inspirational!
ReplyDeleteDeacon Greg knows what’s up when it comes to the saints. He uses the literary device of repetition that truly inspired me with the sentence, “Nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become.” He repeats this several times, and the more I read it, the more inspired I felt. I just want to do good deeds after reading this article.
An alliteration that struck me in the deacon’s homily was his alliteration of “simple sinners”. I could truly connect and relate to what the deacon was saying. He explained that the saints were people like him and me. Normal. Sinners. Simple. It was their actions and their devotion to God that was truly extraordinary. It inspires me that if people like me could become saints, why can’t I become one as well?
Deacon Greg is full of rhetorical questions. He queries questions that really make his listeners/readers critically think about sainthood and their own lives such as “Sainthood is a noble ambition, an ideal, but is this something we can realistically expect to attain?”. He answers “yes” and I wholeheartedly agree with him. I can be saint. I can do it! But it won’t be easy. I realize that. But Deacon Greg gives me the hope that even a normal person such as I could has the potential to become a saint.
I reflected about the past week, and I now it was optional to share our thoughts, but I would like to just briefly mention something. For the past couple of months, I could feel myself getting farther apart from God, because I made the excuse that I was “busy”. That is such a poor excuse! My mom and I LTed a couple weekends ago, and I realized all I had to do is find little ways to incorporate God into my life again but just talking to him at random times whenever I thought of it, and doing little nice acts for people. It’s funny because for the past two weeks I felt myself becoming closer to God again because I made a conscious effort to pray and be nicer to people. It’s amazing how much happier and peaceful I feel because I know that my relationship with God is being strengthened. I feel like this is definitely bringing me back on to the path that is related to sainthood.
Saint Mary of Egypt was crazy! Who would have thought that a 12 year old who prostituted herself would become a saint? But she did! That’s right, the girl who started being a prostitute at age 12 for no pay because she enjoyed the pleasure of it became a saint. Mary of Egypt journeyed to Jerusalem not for a pilgrimage but rather to find potential partners for her lustful actions. When she tried to enter a church, however, Saint Mary could not enter it because an unnatural force was barring her from entering the church because of her sins and impurities. Saint Mary realized that was why she was denied entrance into the church and she fell down in disgust and prayed to the statue of the Virgin Mary outside of the church and begged for forgiveness. After doing so, she was allowed into the church, and she gave thanks to God and Jesus. After she was baptized in the Jordan, St. Mary fled to the desert where she became a hermit for the rest of her life.
If Saint Mary of Egypt can become a saint, anyone can become a saint. Like Deacon Greg says, “I dare you.”
Happy All Saints Day, everyone!
Rachel,
DeleteNice blog. I saw many of the rhetorical devices that you mentioned. I like the example you gave of Simple Sinners. I thought that it tied together his entire homily. I liked the example you gave of Saint Mary of Egypt. I think she is a perfect example of how anyone can become a saint.
Rachel,
DeleteI thought that your blog was very good as usual. You found a lot of rhetorical devices in the homily, I also especially found the simple sinners alliteration to be very good. I missed that when I read the homily, but now that you pointed that out I can totally see it. Your example of an unlikely saint was also very good. Great blog!
Rachel,
DeleteYou had a really good blog. One thing that really stood out to me was your saint. A prostitute becoming a saint is completely unheard of, until I read your blog. Anyways good usage of literary terms and your simple sinners point was very good. The rhetorical questions you found were also good. Nice job!
What a homily! If someone preached that good at my local church, that'd be sweet! Anyways, the deacon makes it seems as if anyone can become a saint which is remarkable. He always uses repetition of that phrase "nobody is born a saint. It is something you have to become" and "dare yourself to become a saint". He uses these inspirational yet repetitious phrases to get his point across, and what's cool is that it is so true that we can become saints.
ReplyDeleteHe constantly uses allusions to the beatitudes in his presentation. He calls them the basic "ultimate blueprint" to the saint hood. We have to follow these beatitudes so that we can obtain the saint hood. And the deacon makes is point.
Literary term wise, there are also some metaphors and similes in this quote:
"Because the great truth about saints, something we so easily forget, is that they were just like us.
Flesh and blood, strength and weakness. They were people of appetites and longings, ambitions and disappointments, vanities and eccentricities. They were simple sinners just like the rest of us.
That was how they began. But that wasn’t the whole story.
The simple but reassuring fact is that nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become."
I could read this quote over and over again because it is so true. It's really inspirational.
Now for how I've gotten closer to sainthood... Good question. I'll start by saying that I got closer to sainthood today more than anyway of the week. Today, on my way to a college visit, my mom made me listen to a Jason Everett CD. She was trying to see if they should recruit this guy for a talk at St. Leo's church in Ridgway. So I listened to this tape that turned out being awesome. The theme was "How to date you soulmate without losing your soul". It was a great tape. And what was funny is that everything he said was true. He talked about what girls do in college as opposed to guys: the girls all go into one room and gossip about everything. The guys, on the other hand, sit in their rooms playing Angry Birds. "All right level up!"He related this to dating and what both sexes think of each other and what they expect from each other. This guy was a genius. He related to me and my life so much. Mrs. Van Eerdan always shows us tapes like this, which makes me feel the need to donate my money and time to people who are not as lucky as I am.
I found this completely hardcore, beastly, Rambo-like saint to talk about. Moses the Black. Besides from having the greatest name ever, he had a great story. First, he was fired from being a slave. He was just that awesome that he got himself out of slavery, by just being himself, Moses the Black. After that he joined a band of robbers, and stole stuff. To steal whatever he wanted to steal, he swam across the Nile. The Nile River. Unbelievable. There was a story I read that said he robbed four sheep, swam each one of them across to his temporary camp, skinned them, and walked 50 miles back to his regular camp. When the law started to catch up to him, he ran away, found a monastery in the middle of the desert, and hid there. That's how Moses the Black became a saint. Then some idiots decided to rob the monastery, which was the worst idea, because monasteries are poor, and Moses the Black was in there. (I can't help it. I love saying his name.) So Moses the Black beat up four of them and took them to the chapel. Instead of killing them, he converted them into monks like the other monks converted him.
This story shows that anyone can become a saint. If he can, anyone can.
Wow, that is a hardcore saint! And I love Jason Everette!
DeleteMatt Bobby,
DeleteI would like to start off by saying your saint may have the best name ever. Anyway, I thought that your observation of rhetorical devices was very good. I found the repetition to be very important to the entire homily. Finally, I also agree that anyone can become a saint, it just takes many small steps. Nice blog Matt Bobby.
Matt Bobby,
DeleteI also think that you saint has a very cool name. I actually saw his like bio when I was looking for my saint and I thought to myself Matt will probably use him for his blog and I was right!! Haha well anyways I think that you did very well finding the rhetorical devices in the homily. Nice blog!
Wow was that an inspirational homily, it definitely was one of the better homilies that I have heard in numerous years of attending Church. Deacon Greg in my opinion delivered a very good homily full of literary devices. I know that I am inspired to live a better life because of reading his homily.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that I love rhetorical questions, this is mainly because they are do easy to pick out in a work, but also because they are very powerful. Deacon Greg asks, "But do we really understand what that means?" He is asking if we really understand what this day means. Which a lot of people probably do not know the real meaning behind this feast day. This is because it is very easy to just go through the motions and not really learn about the day. This is why Deacon Greg proposes that we view this day with a different perspective and this perspective is to challenge each and everyone of us to become a saint.
Deacon Greg also uses repetition to drive home his main point in his homily, which is, "Nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become. " Not only does this quote challenge us to become a saint, but it also gives us hope. This is because since nobody is born a saint then anyone can become a saint. This inspires us to strive to become a saint and to make it a goal. Deacon Greg argues that anyone can become a saint, which he back up with some examples of some unlikely saints.
Deacon Greg also uses some contrasts is homily, which I found to be particularly interesting. He says that saints were people that had, "strength and weakness, appetites and longings, ambitions and disappointments, vanities and eccentricities." These contrasts prove that saints were normal people just like everyone else, which proves that it really is something that anyone can achieve.
I have gotten closer to sainthood when I started helping out at the Faith Formation center in my parish. I was asked to help teach the little kids about Jesus. Which is very scary I know, but I have been thoroughly enjoying myself each week. I feel like I a getting closer to sainthood by spreading the gospel and setting a good example for these little kids. I hope that I can bring the kids closer to God and to help them live a faith filled life like I still am taught too.
My example of an unlikely saint is St. Longinus. He was the solider who actually pierced the side of Jesus when he was hanging on the cross. He was converted when some blood and water from Jesus fell into his eyes. It was he who the. Exclaimed that Jesus was truly the Son of God after he had died. He the went on to become a monk and was arrested for being a Christian and then he was beheaded.
Michaela Cashmer,
DeleteI totally agree with you that Deacon Greg's homily was full of inspiration! The literary devices you found throughout his homily are well thought out. I also noticed the repetition, rhetorical questions, and the one I commend you on is finding the contrasts. Those are so good! They really demonstrate how the saints were common people just like you and me. I think it is so cool that you help out at your Faith Formation center! You go girl! St. Longinus is definitely an unlikely saint. Who would have thought that the man who pierced Jesus's side would become a saint? Wow! Great blog, Micahaela!
Michaela,
DeleteI do agree that the rhetorical questions in this homily make it extremely inspirational. Deacon Greg is such a brilliant man! I liked your discussion of contrasts. I didn’t really notice them when I read the homily the first time, but now that you have pointed them out I don’t know how I could have missed them. I also find it really cool that you help out with the faith formation. That is a great way to help others and spread the message of Jesus. Your saint is also extremely interesting. The man that speared Jesus in his side and a saint don’t seem to belong in the same sentence, but that is the great thing about God. Even the wrong can convert to the right and live in his glory.
Michaela,
DeleteVery nice analysis of the various devices employed by Deacon Kandara. You found the ones that the rest of us did, repetition and so on, however, your mentioning of contrasts was very good. I sort of forget that as being a device at all but it was a very good observation. I also liked your reflection on your personal life. I had no idea you worked so closely with your parish. I think that's so nice! You most certainly are living the faith as we are called to do so every week. I also loved your unlikely saint because I had no idea that the soldier who pierced Jesus' side became a saint. That's amazing! And not to mention certainly unexpected. You had a great blog this week.
I found this homily to be very interesting. I firstly found it
ReplyDeleteinteresting how Deacon Greg said that the beatitudes are just the
pathway to sainthood. I never thought about it in that way, but that
is exactly what they are. Deacon Greg then continues with his homily
by asking a rhetorical question. He poses the question "Do we really
know what that means?" This question is interesting because I think
that all Catholics do understand what it means, but they do not think
in that way. Deacon Greg is saying that people do not know, or rather
do not think about how to become a saint. I think that everyone wants
to be a saint, but not everyone really tries to become a saint.
Deacon Greg counters this common belief by saying:
"Dare to be a saint.
Some of us may hear that and laugh. Sainthood is a noble ambition, an
ideal, but is this something we can realistically expect to attain?
The short answer is: yes."
This paragraph is essential to the homily. He uses a rhetorical
question to make the audience think about if they can become a saint.
He then says that some people may hear this and laugh. This is what
most people would do when they heard that they could be a saint.
People are not driven enough to want to be a saint, and Deacon
recognizes this. He says that if people want to be a saint they have
to act differently. He then answers his own question by saying that
people can "realistically" expect to become a saint. The word
realistically is essential to this statement because it shows the
reader that it is attainable.
Finally, Deacon Greg uses many allusions to other saints. He refers to
three saints who would have never been viewed as saints for the
majority of their life. This is very effective for most people
because they think that they are not able to become a saint because of
prior shortcomings. This is not the case because of the examples that
Deacon Greg provides.
The saint that I chose was Saint Longinus. This saint is the Roman
soldier who pierced Jesus' side while he was on the cross. This action
of physically harming Jesus would make most people think that the
person is not going to go to Heaven, let alone become a saint. I found
this to be very interesting because I did not think that he was a
saint until I researched it.
Luke Kraus,
DeleteI really like how you observed that the beatitudes are the pathway to sainthood. What I really like is how you recognized that people are usually not motivated to become a saint because they think it is unattainable. Deacon Greg makes it seem like a potential reality that is easy to obtain. I like how you connected this thought with allusions and rhetorical questions. I like the saint that you chose to be unlikely, but who would have thought that the soldier who pierced Jesus's side would be a saint? Good blog, Kraus!
Kraus,
DeleteI really liked the way that you pointed out Deacon Greg Kandra’s discussion of the beatitudes. If you really think about it, they tell us how to live so that we may too be able to become saints in the kingdom of heaven. I also liked the way that you discussed people not being motivated to become saints. I think that that is true for a lot of people out there. I also think it is possible, however, for people to think that their bad deeds have gone too far for them to find forgiveness. Just food for thought. I think that you really understood the message that Deacon Kandra was trying to convey in his family. I saw your saint when I researching for mine and I think that the story is really interesting. Who would ever think?
This homily is beautiful! I guess when I think of a saint, I think of someone who is the epitome of perfection. They have followed God, and really made a difference in their lives and the lives of others. This homily, however, put everything back into perspective for me. It made me realize that these people weren’t perfect. Only God is perfect. I realized that even though it won’t be easy even I, as a sinner, can become a saint. Most of the people who are saints now were sinners first anyway.
ReplyDeleteDeacon Greg Kandra is a very powerful speaker. He can make a point come across so well just by using a few literary devices in his homily. He starts right off the bat with the devices, and that makes this homily amazing.
Kandra uses repetition in this particular homily. The repetition that he uses also happens to be the most beautiful quote throughout the entire thing. He continues to reiterate that “Nobody is born a saint. It is something that you become.” This a really inspirational repetition. Kandra reminds everyone in two simple sentences that sainthood can be for everyone. It is not only for those that were born to be considered perfect. It is meant for those of us that are sinners and are struggling to find our way in a truly messed up world.
Because the great truth about saints, something we so easily forget, is that they were just like us. This quote is also really important to this homily. It is like a small allusion to the troubled lives of the saints who have come before us. Kandra continues this by telling brief versions of a few unlikely saints lives. They suffered from their own hardships, but somehow they managed to find their way back to God and live in his image. That is so powerful and so moving.
What have I done to become more saint like recently? It took me a little while to think about doing something that was good enough to qualify as working towards becoming a saint. Then I realized that it isn’t about all of the big recognizable things that a person does, but it is about the small things that no one recognizes you for. I guess that I would say that my most saintly quality would be service to others. When I was a freshmen I only did service projects to get the hours so I didn’t have to worry about them anymore. I realized, however, that I really liked the way that helping others makes me feel. I would say that my small services in a day, whether it’s as simple as holding a door for someone or being their friend when others won’t, is the way that I am working towards becoming a holier person. I think that putting others before yourself is a crucial part of God’s message, and that is the part that I am working on living right now. I am just trying to remember the way that God said to treat others, and I am trying to put that into action.
Now for an unlikely saint. I am going to say that Edith Stein, who would later be known as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, qualifies in that category. She didn’t really do anything crazy like being a prostitute or anything, but she went through her own problems before she found God. By the time that Edith was 13 she was struggling with her faith. She actually became an atheist, and remained an atheist for many years. It is hard to get any farther from God than atheism, but somehow she managed to recover from that. She later converted to Catholicism and became a Discalced Carmalite nun. If that isn’t a huge change than I don’t know what it is. Her story is actually really inspiring though, because she found God even though she was in darkness. I hope that I am able to do that as well.
Megan,
DeleteYou had a nice blog. Your first paragraph really stood out to me. It is true that when we all imagine saints we think of them to be absolutely perfect. But in reality some were in a worse state then we were, on the lines of faithfulness, wealthiness, education, etc. they show that anyone can become a saint, and that's were the powerful speaking deacon comes in, to show that we can really achieve sainthood. Good blog!
Megan,
DeleteNice blog! We found like the exact same literary devices! I really liked your reflection on how you work towards being a saint. We've all done our fair share of complaining about the service hours but if we have a different attitude, we can recognize that it really is a good opportunity to help people who may need it. I liked your emphasis on the "little" things. It was very insightful.
I really liked that homily. Deacon Kandra gave an extremely down-to-earth and insightful homily that was inspiring in is message to strive for sainthood, always. And how was this achieved? Literary devices, that's how!
ReplyDeleteRepetition. This article uses the power of repetition a lot. The speaker focuses in on one line in particular "Nobody is born a saint. It's something you have to be become." It was an extremely powerful line. It could even be categorized as the orations thesis statement. However, instead of speaking the words and then never mentioning them again, the listener or reader is forced to face the words and have them engrained in their mind through the use of repetition.
Secondly, Deacon Kandra uses a great deal of allusions. He alludes to saints that have lived throughout history, telling their life story and putting an emphasis on those individuals who had sinful beginnings to their lives, but converted back to Christ. These short stories serve to provide real word examples of the "thesis statement" that Deacon Kandra repeats throughout his speech.
Deacon Kandra also utilizes personification when he says "this feast says to us: dare to be more." Obviously the feast day is not going to grow a mouth and literally utter the words. However, the image of a human form speaking to us tends to make the message more memorable.
I have no particular tale to share regarding my own personal experience towards getting close to sainthood. However, I would like to reflect on this homily because I do think it describes, rather perfectly, my own flawed thinking regarding my capabilities as a good person. I know saints were humans just like us, however, I always think of them as being created special. That they were somehow created with an increased propensity towards good and that I cannot possibly be expected to reach such ideals. However, this is not the case and this homily did a good job of reminding me of that. The saints are the ideal for certain, but they are not unattainable. They always say your supposed to shoot for the moon because even if you miss you'll land among the stars. The same goes for being a good person, I suppose. Aim to be a saint. Don't automatically assume it can't be done.
Alright so, for the unlikely saint who has been canonized I picked Moses the Black. Cool name, right? I found a humorously written article and the author obsessed over his name. Anyways, Moses the Black was a slave in Egypt who eventually got fired because he was suspected of thievery and murder and his owner was sort of scared of him. The he joined a band of robbers and became their leader. Causing mayhem for years, the law eventually caught up with him and he decided to hide out in a monastery. His conversion took place here and he began to follow Christ. One time, bandits were coming to steal from the monastery Moses the Black was staying at. He overwhelmed the individuals and tied them up, however, he opted not to beat them because he felt this would not be a very "Christian" action. The robbers were so moved with his compassion that they too converted. This guy has quite the history, but he is still a saint. And a martyr at that!