The long perfection series did show characteristics of the saint. A saint is someone who reaches the level of perfection possible for a person before being in heaven with immediate knowledge of God.
I thought I would glean from the lives of the saints some characteristics so that readers may recognize one. Also, I want to emphasize that, sadly, few Catholics aspire to saintliness, and, therefore, most go to purgatory when they die.
Saints go straight to heaven.Only the perfect go to heaven, so those teachers or bloggers who insist that saints are not perfect, as perfect as God created them to be while on earth, are just plain wrong.
Here is a short list of traits.
1) Saints totally live in the Will of God and not their own wills. They do not exhibit any wilfulness, stubbornness, or egotism. They show they are in God's Will by living the life of the virtues in complete selflessness (see below).
2) Therefore, saints are truly humble, seeing themselves as they really are before God, (sinners), and less than other people.
3) Saints love God first and foremost and are detached from other relationships.
4) Saints love other people for the sake of God, not for a person or persons own sake.
5) Saints show great love for sacred things, such as the Mass and the Eucharist. They regularly take the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confession, if they are able to do so.
6) Saints reveal the virtues, all the virtues. Here is an incomplete, but good example of a saint, a person who lives in love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up;
5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.
7) Saints are completely orthodox; that is, they are obedient to all the teachings of the Catholic Church, holding all doctrines, dogmas, rules.
8) Saints are not afraid of suffering. They sacrifice constantly for others, for God.
9) When saints do something, their actions are efficacious, unless they are called to martyrdom, in which case, their death are efficacious.
10) Saints reveal joy, even in suffering, and a deep peace.
8) Saints are not afraid of suffering. They sacrifice constantly for others, for God.
9) When saints do something, their actions are efficacious, unless they are called to martyrdom, in which case, their death are efficacious.
10) Saints reveal joy, even in suffering, and a deep peace.
I have met a few saints. Most were young. Some people I now are on their way to being very holy, especially some very old people I know.
Do not listen to those who think like Protestants that saintliness reveals imperfections. Those who write or talk about saints not being perfect do not understand either perfection or the way to perfection.