Saint Paul instructs in his Epistle to the Thessalonians that they have: “became a model for all the believers.”
For us we must ask ourself who has been the many models present within our life. Hopefully among them we can call to mind many people who have influenced our life of faith. For the married couples in our midst to reflect upon which married couples in their life have influenced their desire to enter into marriage and to live it faithfully. Who are the holy people in our life who have modeled to us the spirit of prayer and have thus directed our hearts and minds to being open to the teachings of the Gospel? Concerning this reality parents are the primary teachers of the home hold great influence and thus they must be willing to be models of the faith to their children.
One tradition for a priest on the day of his ordination is to take a special cloth to wipe the oils off from his hands. This special cloth is then presented to his mother and once she passes from her earthly life this cloth is to be placed in her hands. Thus when she gets to Heaven it will be asked of her what she has accomplished and she is to present that cloth to state that she is a mother of a priest. Parents thus have a great influence over the life of faith of their children. They must thus become models of the faith to them. If we are to have good and holy priests, good and holy members of religious orders, and good and holy marriages this loving reality must be modeled by their parents.
On Wednesday we will come to celebrate special models of our faith. It is on this day that we will come to celebrate All Saint’s Day which calls to mind the model of the saints. Thus which saints have we developed devotion towards within our life? The saints have influenced the life of so many people and thus through an encounter with them so many hearts and minds have been opened to the teachings of the Gospel. We must allow the saints to become models of our life inspiring us towards Heaven.
For us we too must realize the effect that we have upon other people. We must realize that each of us have been called to become a model for all believers.
To accomplish this task one must embrace their vocation in life. Thus if they have entered into the Sacrament of Matrimony they must take it upon their self to live it faithfully and to mentor young couples in order that they too may strive to live out a good and holy marriage. We must realize that we are called to be models to all believers and so we have the ability to influence so many souls that their hearts and minds to be open wide to the teachings of the Gospel. Parents must desire to become models of the faith to their children and thus bring them to Mass, show them appreciation for the Sacraments and scripture, and thus mold them into good disciples of the Lord. May we thus take this task upon ourself and become a true model for all believers.
