My favorite months are May and June. Why? Because the whole summer is still ahead of me. There are vacations to take, family gatherings to enjoy, beautiful evenings on the patio, and backyard barbeques with friends. Every year I tell myself, This is going to be the best summer yet.
Then something happens.
As I sat down to write this article, it suddenly hit me: May and June are already gone, and I didn’t enjoy them nearly as much as I had hoped. Even more surprising, we’re already more than halfway through July! In fact, the “Back to School” advertisements have already begun! Summer has a funny way of speeding up, and I don’t want to miss the gifts the Lord has placed before me simply because I was too busy to notice them.
That realization made me think about something else I can easily overlook. Throughout July, the Church quietly gives us another wonderful gift—a calendar full of saints whose lives can inspire our own.
When I look back, I get some good takeaways. For example, St. Thomas (July 3) reminds me that God isn’t afraid of my questions. In fact, He meets me there and invites me to deeper faith. St. Maria Goretti (July 6) shows me that forgiveness is stronger than hatred. St. Benedict (July 11) teaches me that a holy life is built one good habit at a time. And that gave me an idea: I challenge us to build some good habits for what is left of this summer.
Sure, enjoy the family time and barbeques, but also let’s learn from and engage with these saints. We have St. Camillus and St. Apollinaris – Do you know them? We’ll also celebrate St. Bridget, St. Sharbel, the Apostle St. James, Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; We have our hometown guy, Blessed Solanus Casey (whose relic is in the chapel this month), and Our Lady’s parents Sts. Anne and Joachim (whose relics are also in the chapel this month)! Finally, on the last day of the month, St. Ignatius of Loyola. What an amazing group! They are farmers and kings, missionaries and hermits, scholars and servants, apostles and ordinary people.
It would be an interesting group to gather at our summer BBQ. They all had something in common—they loved Jesus with their whole hearts, and each had habits we can benefit from.
That’s the beauty of the saints. God doesn’t make copies. He doesn’t ask everyone to live the same life. He simply asks each of us to become the saint He created us to be. Let’s make that our summer challenge. Pick one of the saints we celebrate during the rest of July. Read a page about his or her life. Ask for that saint’s prayers. Then imitate one small virtue of theirs: Be a little more patient. Spend five extra minutes in prayer. Visit someone who is lonely. Forgive someone you’ve been avoiding. Offer a hidden act of kindness without expecting anyone to notice.
Holiness usually doesn’t begin with dramatic moments. It begins with small faithful “yeses” offered every day. Who knows? By the time August rolls around, perhaps someone may look at your life and say, “That’s what following Jesus looks like.”
Now that’s a summer worth celebrating!
God bless you,
Fr. J.J.