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. You should also include an example of an "unlikely saint" who has been canonized by the Catholic Church.

44 comments:

  1. Deacon Greg Kandra's homily about All Saints Day was very interesting and unique. Most people never even think about the meaning behind the way we regard saints. They are thought of mostly with reverence and a feeling of disconnection. Sainthood is something many strive for, yet even as they struggle they recognize the unlikelihood of actually succeeding. However, Deacon Kandra believes that people are merely treating saints as decorations or icons as best. He believes All Saints Day is a challenge to better oneself and to continue down the path towards sainthood.

    Deacon Kandra's speech was effect if not just because of the message but because of the literary tools he used. Allusion was one of tools he used. An allusion is a brief reference to a person, place, or event. Kandra referred to the church building itself as an example of how people view saints. Saints adorn windows and benches and are scattered across the building in the form of statues.

    Deacon Kandra also used parallelism. Parallelism is a comparison between two similar things. Kandra compared saints to all Catholics. He shared stories of people who were normal or even less religious and detailed how through their own hard work they became people worthy of the title "saint". Even the most unlikely people have a chance at becoming a saint.

    Kandra displayed plenty of evidence throughout his homily. Evidence is facts or documentation used to strengthen a claim or reach a conclusion. By sharing the stories of unlikely saints, Kandra proved his point that anyone can be a saint. He named specific places, time periods, and the saints that went with them to solidify his statement. As Kandra said, "no one is born a saint." Regardless, anyone can become one by constantly aiming to improve themselves and by bettering their relationship with God.

    Kandra used accumulation at the end of his homily. He brought together all of the different ideas he mentioned while talking, and then restated them differently. He summarized his entire homily and delivered one simple belief: "But every one of us, by the grace of God, can become one." No one can just become a saint by themselves. God is with everyone every step of the way.

    Deacon Kandra's homily was interesting because it brought to light the fact that sometimes saints are "closer to us than we may realize." It is a truth that generally goes unnoticed. Many saints are people with backgrounds that are quite surprising, such as Saint Longinus. St. Longinus was the man who stabbed Jesus with the cross. However, he was struck by Jesus's holiness. He became a devout Christian and began preaching the Word of God until Pontius Pilate ordered his beheading. So certainly anyone can become a saint in the eyes of our ever-forgiving Father.

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    1. Meaghan, I loved your examples of literary devices a few of them I hadn't thought of. You did a good finding examples. Also, good job picking an unlikely saint, I had not know St. Longinus was a saint. Overall, great job!

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    2. Meaghan, I have to comment that you are always timely and thorough with the blog assignment. Posting early is smart and starts the conversation! I really appreciate that. And thanks for the introduction to St. Longinus!

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    3. Meaghan, your blog was very good! I liked all of your literary examples because I didn't realize them when I was reading, but now that you point them out I do. I also I joyed your unlikely saint. Great work!

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    4. Meg, I really liked how you used evidence as a literary device. I never even thought of that one. I also greatly enjoyed reading your third paragraph and how it talked about earning the title "saint". Good work!

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  2. Who is a saint? According to Deacon Greg Kandra anyone can become one through perseverance and faith. Throughout his homily he speaks about how the common everyday person can become a saint no matter their situation now. He accomplishes this through the use of literary devices.

    At one point, Deacon Kandra uses anaphor to relay his message. Anaphor is the repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive clauses.An example is "All Saints Day is nothing less then a dare.... Dare to be more.. Dare to be a saint." This literary device is important because it stresses Kandra's point in an appealing way.

    A second device used is repetition. In one part Deacon Kandra repeats the same phrase twice in attempts to reinforce what he is talking about. The repeated phrase is "Nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become." The line is important because it says you need to work toward sainthood and that it won't fall into your lap easily. This idea is one many do not understand because they don't want to put forth effort.

    An unlikely candidate who you would not think capable of achieving sainthood would have to be Dorothy Day. She was someone who led a racy life being a mistress and even having an abortion performed. After a momentous event she turned her life around and devoted her life to serving others. As of right now she is a nominee for sainthood, who would have thought? She is a sign that any of us can achieve sainthood if we try hard enough and believe in God.

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    1. Erin, I really liked your third paragraph. I liked that you pointed out that while anyone can become a saint it takes a lot of effort that many people aren't willing to put forth. Dorothy Day is a really good example of an unlikely saint. Great job, Erin!

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    2. Erin, I absolutely love your second literary device. I found that one too because the way the Deadon worded that "dare" was very good. You have really good examples throughout your blog. Nice work!

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    3. Erin, like Meaghan said, I really love your third paragraph. Your last sentence is so true. It's sad, but I think that's how people are with most things now. Good job!

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    4. Erin, I think you really have a good grasp of literary devices. You used some great examples, and I especially liked anaphora. Great work!

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  3. Dorothy day is certainly an unlikely saint. Your example of the anaphora makes me so happy!

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  4. "Dare to be a saint!" This is a saying that appeared in Deacon Greg Kandra's homily for All Saints Day. The speech was very educational and gave people a different look on what it really takes to be a saint. Before reading this I had never really thought of how you become a saint, but Deacon made this point very clear. Saints are just like us , and we can strive to be just like them.

    Deacon Kandra uses many different literary devices throughout his homily. The first one I noticed was at the very beginning when he said "what it means to be “blessed” can be seen as the ultimate blueprint for living the Christian life." This is a small example of a simile when he compares the "blessed" with the "ultimate blueprint." This is a simile because he compared he two using the word "as".

    Just like my introduction, the phrases all with the word "dare" are hard to not notice. He says "Nothing less than a dare, dare to be more, and dare to be a saint." I had to go back and look through my literary terms to see which one this would best fit under. I would say it is either a repetition or an anaphor. It would be a repetition because he repeats the word to let everyone his strong opinion on it. However, it would also be an anaphor because it itself is a repetition of one word in successive phrases. This had to be my favorite part of the whole homily because it really puts it into perspective.

    Again in my introduction I say Saints are just like us and we strive to be just like them. This in some ways may be considered irony. It's not very obvious irony, but saints are what we down on earth should try to become, but the homily says they are just like us, everyday people. This inspires me to think that anybody can become a saint if they just work hard and act as Jesus and the other saints did to get there. Deacon Kandra's homily did an excellent job of describing how one can become a saint.

    An unlikely saint would be Moses the Black. He was a servant of Egypt until he was fired for being "bad". His master accused him of murder and robbery. When the law began catching up with Moses the Black, he decided to hide. Willing he was in hiding he had a conversion with God and turned his life around. He ended up catching four robbers, dragging them into the Church, and converting them as well. He was martyred as an old priest and later canonized into sainthood.

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    1. Jolene, I really liked that in the third paragraph you listed two different terms that could have been used by comparing and contrasting what they mean. I enjoyed the brief history on Moses the Black. Keep up the good work!

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    2. I love how you compared and contrasted how your one example could fall under the literary device repetition or anaphora. You did a great job at explaining everything! Keep up the good work, Jolene!

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    3. Jolene, great blog! I really enjoyed reading your second paragraph when you talk about the "ultimate blueprint." Also, I like how we had the same unlikely saint example, but we had our own perspective on it.

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  5. I really enjoyed reading Deacon Greg Kandra's homily on All Saints Day. He really put a new meaning and significance on All Saints Day with his homily. I know I thought differently about the importance and significance of this holy day before I read his homily. It was truly enlightening.

    Throughout his homily, Deacon Greg Kandra used several literary devices. For example, right from the start, he used symbolism. Symbolism is when an object has a special meaning or stands for something. He used this device when he talked about putting saints on pedestals, and how whenever we see a statue in a church adorned in wood or glass, we think of it being a saint.

    Another literary device that is used throughout the homily is an analogy. An analogy occurs when two alike ideas or concepts are compared. In his homily, Deacon Greg used parallelism to compare saints to the average human. He said that saints started out just like us. They were born holy or special, they earned their title of becoming a saint by living a holy and modest life.
    Analogy was also used when comparing other aspects of saints and ordinary people. He said that just as we are sinners, so were the saints, they committed sins too. They were not perfect people, but they continually strived to be.

    Just like the saints that seemed unlikely to become a saint, Moses the Black also falls into this category. He stated out as a slave for a government official in Egypt; however, he was fired from his job and joined a gang of bandits that committed robberies and such. One time, he hid from authorities in a monastery in the desert, and that is where Moses the Black found God. He became a servant of God, and was eventually martyred as a priest. He fits the description of an "unlikely saint."

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    1. Tori, I really enjoyed your paragraph about analogy. I think we all sometimes forget that saints were people once too; that they also made mistakes and sinned. Great work!

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    2. Tori, I like the way that you spoke about symbolism in the homily. The saints being put on pedestals was a great example of the literary device of symbolism. I also enjoyed how you explained how Moses the Black became a saint. He had a rough life, but when things were not going well he went to God. Great effort!

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  7. Has anyone ever thought about becoming a saint? Making it their life's goal? If you're like me, you probably have never put much thought into it. I have never really even thought too much about how saints got to be saints. Deacon Greg Kandra's homily really explained all of this and more. Saints aren't born saints. Saints are born people, with emotions, free will, and flaws just like everyone else. Anyone could become a saint despite where they came from and their past.

    In Deacon Greg Kandra's homily, one of the literary devices I noticed that he used was repetition. He repeated "Nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become" a few times. He really stressed that and really made a point by repeating it.

    Also, the word "dare" was used a lot. "Dare to be a saint," "dare to be more." I'm sure that everyone has played truth or dare at one point or another, a dare is not something you ca easily turn down.

    One unique thing that Deacon Greg Kandra did was explain two saints most people don't know. She explained Dorothy Day and Benedict Joseph Labre. If you would have lived during these two saints times, you never could have predicted their future of becoming saints. One typically doesn't expect the homeless, dirty, or a communist to become a saint, but just as Deacon Greg Kandra said, a saint truly can come from anywhere.

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    1. Felicia, the one paragraph that really stood out to me was the one you wrote about the word "dare". It really spoke to me and helped me to understand that we are all truly "dared" to become something that God would be proud of. Excellent blog over all!

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    2. Felicia, your first paragraph really captured my attention! I also agree with Jessica about your dare paragraph. Using the game Truth or Dare was a good way to explain it. Great job!

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    3. Felicia, I love your opening paragraph! It is so true andit gets the point of your blog across beautifully. The examples you used were really good too. Great job!

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  8. Today at 10:07 AM


    "Nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become" Deacon Greg Kandra said this many times in his homily on All Saints Day. He wanted to get the point across that most of the saints in Heaven today were people just like us when they walked on Earth. He wanted to explain that any human being, no matter of their background, can change their lifestyle and follow God.

    Deacon Kandra used repetition in his homily. He stated, even in more than one way, that saints are just normal people. He also repeats several times that, "nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become".

    Another literary device is enthymeme. Enthymeme is something that is stated that omits either one of the premises or the conclusion. An enthymeme has to be stated clearly and easily understood by the reader or listener. He used this device when he said, "But to think of the saints that way reduces them to something merely decorative—and risks making this feast seem unnecessary. This day is necessary. We need to hear what this feast says to us. It is a summons, a call, a challenge to every one of us who is here".

    Kandra spoke a lot about unlikely saints. One of my favorite saints that isn't very typical, is Saint Agnes. She is the patron saint of Girl Scouts. Saint Agnes grew up in a Christian family. After her parents became martyrs, she was arrested because of her Christian faith. In art, she is portrayed as a lamb and has a basilica built over her burial tomb. She is the patron saint of Girl Scouts because throughout her life, she exemplified the Girl Scout characteristics of courage, honesty, respect for herself and for others, and service to God along with her neighbor.

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    1. Jessica, great literary terms, especially enthymeme! It was nice to see a different example. Also, your unlikely saint is pretty cool! I like how she is the patron saint of Girl Scouts. Awesome job!

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    2. Jessica, I really liked all the points you made. You did a very good job of pointing out Deacon Kandra's rhetorical strategy. Nice examples too! Good work.

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    3. Jessica you pointed out many parts of the homily that I did not really notice. You did a really good job of finding some interesting points in his homily. Nice work.

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    4. Jessica I really liked your example of enthymeme. I did not even know what it was until you explained it, and provided an example. I also liked how your saint was important to you. It was interesting to learn about how she displayed qualities that Girl Scouts build their program around today.

      Nice job Jessica!

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  9. Deacon Greg Kandra's homily about All Saint's Day really opened my eyes. I never thought about saints being just like us. He reminded us that anyone can become a saint, they just have to have love and have faith in God. Deacon Kandra used several literary terms in his homily to capture the attention of his audience.

    Deacon Kandra uses an anaphora in his homily. He states, "All Saints Day is nothing less than a dare. This feast says to us: dare to be more. Dare to be a saint." Deacon Kandra is challenging everyone to strive to be a saint. He knows deep down that there is a little piece of saint in each of us. He dares us to become the saint inside our soul.

    Repetition is another literary term used in his homily. Twice Deacon Kandra tells us "Nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become." This is emphasizes the fact that saints are just like us; they weren't born holy, they earned their sainthood.

    Deacon Kandra also talked about unlikely saints. He told three stories about three unlikely saints-St. Margaret of Cortona, Benedict Joseph Labre, and Dorothy Day. Another unlikely saint is St. Germaine Cousin, patron saint of victims of child abuse. As a little girl, Germaine was abused by her mother. She was beaten and received very little food. Her half-siblings also tortured her, praised by their mother. Germaine was eventually forced to sleep in the barn, where her only warmth was the wool of the sheep. Germaine started to pray to God, using a rosary made of string and knots to guide her. She became sheep tender, and when she would escape to attend Mass each day, God protected the sheep from the wolves. What makes her so special is the fact that she forgave her mother for her wrongdoings. She presented her mother with flowers in the dead of winter, saying God sent them as a sign of forgiveness. I think we all can learn from St. Germaine, and always forgive those who harm us mentally and physically. If God can forgive them, so can we.

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    1. Natalie, I totally agree with your statement that Deacon Greg Kandra's homily opened your eyes. I truly never thought about how we are just like the saints. I also enjoyed how you spoke about St. Germaine Cousin. I like how you told her inspirational life story. Good job!

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  10. Deacon Greg Kandra’s homily was very inspirational. He made me think into great depth about sainthood and what comes with it. Anytime that I have ever thought about the saints that have been canonized in the past, I always thought that it must be sensational to become a saint. The thing is that I never even considered the possibility of just ordinary people like me, could become a saint. When most people hear about a saint they come to the conclusion that the person must have been one of God’s people from the beginning. This is not always true. The homily by Deacon Greg Kandra truly explains that anyone has the opportunity to become a saint. It is a tall order, but the real question is how bad do you what to make it to the kingdom of heaven?

    Throughout the entire homily Deacon Greg Kandra used multiple literary devices. He starts of his homily with an example of a simile. Its litany of what it means to be “blessed” can be seen as the ultimate blueprint for living the Christian life. He is comparing what it means to be “blessed” to the ultimate blueprint for living the Christian life. The reason that it is considered a simile is because Deacon Greg Kandra used the word as to display the similarity between two different things.

    Deacon Greg Kandra demonstrated an example of an anaphora during his homily at mass in a unique way. He was relating to the Beatitudes because they are a well known part of scripture. The example of anaphora was “To be poor in spirit. To be meek. To be merciful. To make peace.” He was explaining a few ways that people can become closer to God and improve their Christian life by following the Beatitudes. This is an anaphora because it was a repetition of the same word or clause at the beginning of each sentence.

    Another literary device that is used in Deacon Greg Kandra’s homily is repetition. For most of the homily he continues to state that “Nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become.” He wanted to keep repeating this statement because it was his main point during the message that he gave at mass. I enjoyed this part of the homily because I believe that it gave people a sense of hope of striving to become closer to a saint in the future. This is an example of repetition because it was the repeated use of these two sentences.

    An example of an “unlikely saint” would be Benedict Joseph Labre. He grew up with a parent who was successful in life financially. Benedict Joseph Labre felt obligated to hand basically everything that he had over to God, and to offer his life to God. Some people didn’t care for him because he very seldom bathed and never washed his clothes that he wore for the duration of his life. It wasn’t about how filthy he was though. Benedict Joseph Labre lived a rather short life of only 35 years. He was so close to God throughout his life because he would preach at many churches in Rome. He was so dedicated to God that it didn’t matter about how much he bathed or washed his clothes. Benedict Joseph Labre becoming a saint shows that God loves each and every one of us all the same. We must love God and follow the Beatitudes to live an exemplary Christian life. “Nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become.”

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    1. Drew, great analysis on the homily. I never thought of repetition when thinking of the literary devices, but it is true that Deacon Greg stressed multiple times throughout his homily how nobody is born a saint. I liked your example for the unlikely saint also.

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    2. Drew, I really liked examples. There were a lot of anaphors, but I did not notice yours until you pointed it out. We also had the same examples of repetition and simile. I really liked your unlikely saint as well. When I think of a saint I think of someone who is born poor, not rich. I guess that sometimes people are so moved by God that they give up what seems most valuable to them.

      Nice job Drew!

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  11. The pathway to sainthood is not a straightforward path. There is no sign that says "Begin here." and then gives us a path with bright blinking arrows to follow. Every saint that has been canonized and accepted into the church has done so in their own unique way. Saint Francis had lived a privileged life, indulging in sinful activities, and only returned to his faith after serving in a war. Other such people, who have led lives that are not Christ-like. Deacon Greg Kandra's homily about saints shows how we should all strive to be saints, no matter where we come from, or how we've lived our lives.

    In his homily, Deacon Kandra appeals to our competitive senses by daring us to become saints. He points out that anyone can do it. He mentions how no one is given saintly rights at birth. They have to earn them. His use of pathos makes us want to strive to be great Christians like these saints. He also uses lots of evidence by telling stories of saints who have returned to the church after they were abused or chose wrong things in life.

    Repetition is big in his homily too, as he repeats many times how we must "become" saints. There is no way to be born with saintliness, unless God blesses you with it, as with Mary. We must work hard, and he reminds us of this by repeating his point many times. He also repeats his dare in the beginning to enforce his point that it is possible for anyone.

    He also uses commoratio in his argument when he argues just how similar we are to the saints. He states "Flesh and blood, strength and weakness. They were people of appetites and longings, ambitions and disappointments, vanities and eccentricities." He is enforcing his argument through using different words that mostly mean the same thing to stress a point.

    He also talks about how many if the saints were not normal people. He mentions Dorothy Day who was married and had an abortion, yet was later canonized for sainthood after she had a spiritual transformation. There are many unorthodox saints that have been added to the church. My personal favorite saint is Moses the Black. In Ancient Africa, Moses was a slave whose master let him go because he was suspected of murdering and thievery. He ended up leading a gang and raided and killed his way across Africa. He was a big, sturdy man, but was brought to his knees when his group attached a monastery with bad intentions. He met the abbot and immediately repented for his sins. He also later protected his monastery from four thieves, who he single and bare- handedly defeated, but managed to convert through his mercy. He was later ordained and was canonized. He is the patron saint of forgiveness and nonviolence.

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    1. Hannah, I really like the sentence you started out with, it makes you think. Good job at picking out different devices! The story of Moses the Black is great!

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  12. Deacon Greg Kandra made me start thinking about sainthood. I questioned whether or not I am living out my faith like a saint. I think Deacon Greg’s use of words was very powerful and very inspirational. He “dared” his audience to become saints, and he made people realize that becoming a saint is not impossible. Nobody is born with a special holiness that sets them apart from the rest. “Nobody is born a saint.” He reminds us that saints struggled; they were born of the same flesh and blood we were, and that they had to work for their holiness. The way that Deacon Greg also points out the “unlikely saints” also got me thinking. I can become a saint as long as I am willing to take a step forward and realize the path God has chosen for me.

    Deacon Greg starts his homily right off with a simile. Similes make it easier to understand things by using “like” or “as” to show comparison. The simile reads, “Its litany of what it means to be “blessed” can be seen as the ultimate blueprint for living the Christian life.” Deacon Greg says that the litany can be seen “as” an ultimate blueprint, he is comparing the two things. It makes it easier for his audience to understand that the Beatitudes are simply guidelines for sainthood.

    Another literary device that Deacon Greg uses is repetition. He continually says “Nobody is born a saint. It’s something you have to become.” Everytime he says that, he is referring back to the main point of his homily, which is that sainthood is not something you are given; rather it is something you attain. Deacon Greg talks about some unlikely saints, and then repeats his line about saints, every time reassuring the audience that sainthood is a lifestyle, not a gift.

    I noticed two anaphors at the end of Deacon Greg’s homily. He talks about “the promise that lies within each of us. The promise of holiness.” He also continues on with “It is the promise that was fulfilled in the countless people we venerate this day—our models, our companions, our inspirations, our guides.” Deacon Greg successively repeats the words “the promise” and in the latter sentence repeats “our” to describe the saints we honor on All Saints Day. I think using anaphora helps provide a nice flow in writing or in speaking. Everything just seems to come together, and it is a very powerful way to make a point.

    I think one of the most unlikely saints would he Saint Longinus. Everyone stabs God in the back once in a while, or in other words we sin. But Saint Loginus literally stabbed God. Saint Loginus was the soldier who stabbed Jesus in the side when he was on the cross. After stabbing Jesus, blood and water poured out of his body, and Loginus was said to have bad vision, but when the blood and water spilled into his eyes, he was healed. Loginus went on to become a Christian, and his feast day is celebrated on March 15.

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    1. Ian, I really liked how you pointed out the example of the similie in the beggining of the homily. Also, I found the same example of repetition as you did. The story about the unlikely saint you found was very interesting too. Nice job.

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  13. Deacon Greg Kandra has a very interesting view on sainthood. He believes that any person anywhere could be a saint. His explanation of his reasoning was also well thought out. He states, "Because the great truth about saints, something we so easily forget, is that they were just like us." This helped me to believe that anyone who wants to be a saint can be.

    The homily given by Deacon Kandra also had several literary devices to help grab the listeners attention. One of these devices was anaphora. He uses many statements that could be called dare statements. An example of these would be, "dare to be more" or "All Saints Day is nothing less than a dare." He uses this anaphora because it really makes someone listen, and want to go out and do something about to become a saint.

    Kandra also uses repetition. The way he used this device was by repeating the sentences, "Nobody is born a saint. It's something you have to become. Using the repetition really pushes ahead the notion that maybe the listener could be a saint, and creates thought of creating a more saint like life.

    An example of an unlikely saint would be Saint George. He was born to a Christian family in Rome. His father was a very important Roman official in the Roman Army. Saint George was an officer in this army as well. He was asked by the emperor to arrest all Christian soldiers. Saint George would not do this however even after being bribed by monarchs. He was tortured and killed which led many Romans to become Christian.

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    1. Austin, I love your first paragraph! Nice example of anaphora, I never noticed that in his homily until now. I also recognized the repetition of "Nobody is born a saint. It's something you have to become." These lines were very significant to the message Deacon Greg Kandra tried getting across. I never heard of Saint George before; I guess you learn something new everyday. Good job, Austin!

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  14. November 1st was All Saints Day, a day that is commonly overlooked by many people because they are so focused on Halloween. In the Catholic Church, All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation. The reading for this mass is on a Beatitudes. In his homily, Deacon Greg Kandra connects the Beatitudes to the ability for all of us to achieve sainthood.

    Deacon Kandra's homily was oddly convincing as he spoke about how people become saints. He used repetition when he continuously said that people were not born as saints, it was what they became. He states that anyone can become a saint just by living out the Beatitudes to their fullest. One of Deacon Kandra's strongest points was when he made examples of unlikely saints. By pointing out how human saints actually are he made them people that we can compare to.

    I think that Deacon Kandra's point was that saints don't just have it easy. They struggled in their lives just as we do; with family, with relationships, with death and destruction. Saints just used their life experiences to turn them towards God. We all have the potential to become saints and, because of this, we should do more then just praise statues of saints. We should pray to them and learn about them because they were just like us and we can become just like them.

    I chose St. Paul as my unlikely saint. Before he was touched by God, Paul was known as Saul. He persecuted Christians. And then one day he was encountered by Jesus and was transformed. He became Paul, Jesus' faithful servant. He was the rock that the Church was built on, the first pope. Anyone can change, anyone can follow God. St. Paul is the proof.

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    1. Ann, I like that you picked Paul for your unlikely saint, I forgot that he used to be known as Saul. Also while reading a lot of repeition stuck out to me and I liked how you used the repetition of saints in your response. Good job!

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    2. Ann, I agree that All Saints Day is often overlooked by the events that unfold the night before, Halloween. Deacon Greg Kandra did a superb job of relating the beatitudes with sainthood. St. Paul is a wonderful example of how each one of us can change our bad habits and learn to serve God. Nice work!

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  15. Many people do not believe they will ever be anything near a saint. I know that I have never considered that possibility. Deacon Greg Kandra tells in his homily how anyone can be called to be a saint. Many of our saints have been found in very unlikely places and people. Throughout his homily he uses many literary devices to help get across his point.

    One of the devices he uses is repetition. He used these when he said "All Saints Day is nothing less than a dare. This feast says to us: dare to be more.
    Dare to be a saint." How he uses dare over and over makes the word really stick out. It makes you want to challenge yourself to be a better person on a daily basis.

    Another good method of communicating with his congregation was through parallelism when he said "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." Through this, Kandra explains that the saints started out just as everyday people like us.

    Kandra really helped me to understand more about saints. To be honest, All Saints Day was usually just the day after Halloween to me, but now it actually has meaning to it. He made the listeners want to become better people. Saints can be found anywhere and in anyone.

    We have a lot of saints in the Catholic Church that are what someone would call unlikely. One of these saints is Saint Wilgefortis . She was caught up in a planned marriage, caused by her father, in which she did not want to be. She prayed to God to make herself unattractive to her fiancé. God answered her prayers with a full grown beard. Her marriage was soon called off and her father was so angry that he crucified her. She became the patron saint of women who wish to be released from the clutches of abusive husbands.

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  16. The homily given by Deacon Greg Kandra was very interesting and had a profound message. I think that his last two sentences stood out to me the most: "Because they assure us again and again: no one is born a saint. But every one of us, by the grace of God, can become one." I am really competitive, so I took it as a challenge to "dare to be a saint." Deacon Greg Kandra was very successful about getting his point across, especially through his usage of literary devices.

    The first literary device I noticed was repetition. He repeated these two sentences several times throughout his homily, "Nobody is born a saint. It's something you have to become." By repeating and emphasizing these words, Deacon Greg Kandra was able to stress a key element of his message. I know it certainly worked for me, and now I can't get it out of my head.

    Secondly, Deacon Greg Kandra used symbolism. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent qualities or ideas. He got his audience to consider what comes to mind when they hear the word "saint." "As we mark this All Saints Day, it is tempting to put saints, literally, on a pedestal." He continued this idea when he stated, "We see saints in stained glass, in wood, in marble. They are plaster figures we put on a shelf and decorate with flowers or adorn with halos." He speaks of saints as just being on the covers of "holy cards" and how we only use them as icons; however, he explains, in depth, what more a saint actually is.

    I also believe that he used some irony in his homily. He talked about "unlikely saints" like Dorothy Day and Joseph Labre. He explained how Dorothy Day wasn't always a "saint." She made mistakes like all of us do, some minor and some large. Joseph Labre was filthy and refused to bath. It is astonishing that these two people were still canonized as saints. This was a key factor in Deacon Greg Kandra's homily; after all, it made the message relatable to each one of us. Everyone makes mistakes; we are humans. However, we can all still strive towards being a saint by living out our faith through our words and actions.

    I recently looked up "unlikely saints who were canonized by the Catholic Church," and, quiet frankly, most of the stories were shocking. The one that caught my attention the most was Saint Longinus. He was actually one of the soldiers who put a spear in the side of Jesus's body when he was on the cross. When the water and blood came rushing out, it cured his vision problems. Apparently, he shouted, "Indeed, this was the Son of God!" This was the first time I have ever heard this remarkable story, and it was truly an eye-opener.

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