June 14th, 2026: Holiness Begins in the Life of the Church
The Sunday of All Saints of America reminds Orthodox Christians that holiness is not only something from the ancient past. The Orthodox Church teaches that God still raises up saints in every land, every parish, and every generation, including ordinary people whose lives have been changed by repentance, prayer, and love.
Orthodox Christianity teaches that every Christian is called to become holy, not by pretending to be perfect, but by turning again and again toward God. Sainthood is not reserved only for monks, bishops, or people from long ago. It is the calling of every baptized Christian who seeks to live the Gospel with humility, repentance, and faithfulness.
What Does the Orthodox Church Teach About Becoming a Saint?
Orthodox Christians believe that the saints are not distant religious heroes. They are members of the Body of Christ who have become radiant with the grace of God. Their lives show what it looks like when the Gospel becomes real in a human person.
The Sunday of All Saints of America helps us remember that holiness can take root in our own soil. The saints are not only from Jerusalem, Constantinople, Russia, Greece, or the deserts of Egypt. They can also be from Alaska, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Georgia, and every place where the Orthodox Church lives and prays.
This feast also teaches us that the Church is not finished producing saints. God is still working in His people. The same Holy Spirit who filled the apostles, martyrs, ascetics, missionaries, priests, mothers, fathers, and repentant sinners is still active in the Church today.
Holiness Is Seen in Repentance, Faithfulness, and Love
What is a saint in Orthodox Christianity?
A saint is someone who has been united to God by grace and whose life shows the light of the Kingdom. In the New Testament, Christians are often called saints because the Church understands holiness as the calling of all believers. St. Paul writes to “the saints” in several of his letters, not because everyone was already perfect, but because they had been set apart for God.
The Orthodox Church teaches that sainthood is not the same thing as being naturally nice, successful, famous, or religious on the outside. Some saints lived quiet lives. Some were bishops or monastics. Some were married. Some were children. Some were great sinners who became examples of deep repentance.
This is important because people sometimes imagine the saints as if they were born glowing, untouched by weakness, and above ordinary struggle. But the lives of the saints tell a different story. Many saints battled anger, fear, pride, grief, sickness, temptation, and painful circumstances.
Can an ordinary person become a saint?
Orthodox Christians believe the answer is yes. The goal of Christian life is not simply to be respectable, moral, or religious. The goal is union with God, which the Orthodox Church often calls theosis, or becoming like God by grace.
This does not mean becoming God by nature. It means being healed, purified, and transformed so that the love of God becomes visible in us. St. Athanasius famously taught that the Son of God became man so that man might become god by grace, meaning that human life is meant to be filled with divine life.
That calling can begin in very simple ways. A person forgives someone. A bitter heart softens. A sinner begins to pray. A person who has suffered much begins to comfort others. A Christian who once lived for himself begins to live for God and neighbor.
The sermon gives three human examples of this kind of transformation. One woman, hardened by suffering and trauma, became gentle and welcoming after being asked a simple question about heaven. A priest facing illness kept reminding others that everything is about Jesus Christ. A man in prison, guilty of grave sin, spent his remaining life in prayer, repentance, and longing for the Divine Liturgy.
These stories do not canonize anyone. The Church alone discerns and glorifies saints publicly, and God alone knows the heart. But such stories show us what living repentance can look like. They remind us that holiness is not imaginary. It is possible, even in damaged lives.
Why does the Orthodox Church honor saints from specific places?
The Orthodox Church honors saints from particular lands because the Gospel is meant to become incarnate in real places and real communities. The saints of America show that Orthodox Christianity is not foreign to this land. The same faith planted by the apostles has borne fruit here too.
Saints such as St. Herman of Alaska, St. Innocent, St. Tikhon, St. Raphael of Brooklyn, St. Alexis Toth, St. John Kochurov, St. Alexander Hotovitzky, and St. Olga of Alaska show the variety of holiness in North America. Some were missionaries. Some were bishops or priests. Some endured persecution. Some served quietly in family and village life.
The Sunday of All Saints of America is not a celebration of national pride. It is a celebration of God’s grace at work in this land. The Church is saying that holiness is possible here, among us, in our churches, homes, cities, prisons, hospitals, and ordinary struggles.
Why are personal examples of holiness so powerful?
Most Christians learn the faith not only from books, but from people. We learn how to pray by seeing someone pray. We learn how to endure suffering by watching someone suffer with faith. We learn how to love the Church by standing beside people who keep coming even when life is painful.
This is why the lives of the saints matter so deeply in Orthodox Christianity. They show the Gospel in flesh and blood. They are living icons of what repentance, humility, courage, and love can become in a human life.
The same is true of holy people we meet in our parishes. An older woman who keeps coming to church through grief can teach us faithfulness. A priest who gives his life to building up the Church can teach us zeal. A repentant sinner who prays for mercy can teach us that no one is beyond the reach of God.
This kind of witness is deeply biblical. St. Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” in 1 Corinthians 11:1. He does not mean that he is the source of salvation. He means that Christians are helped by seeing the Gospel lived in someone else.
What does repentance have to do with becoming holy?
Repentance is at the heart of Orthodox Christianity. It is not only feeling bad about sin. It is turning around, coming back to God, and allowing the heart to be changed.
The woman who changed from bitterness to kindness shows repentance. The priest who kept pointing everyone back to Christ shows repentance as a way of life. The prisoner who prayed for his victims shows that repentance can continue even when the consequences of sin remain.
The Orthodox Church teaches that repentance does not erase the seriousness of sin. Murder remains murder. Cruelty remains cruelty. Harm done to others matters. But repentance means that even a person who has done terrible things can cry out for mercy and begin to be healed.
This is why the Church never teaches despair. The thief on the cross entered paradise through repentance and faith. St. Mary of Egypt became a great saint after a deeply sinful life. The Gospel does not excuse sin, but it does reveal the mercy of God for those who turn to Him.
Why does the Divine Liturgy shape saints?
The Divine Liturgy is not simply a religious service. It is the worship of the Church, the offering of thanksgiving, and the place where the faithful are gathered into the life of the Kingdom. Orthodox Christians believe that the Liturgy forms us over time.
In the sermon, the man in prison could not attend the Liturgy in the normal way. Yet he opened a service book during the time his parish was worshiping and stood in prayer, longing to be united to the worship of the Church. That image shows how deeply the Liturgy can shape a soul.
Many people think of holiness as something private, but the Orthodox Church teaches that holiness is formed in the life of the Church. We pray together. We fast together. We confess our sins. We receive the Holy Mysteries. We learn to love people we did not choose for ourselves.
The parish becomes the place where saints are formed. Not because parish life is always easy, but because it is often difficult. The Church is full of broken people, and that is exactly where patience, forgiveness, humility, and love must be learned.
Why should Orthodox Christians imitate holy people?
Imitation is part of Christian discipleship. Children learn by watching parents. Students learn by watching teachers. Christians learn by watching those who have lived the faith longer, deeper, and more faithfully.
This does not mean copying every personality trait or pretending that holy people have no faults. It means noticing the good fruit in their lives. We imitate their prayer, their faithfulness, their love for the Church, their repentance, and their hunger for God.
The Orthodox Church teaches that saints are not competitors with God. They are witnesses to His work. When we honor saints, we are honoring the grace of God that made them holy.
This is also why we should pay attention to faithful people in our own parish. Watch the ones who arrive early to pray. Watch the ones who serve quietly. Watch the ones who suffer and still give thanks. Watch the ones who have every reason to become bitter, but choose mercy.
What story will our life tell?
The sermon ends with a question every Christian should take seriously: what will our story be? One day, people may remember us for our anger, pride, excuses, and selfishness. Or they may remember that, despite our sins and weaknesses, we struggled toward holiness.
Orthodox Christians believe that our lives affect others. If we become holy, we do not only move toward salvation ourselves. We also help draw others toward salvation by our example, prayers, and love.
This does not require fame. Most saints are not known publicly. Many holy people will never be placed on icons or written into calendars. Yet God knows them, and their hidden faithfulness strengthens the Church.
The real question is not whether people will praise us after death. The real question is whether we are becoming the kind of person who makes it easier for others to believe, repent, pray, and come to church. A Christian life should point beyond itself to the Kingdom of God.
How can someone begin the path toward holiness?
The path begins with ordinary faithfulness. Come to church. Say your prayers. Confess your sins. Forgive others. Receive correction. Serve without needing attention. Ask God to soften your heart.
Holiness is not built in a single emotional moment. It is formed through many small acts of obedience. A person becomes holy by returning to God every day, especially after falling.
The Orthodox Church gives us the medicine for this healing. The services, fasting, confession, Holy Communion, Scripture, the saints, and the prayers of the Church all teach us how to live. They help us remember that life is not about ourselves, but about God.
This is the pastoral heart of the sermon. Saints are not only people from far away and long ago. They are what we are called to become. By the mercy of God, there can be saints in our own homes, our own parishes, and our own cities.
FAQ About Orthodox Saints and Holiness
Do Orthodox Christians believe everyone is called to be a saint?
Yes. Orthodox Christians believe every person is called to holiness and union with God. Publicly recognized saints show us what this calling looks like when it bears mature spiritual fruit.
Why does the Orthodox Church honor American saints?
The Orthodox Church honors American saints because the Gospel has borne real fruit in North America. Their lives show that Orthodox Christianity is not only ancient, but alive in this land today.
Can someone with a sinful past become holy?
Yes. The Orthodox Church teaches that repentance can transform even a deeply wounded or sinful life. This does not make sin harmless, but it shows that God’s mercy is greater than despair.
Why are saints important in Orthodox Christianity?
Saints are important because they show the Gospel lived in real human lives. They help Christians see what prayer, repentance, courage, humility, and love look like in practice.
How do Orthodox Christians become more like the saints?
Orthodox Christians become more like the saints by living the life of the Church with faithfulness. Prayer, repentance, confession, worship, fasting, love, and service slowly shape the heart toward God.