Pope Francis has encouraged the faithful to be saints.

"The saints were not superhuman. They were people who loved God in their hearts and who shared this joy with others." So tweeted Pope Francis on Twitter @Pontifex on Nov. 19.

He followed with another saint-themed tweet on Nov. 21: "To be saints is not a privilege for the few, but a vocation for everyone."

During the Christmas season, we can look to the example of the Holy Family for inspiration to be saintly.

We can also look to Pope Francis’ first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). He says that joy should spur the faithful on.

Evangelizers must be those who "wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others," Francis wrote. 

He also said, "The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. … The joy of the Gospel is for all people: No one can be excluded."

Evangelizers "must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral … whose lives seem like Lent without Easter."

A new faith opportunity would be to participate in Catholic Extension’s "Extension Day" video contest. Youth, families and parishes can participate by making short videos about how they are reaching out to others with Christ’s love. The deadline is Feb. 3. The best videos on faith will be delivered by Cardinal Francis George of Chicago to the Holy Father on the first anniversary of his papacy in March. Visit CatholicExtension.org/blog for more information.

God bless you and your new faith focus this new year!

Have you always wondered about some aspect of the faith? Or maybe you’d like to know some trivia about Pope Francis. If you do, email us your question at [email protected] and look for the answer in an upcoming issue.