There are various ways that the Holy Spirit is referred to both in church and Scripture. The Holy Spirit is called the Holy Ghost, the love between the Father and the Son, the Paraclete. In Scripture, the Hebrew word “Ruach” means breath and wind but also refers to the Holy Spirit. We see the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove and the disciples like tongues of fire. Often, the effects of the Holy Spirit are more easily recognizable than the person that is the Holy Spirit. 

Much like the answer to many good Catholic questions, the answer to this question is both yes and no. A saint is someone who is in heaven, and by virtue of this definition, yes, you do have to be a saint to be in heaven.

However, due to her capitalization of the word “Saint,” I think that this student was asking if you must be a canonized saint to be in heaven. The answer to that question is no.

Walk into the Kindergarten classroom at OLP and you’ll find children learning things that most adults already know, like how to read, write, do simple math, and take care of their personal things. You’ll find them beginning to understand critical social skills that even adults continue to work on. Things like being a good friend, choosing your words carefully, being inclusive, and how to forgive. However, if you walked into the Kindergarten classroom at OLP, the most refreshing thing to see is the lessons they can reteach us.

The concept of purgatory is one of the most frequently questioned Catholic teachings, by middle school students and adults alike. In my wrestling match with the Church, purgatory was one of the hardest won battles. I associated purgatory with images of fire and brimstone. Suffering in purgatory seemed a lot like earning God’s grace that was meant to be freely given because of Christ’s sacrificial death. Either Jesus paid the price for my sins and I’d go to heaven, or He didn’t and I’d go to hell, but there could be no in between.