It’s easy to look at saints like Teresa of Avila, renowned for her mystical experiences, and think, Well, sure, it’d be easy to be holy if God spoke to me like that. Or to wonder what it would be like to hear angels or see visions.
But what we often overlook is that, while God acts in extraordinary ways in certain lives for reasons known only to Him, most saints weren’t simply born holy. They weren’t exceptions to the rule—at least not in the sense that they arrived perfect. (Our Lord and Our Lady are the exceptions.)
The spiritual life is a lot like learning a skill, such as playing baseball. There’s the “natural”—the kid who seems born to play. And then there’s the one who works tirelessly, honing their craft through practice. In the end, both talent and hard work can lead to excellence, but for most of us, it’s the effort that matters most.
It comes down to this: talent versus time on task.
We are all born with different gifts, temperaments, and natural inclinations, and that part isn’t up to us. But what is in our hands is the choice to put in the time. This is especially true in prayer.
Sometimes, simply showing up is enough. Not because prayer is magic or guarantees mystical visions—those remain rare gifts—but because the more time we spend praying, the better we become at prayer.
The saints didn’t become holy overnight. They showed up, day after day, for God. And so can we.