Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 50

I was surprised to realize that today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Dominican Saints. During Mass, the priest asked, “Who inspires you?” The question lingered in my heart, stirring memories long tucked away.

I was inspired by my younger brother, who introduced me to books when I was a child... and through his stories, I first met St. Francis of Assisi.

By my mother, who taught me the value of study and perseverance.

By my parents’ quiet generosity toward the poor, which showed me what love looks like in action.

By St. Teresa of Avila, who was honest about her struggles in prayer, yet remained a faithful friend of Jesus.

By St. John of the Cross, whose poetry spoke of the beauty that can blossom in darkness.

By a gentle person in high school, whose kindness reflected God’s tenderness.

By the film Bishop Romero, which revealed the cost and courage of standing with the truth.

These memories are not just fragments of the past... they are foundations of my calling. Each person, saint and story has been a brushstroke in the portrait of who I am becoming.

Perhaps that is how God draws us to holiness... not through a single grand act, but through countless inspirations that steadily lead us closer to Him.

The saints, after all, are not distant heroes, they are reminders that God’s grace has always been at work, even in the memories that built our hearts.

And maybe, in someone else’s story, God is also using us to build theirs.

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A display of the relics of Dominican Saints — silent witnesses to lives wholly given to God.