The saints aren’t soft. They didn’t drift into heaven on clouds—they fought for it.
And if there’s any month that proves the saints were made of spiritual grit, it’s August.
This summer month is packed with bold, battle-tested saints—men and women who chose conviction over comfort, truth over popularity, and heaven over everything else.
So before you kick back in the hammock, take a moment to lean into their witness. Here are 3 gritty lessons from August’s feast days that will challenge you to go deeper.
1. Speak the Truth, Even If It Costs You
Feast Day: August 4 – St. John Vianney
The Curé of Ars didn’t seek status or comfort. He quietly transformed a spiritually lukewarm village by preaching hard truths, calling people to repentance, and spending hours in the confessional—even when people mocked him or the devil attacked him directly.
“The saints did not all begin well, but they ended well.”
—St. John Vianney
Get gritty: Who in your life needs the truth spoken in love? Are you willing to be uncomfortable to help someone’s soul?
Coached by the Curé, available from Scepter Publishers, offers a powerful look at how this saint can coach you through bold, loving evangelization.
2. Suffer Well—It’s the Mark of a Saint
Feast Day: August 14 – St. Maximilian Kolbe
A prisoner in Auschwitz, St. Maximilian Kolbe offered his life in place of another man—a husband and father. He died by starvation and lethal injection, but not before singing hymns and praying in his final days.
He didn’t just endure suffering—he transformed it through love.
“Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving.”
—St. Maximilian Kolbe
Get gritty: Are you avoiding every form of discomfort? The next time you suffer (even in small ways), offer it up. Unite it to Christ. Let it become holy.
3. Holiness Is for the Brave, Not the Bored
Feast Day: August 27 – St. Monica
Feast Day: August 28 – St. Augustine
This mother-son duo proves that persistence and conversion are never easy—but always worth it. Monica wept and prayed for decades as her son chased worldly pleasures and false ideologies. Augustine finally surrendered—and became one of the Church’s greatest theologians.
“Too late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new.”
—St. Augustine, Confessions
Get gritty: Don’t give up on someone just because they haven’t “gotten it” yet. Persevere in prayer like Monica. And if you're still wrestling with God like Augustine, keep going. Holiness takes courage.
The saints of August don’t just show us how to be good—they show us how to be brave. They didn’t avoid the cross. They picked it up and followed Christ, no matter what.
So this month, don’t just admire the saints. Get gritty with them.
Want to grow deeper with the August saints?
Check out these powerful titles from Scepter Publishers:
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Coached by the Curé – Let St. John Vianney mentor you in prayer, courage, and hope
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Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe –
- The Way by St. Josemaría Escrivá –
