this morning i read the following-
We should never think for a moment that devotion to the saints gets in the way of our relationship with God. The saints have nothing at all of their own to give which they have not received from him, and their essential gift to us is his essential gift to them; himself, his own life and truth and joy. -Fr. Simon Tugwell, O.P.
St. Therese of Lisieux (2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897)is probably my favorite. i know she was one of the people responsible in leading me back to the church many years ago. after reading her book, The Story of A Soul, i was greatly inspired by her "little way"and have since said many novenas to her which she always answers with roses (sometimes in the strangest ways!). here is post i wrote about her 2 years ago. 
next is St. Joan of Arc(1412-1431). her life is about as fascinating as it gets! if your interested in reading a true account of her life, i would recommend Joan of Arc by Mark Twain. yes, mark twain wrote a book about her. he spent 12 years in research, 2 years writing and he considered it his most important and best work. 
Padre Pio (25 May 1887 – 23 September 1968) is another modern saint that i find very interesting. he received the stigmata, battled the devil, had the gift of bilocation and the ability to read souls in the confessional and his body is incorrupt.
next is St. Joan of Arc(1412-1431). her life is about as fascinating as it gets! if your interested in reading a true account of her life, i would recommend Joan of Arc by Mark Twain. yes, mark twain wrote a book about her. he spent 12 years in research, 2 years writing and he considered it his most important and best work. 
Padre Pio (25 May 1887 – 23 September 1968) is another modern saint that i find very interesting. he received the stigmata, battled the devil, had the gift of bilocation and the ability to read souls in the confessional and his body is incorrupt.
St. Philomena is a newer saint to me. she came into my life last year and has since been showing up in all sorts of ways. i feel she is nudging me to get to know her better. not much is known about her, only that she was martyred when she was 14.
there are so many more, like St. Bernadette Soubirous, St. Maximilian Kolbe and Queen of all saints, the Blessed Virgin Mary... but i'll save them for another post.do you have a favorite saint? or one that intrigues you? please share.
♥anne
St. Bernadette was always my favorite.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. All new info for me. I think I'll have to grab a copy of Twain's J.O.A recount .
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely write up. I went to a Compline service the other day. not much in way of saints, but still in the same vein: http://liverhythm.blogspot.com/2011/11/cantor-and-choir.html
ReplyDeleteI'm endlessly fascinated with other people's faith and would love it if you were ever inspired to write a little series of posts about yours. Religion is one of those things that one so often feels not able to discuss in a setting not related to that religion, but I feel that it is a discussion much needed in our time.
ReplyDeleteThough eventually having chosen the practice Zen Buddhism as my core beliefs, (via...well...neo paganism, and with far flung interests in pretty much everything from Russian Orthodox, to the Hare Krishnas. I feel very lucky some crazy cult didn't come along and sweep me up.) I was raised in a Lutheran culture, though entirely without religion in my immediate family (my mom is one of those people who routinely state that they're an atheist, when really they are an agnostic). I was always thirsty for it, naturally drawn to the spiritual, but also very attracted to the forms of organized religions.
From very early on I took an interest in Christianity in the form of making up prayers and reading from our family bible at my grandma's house (I learned to read from the capitalized captions to the images!). For a time when I was 6 I even had an three imaginary playmates who were all Jesus. Anyways, I could obviously blather on about this for quite sometime...
What I was trying to say though, is that I too have had the occasion to gather a few favorite Saints, even if they are not as prominent in the Lutheran faith. I remember first reading the story of Joan of Arc, Johanna of Lothringen as she was called in Scandinavia and being so taken by her spirit and bravery. I have also always felt strongly about St. Lucia, the only Saint actively present in Lutheran tradition, upon whom the church put the mantel for being the bringer of Light in Scandinavia, following an old pagan tradition. In spite of being a little Italian lady, she represents the light of heavens in Northern Europe, at a time when such a light is much needed. Part of why certain medieval and renaissance Saints had such an impression on me was that they were strong, outspoken women at a time when most women were subservient and inconsequential to society. St. Catherine and St. Brigitta (Brigit? Birgit?), the patron St. of Sweden lead fascinating lives in the service of others and their God.
I'm excited to check out "The Story of A Soul", another admirable woman to learn from is always welcome and St. Therese of Lisieux sounds like someone worth knowing. Thank you so much for sharing. Sorry about the mile long comment.
Lots of love to you and yours.
Oh my gosh! That comment is so looooong. Pardon me.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I am wishing I had a favorite saint. I wish I was more knowledgeable about them. Such fascinating souls.
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