This week’s Saint is one that everyone knows of in some fashion or variation at least. St. Nicholas, in which we get Santa Claus from, may be known for giving gifts to kids at Christmas time, but he is much more than that. It is actually a shame, because his life was one of love and service, but most of it gets overshadowed by our secular and magical version of him. His feast day is on December 6th, and he is the patron of many things, one of them being children.

Saint Nicholas of Myra was born in the 4th century to Christian parents, but they both unfortunately died when he was very young, so he grew up with his uncle, who was the bishop of Patara. Nicholas was eventually ordained a priest by his uncle. The heart of Nicholas was very loving. One night, he threw a bag of money, which was his inheritance, through the window to three young woman as a dowry, who would have been sold into prostitution, because their horrible father had no money. Nicholas eventually became the bishop of Myra, and he was always an advocate to free those who were innocent from prison. While the official process of what we know as canonization began in the 900s, Saint Nicholas has been considered a Saint long before that.

In the Catholic community, St. Nicholas is normally known for this one specific thing, which may or may not be true, but is a story that has been told long before I was born. It is said that during one of the Church councils, they were trying to settle matters on a specific heresy in the Church. Good old Nick supposedly punched a heretic in the face, which is pretty funny since some people think of Christians as avoiding violence at all costs, which of course is a good thing. There is of course such a thing as righteous anger, though. This story does reveal an interesting thing, and that is Saint Nicholas was such an advocate for the truth that he would take drastic measures to find it, and I think that this is a beautiful thing. Each and every one of us needs to have a drive like that in search for the truth. May Saint Nicholas continue to show us how to be loving and generous, and to always continue to look for not our truth, but the truth.

 

For more info on Saint Nicholas of Myra, go to: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=371

This week I have chosen another doctor of the church and he is a pretty important figure in the whole of Christianity. A lot of people might know him from the private school that is named after him in our area. This week’s Saint is Thomas Aquinas, who was very intelligent, and well versed in the realm of philosophy. He is the patron saint of students and all universities.

Thomas Aquinas was born in 1255, in what would now be known as Lazio Italy, and to a well off family. He was introduced to the great philosophers while at university, and he met a Dominican there which gave him the idea to join the Dominican Order. His family was not happy about his decision, and tried to stop him. Two of his brothers captured him and held him as a prisoner. During that time, the brothers tried to seduce him with a prostitute, but as the story goes, Thomas took an iron rod and chased her out of the castle.

Since it was a losing battle, the family arranged for it to look like Thomas ran away, as to not hurt the family name. Thus he became a Dominican, and although he was quiet in school, he was exceptionally brilliant. Thomas wrote many books, his most famous being Summa theologiae. He also taught and eventually founded a university in Naples. Another story is told that the Lord once spoke directly to Thomas and told him, “You have written well of me Thomas. What reward will you have for your labor?” Thomas replied, “Nothing but you, Lord.” He died on March 7, 1274, and was canonized in 1323.

Being a college student myself, I think that he is a wonderful Saint to look up to and to follow his example. The wonderful thing about Christianity is that there is that balance of faith and reason that must be met. We are not a church that believes in things that are pulled out of a hat, but we must also dive deep into the realm of philosophy and see whether things are logical. In the church we cannot have reason alone, and we cannot have faith alone, but once the balance is then we will find the Lord. Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

 

For more information of Thomas Aquinas, please go to: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2530

This week’s Saint is one that is known even in circles that are not Catholic. She is an inspiration to me and to others in how she has helped the world. Mother Teresa or Saint Teresa of Calcutta as she is officially named is the patron of World Youth Day.

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (her birth name) was born on August 26th, 2010 in Skopje. She had her First Holy Communion at the young age of five, and confirmed at the age of six. For some context, kids in the Kansas area normally receive their First Communion in second grade and are Confirmed in 8th grade so she was very young when she first received both of these sacraments. A few years later, her father died and her family was in financial trouble.

At 18 she left her home to pursue the sisterhood where she took the name Sister Teresa after Saint Therese of Lisieux, who has had the spotlight in a previous week. In 1937, Sister became Mother Teresa, after she took her final vows. She later, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Throughout her entire life she dedicated herself to serving the poor and sick. Mother Teresa won many awards, one of the most notable being the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. After serving for 60 years, she died on September 5th, 1997.

In Mother Teresa’s life, she had a long period of feeling separated from God, and this situation has a lot of beauty in it. Although she felt a great darkness, she still continued to pursue our Lord and get closer to him. I think that a terrible thing is being taught through many organizations that need to stop, or at least be corrected. People are told that they need to have an encounter with the Lord, and this of course if not a bad thing.

The problem is that when people have this encounter, they love the feeling it brings, but they begin to think that God is simply a feeling, which is obviously not true. Then these kids, when they don’t “feel” God, often think that he doesn’t love them or he has abandoned them in some way. We need to change the way that we are teaching the love of the Lord, and be more like Mother Teresa in times of trial. May we not lose faith when the presence of our Blessed Lord seems faint.

 

For more info on Mother Teresa, go to: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5611

The Saint that I’ve chosen to talk about this week is one that my mom really loves, Saint Rita. She probably has a great love for her because Saint Rita is the patron saint of parenthood and impossible cases. My mom has a great love for everyone and has been a great example throughout my life and I am sure that Saint Rita exemplified that same love. And let us not forget, that with God, all things are possible.

Saint Rita was born on 1381 in Roccaporena, Italy. When she was baptized, it is said that a swarm of white bees surrounded her, and was a sign of the virtuous life that she would live. Even at a young age, Rita wanted to join a convent but her parents would not allow it, and instead she has an arranged marriage to a man name Paolo Mancini, who was cruel and abusive to her. With Rita’s virtue, she began to change her husband to be a better man, but since he had many enemies, he was eventually killed because of a feud. After his death, Rita’s two sons wanted to get revenge for the death of their father, but Rita prayed that the Lord would bring them home before they would commit the sin of murder, which He did. Now all alone, Rita tried once again to join a monastery, and after solved a long family feud, she was allowed in. Late in her life, with a admiration for the passion, she was blessed with the wound on her forehead much like Christ would have had with the crown of thorns. She lived with that until her death from tuberculosis on May 22nd, 1457.

What I like a lot about Saint Rita is that although she knew she had a calling to a specific thing, she remained patient and obedient to the things that were out of her control and she put all of her faith in the Lord. I know that sometimes in my own life, it can be hard to see what God has in store for me and I don’t always want to be patient, especially when we live in a world where we have unlimited information and entertainment in the palm of our hands. Nonetheless, Saint Rita is a great example of having faith in the Lord’s plan and waiting, because in the end everything is going to work out.

 

For more information on Saint Rita, go to: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=205

For the eleventh week, I have decided to choose a Saint who has an incredibly powerful story. Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio was only a boy when he gave his life for the kingdom of God. His life is a reminder for us that through our perseverance there are many graces to be attained before we enter heaven. G.K. Chesterton once said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” For when we take up our cross, this life will not be an easy one, but it is one that is finally worth living, so that we can be true, good, and beautiful people. Jose Sanchez del Rio exemplifies this in his own life, for although he had plenty of opportunities to renounce his faith, he refused to, since he had found the way, the truth, and the life.

Jose Sanchez del Rio was born on March 28th, 1913 in Mexico. During the Cristero War, which was a fight against the anti-catholic policies of the government, he was a part of the rebels. He was captured by the government and became a prisoner in the church that he was baptized, St. James the Apostle. Since Jose would not renounce his faith, he was sentenced to death. For his punishment, the bottoms of his feet were cut and he had to walk to his final resting place barefoot. As he walked, he kept shouting “Viva Cristo Rey!” which means “Long Live Christ the King!”. Jose was then shot in the head and covered with dirt in a small grave. His death was on February 12, 1928.

Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio is a great example showing use perseverance in the faith. In a rough summary of something that Saint Paul wrote, he fought the good fight and he finished the race, keeping the faith. I’m sure that he was welcomed into the Father’s arms immediately after being killed. Although we have it pretty good in the United States, the faith is not something that is easy around the world. And it is not something that is supposed to be easy or fun, but instead should be a wonderful adventure that will bring us joy, even in times of trial. Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio, pray for us!

 

For more information on Jose, go to: https://denvercatholic.org/st-jose-de-jesus-sanchez-del-rio-boy-died-love-christ-king/

This week, I am doing somethings a little different, since the day that I am writing this, November 1st, is the All Saints Day! Then tomorrow is All Souls Day, in which we remember and pray for all those who have died in a state of grace and are in purgatory. Today is a wonderful day to celebrate all those who are have gone before us and are now having eternal rest with our Lord for eternity. As Catholics, today is a holy day of obligation, which means that we are supposed to go to mass. There are so many Saints and in this time we have, it would be impossible to name all of them.

As each of us live our lives, we look at the Saints as great people who went above and beyond to live lives of virtue and lead others to Christ. The truth of the matter is, though, that while these Saints are amazing, we should not look at them and think that we cannot also live as they did. Each of our calls to holiness will look different and we do not have to be a part of a religious order in order to become a Saint.

If you are a firefighter, then we can strive to be a Saint through putting out fires. If you are an actor, then you can glorify God through your portrayals of characters. If you are a lawyer, good luck getting to heaven. I am kidding of course, in each of our jobs no matter what they be we can be a Saint as we work in that job. Think about it, the world needs a diverse group of workers that can impact the world in various ways. Together, we can bring our Lord into the hearts of all. Being a Saint simply means that we make it to heaven. Let us not forget, our souls are restless until they rest in the Lord.

 

The reason that I have decided to talk about Saint Benedict this week actually is because of something that happened to me while I was at mass on Sunday. The church was holding confessions for people (as mass was going on) and so my mom decided to go and wait in line. While in line, another mother was waiting with her and they talked briefly. The woman gave my mom a Saint Benedict cross and medal that was attached with rosary beads. Apparently, the women told my mother to give me the medal, as her son is currently in seminary to become a benedictine monk as Conception Abbey in Missouri. With that encounter, I wanted to learn more about Benedict. I learned that his story is really cool, and his work that he started can still be seen today.

Saint Benedict was born around 480 to a Roman noble, and he has a twin sister, Scholastica, who is also a Saint in the church. When he was young, and attempting to finish his education, he witnessed his fellows students spend their wealth on “pleasure” and not attempting to find the truth, so he fled as he was afraid that he would also give in. He unintentionally lived life as a hermit. After several years, some monks came to him for leadership, but Benedict warned them that his rules were very strict. Nonetheless, they joined him, but when his warning ended up being true, they tried to poison him. Apparently, as Benedict prayed over the poisoned drink, the glass shattered. After a failed attempt to kill him, the men left,  but more faithful ones joined him and they founded several monasteries. These original monasteries that were built would become the foundation for modern monasteries and monastic life. Benedict died in 543, and is the patron saint of students and Europe.

Sometimes in our lives, we have people and things that are not good for us, and are not good for our souls. When wanting to live full lives of truth, goodness, and beauty, it is necessary to have the courage to know that something in life is hurting us, and it needs to be removed. Saint Benedict is a great example of (in drastic ways) running from the things of this world that will not benefit our eternal souls. Whether these things in our lives be large or small, may the love for our Lord guide our thoughts and our actions to places that will bring us closer to Him.

 

For more information on Saint Benedict, go to: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=26

 

This week I am going to talk about one of my favorite Saints ever, Joseph of Cupertino. I was first introduced to him through a movie called The Reluctant Saint that my family and I had watched together. Afterward, you cannot help but love him, for he is treated poorly in the movie, but remains a humble servant. He is of course a real person, but the things that happen in his life seem to be fit for the movie screen.

Saint Joseph was born in 1603, and when he was a young boy he was thought of as a slow learner. It was said that his mother treated him as if he were a nuisance. Joseph wanted to join the Franciscans but was originally denied because of his lack of education. He was eventually accepted to work as a servant at the monastery, where he grew in gentleness and humility. Even though Joseph had immense trouble with his school work, he was eventually ordained a deacon and then a priest. All of a sudden, many miracles began happening to St. Joseph. While he was saying mass or praying, he would begin to levitate off the ground and be in some sort of spiritual bliss. In fact, this happened on record over seventy times. Joseph is the patron of pilots, air travelers, and the learning disabled.

It is a common saying in the catholic circles that I am familiar with to try to get so holy that you start levitating. While it is commonly said more as a joke, there is some great truth in that. We are all called to great holiness, for the path to Sainthood is not supposed to be for the few and far between but for all of us. Nonetheless, we sometimes compare ourselves to others saying that we are not as holy as this person or maybe even that we are more holy than this other person, and comparison can get us into some dangerous ground! Each one of us is called to become the best version of ourselves, but perhaps not to the same extent. May we help each other to become holy, granted that we ourselves get to where we need to be, and thank you St. Joseph for showing us an example of where to start.

 

For more info on Saint Joe of Cupertino, please go to: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=72

“God love you” is a phrase commonly linked to Archbishop Fulton J Sheen. Although he is not a Saint in the church, Sheen is currently Venerable, which is a title used to declare someone as “heroic in virtue” and is part of the process for canonization to the Sainthood in the church. Although many Catholics today might not know who he is, it is very likely that their grandparents watched him on television in the 1950s. Fulton Sheen also wrote many books on the faith. His television show was called Life is Worth Living, and he definitely proved that through his talks and actions.

Fulton Sheen was born on May 8, 1895 in El Paso, Illinois. When he was just a little boy, he once dropped a wine cruet while altar serving at mass for the Bishop of Peoria. In a very prophetic way, Bishop Spalding took him aside afterward and told him that he would one day study at Louvain in Belgium and that he would eventually be a bishop. In 1951, the prediction came true, as he was consecrated a bishop. In the fall of the same year he began his famous television series Life is Worth Living. The series was extremely popular, and would become the most widely viewed religious series in the history of television. Fulton Sheen was one of the most influential Catholics of the 20th century, and even non Catholics would tune into his show. He died on December 9th, 1979 due to cardiovascular disease. Many of the episodes of his TV show are now on YouTube for anyone to watch for free.

What I love about Sheen is that when you watch him speak you can tell that he truly believes in what he is saying. There is a great passion in his voice and joy in his countenance. Not only that, but the man was exceptionally brilliant, and every time I listen to one of his radio broadcasts or watch an episode of his television show, I learn something that I didn’t know about before. The man is also a plethora of inspiration quotes! May each of us find this kind of joy in the faith, and have the courage to share it with the world. A lot of times it is easier to just go along with whatever the norms of the day are, but with Sheen’s example, may we instead stay in the light of the truth. As Mark 8:36 says, “For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”

 

For more information of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen, go to: http://fulton-sheen.cua.edu/bio/index.cfm