Today is the feast of All Saints Day, a holy day in the Roman Catholic church. One of the great joys of being Catholic is our special relationship with saints. Saints are holy men and women who lived very special lives and have been officially honored by the church (there are saints whose names we do not know…they are celebrated today too…today is about all the holy men and women, not just the ones whose names we know).
Some, like St. Francis de Sales, found special ways of interpreting Jesus’ message and living their lives according to his teachings, and they in turn taught others their way and helped people draw closer to Christ. St. Therese of Liseux, another favorite saint of mine, was like that too with her ‘little way’ to Christ. Saints may be martyrs or they may have died of old age. There are men and women saints, young and old, and saints from nearly every continent. There are white European saints, African saints, and Native American saints. The Christian family is truly universal!
I first encountered St. Francis’ writings last year, when a friend jokingly said I should take him as my patron, for he’s the patron of writers. I didn’t think much of it and picked up a small paperback of his writings. After reading that book this summer, I felt steadily drawn to read more of his writings. I’ve just started his classic ‘Introduction to the Devout Life
One of the things I especially love about Francis de Sales was how people described him…courtly, courteous, a man of the world but a man of God. He was sent into places in Switzerland where the people had left the Catholic church and become Calvinist. Other preachers were harsh with the people; he just quietly went about his work, getting to know folks, making friends, and gradually turning hearts and minds by his gentle demeanor and friendliness. Sometimes he said Mass in empty churches, but day after day he just went about speaking and acting the truth as he knew it, and people were drawn to him by these actions. He wrote copiously about how we can live holy lives no matter what our station in life. A rich prince can be just as holy as a monk; a wife and mother can live a gospel life as much as a nun.
He completely changed my understanding (or misunderstanding) of a ‘holy life’. He’s showing me, 400 years after his physical person was on the earth, how to live and behave towards others with kindness, compassion and gentleness, and how it’s okay – and even what Christ wants – to be yourself, and let your light shine, and that God made you the way you are for a special purpose in the kingdom, and you’re just as valuable as the next guy sitting over there who may have a more important title, or more money, or whatever.
I used to think that to live a Christian life, I had to retreat to a mountaintop….I used to think that I had to be like Mother Theresa or some of our modern day saints, giving my entire life to nothing but works of mercy. Then I read St. Francis de Sales and he basically says you can do this no matter where God put you in this life. If you’re a wife and mother, be the best wife and mother you can be; if you’re a steel worker, be a holy steel worker, and so on. St. Francis shows you in his writings, step by step, how your daily life can be a testimony to God, and a gift from God to others.
That’s why saints are important. The courtly bishop of Geneva, patron of writers like me, has a living voice 400 years later in his works that are speaking to my heart – a woman living in an age that he could never have imagined. A living person could certainly do that today, and I bet you can point to someone in your life who inspires you. I can, too. But reading his works, thinking about his unique perspective on gospel life, has helped me grow in many, many ways, giving another layer of support to my own spiritual journey.
Which saint speaks to you?
Happy All Saints Day!
Thanks for sharing that! I’ve always been fascinated by the saints ever since my days of CCD as a child.