It’s very late right now as I sit and type. I haven’t had an opportunity to gather my thoughts lately in a very cohesive manner. I feel like I have so much to say but so little time to say it in. It seems like I am constantly rushing from one thing to the next and never really accomplishing all that I need to accomplish. Add in kids who just aren’t sleeping well at night (we are traveling), wanting to spend quality time with all our family- especially my mother-in-law, needing to get homework done even though we aren’t at home, my van breaking while we are away, and just the general worries of everyday life and well, I feel like I can’t do it all! I know I’m not the only one out there who feels this way. Admit it, you feel this way sometimes too, right? Right?
So what’s a girl to do when she is overwhelmed and stressed out beyond the max? When I start to feel this way I look for a patron saint to lean on. There are many websites out there which can point you in the right direction but my preference is CatholicSaints.info It has an alphabetical listing of all the saints either by name or by patronage. If I am looking for a saint to intercede for me because we are experiencing another car issue I know that I only have to click on to their website to discover that in addition to St. Christopher, St. Frances of Rome is the patron saint of motorists.
It’s strange to me to hear some people don’t rely on the Saints the way I do. I guess for me it is second nature to call upon a trusted friend in my time of need. I know that because of the Communion of Saints we are still connected to all those who have gone before us. They can pray for us and intercede for us. It seems very natural to me to look up who specializes in what and call upon those saints in my time of need. I figure they are all on my team (Go Catholic!!) and it seems wise to bring them into the game when they are needed most.
That said, I don’t just use the Saints for my selfish needs. I am thankful for their prayers and intercession even when the results aren’t what I was hoping for. While they are my trusted friends who are before God they also know that His will is what is most important. I trust them to bring my needs before the Lord and to accept on my behalf whatever His decision is for me. Maybe a better description of these holy men and women would be protective brothers and sisters. They look out for me, they go to the Father to plead my case, they rejoice with me when things happen the way I hope, and console me when they don’t. They are trusted teachers whom I look up to and hope to emulate. They were just like me- broken and sinful and yet trying to do our Lord’s work. However, they are different from me too- they have achieved holiness and closeness to God that I have yet to achieve. They give me hope and strength to try harder and do better.
I often think about the prospect of becoming a saint one day (oh how I wish it to be so!). I pray that one day God will call me to be one of His holy saints. We know that all those who are in heaven are His saints, but we often only think about those who may be well known or listed on sites like the one I listed as the saints in heaven. These saints listed are the ones the Church officially recognize as saints, but there are so many more! More than likely you have known some saints personally. When you stop to think about the Communion of Saints in that manner it really is an exciting thought!
I hope and pray that one day I will be called a saint as well. I sometimes daydream about what I will be the patroness of. I’ve thought of a few patronages along the way- large families, homeschoolers, police wives, pregnancy and infant loss, difficult or dangerous pregnancies, and survivors of abuse. My children would probably add me to the patron saints of chocolate lovers, diet coke drinkers, and people who just long for a little alone time in the bathroom. I imagine I could be helpful to anyone in any of those situations who is needing a heavenly friend to assist them! I pray I am given that chance one day.
Living our lives in hopes of becoming saints one day is difficult. It requires tremendous sacrifice and faith. We will fail many times along the way. Thankfully we can look up to the many which have gone before us- men and women who were once sinful and broken made holy by God’s love. To become saints we must die to ourselves and live for Him. It sounds easy enough, but it’s one of the hardest and most important challenges we will ever have in our lives. Now we must ask ourselves if we are up for the challenge.
If you were to be declared a saint, what would you hope to be the patron/patroness of?