While I have given some emphasis to the angels, we are also in the company of our beloved dead who are saints. The saints are our kinfolk, those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. Some are well known, as the ones remembered at Mass and frequently found in religious art and statuary. The majority are members of our family and friends who have gone to the Lord without the notoriety of canonization. They are saints, nonetheless. The saints present to us many ways to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. There are martyrs, doctors of the Church, confessors, virgins, pastors, missionaries, etc. Some churches fill their windows with depictions of the saints and maybe statues, too. This reminds us that we are surrounded by the saints, our circle of friends. They are not far off, long ago, but with us praising God and interceding for us. They bring back to us the whole history of our Church in remembering them. They pray for us. We talk to them. In addition to famous saints, the personal saints of family and friends pray with and for us. Unfortunately, “out of sight is (often) out of mind.” Do we neglect calling upon our personal saints? Do we remember those to whom at death, we said, “I will never forget you”? Who is the saint whose name you bore at baptism? When was the last time you spoke to him or to her? What do you know of your patron, protector and intercessor? Are you conscious in the liturgy that you are not alone but surrounded by a host of witnesses? We join with them in praise and thanks to God. We also remember the souls in purgatory who are assured of heaven but cannot really pray for or help themselves. However, they can pray for us and they appreciate our prayers for them. The Church is full of people trying to live their faith; but, we do not do it alone. Our prayer and praise always includes the unseen members of our family in faith. What a great gift is our faith! We are so very privileged to know these blessings from the Lord!
Filed under: Awalt Papers | 1 Comment »
Blogger Priest 