Photo Credit Paulo
By Holly Gustafson
Hallowe’en is nearly upon us, and here in our house, we’re still not sure what we’re going to do about it. Usually we’d all go to our parish’s open house, where the adults would visit and hand out candy while the kids hung out with their friends or trick-or-treated in the neighbourhood. The next day, we’d all dress up as saints and attend an All Saints’ Day party somewhere in the city (and eat more candy). On All Souls’ Day, we’d gather a large group of people together and walk through the cemetery, praying at the graves of all the people we knew, then cramming into a friend’s apartment nearby for traditional Polish honey cake. And throughout the entire month of November, we’d gather our little family in the living room to light a candle and read about one saint each evening from our beloved Treasury of Saints.
But this year, the triduum of Allhallowtide – Hallowe’en, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day – will look different for us. There’s no Hallowe’en open house at the parish, and I think instead of trick-or-treating, we’ll spend the evening attending Mass and then watching a not-too-spooky movie with our youngest child (while eating candy). On All Saints’ Day, we won’t be gathering in a house jam-packed with nuns, priests, and martyrs, and on All Souls’ Day, although we may still walk the cemetery, there’ll be no sharing of food afterwards. And the kids have grown too old for our sweet little illustrated Treasury of Saints.
But I don’t want to let November – the Month of Saints – pass by without taking the opportunity to get to know them.
“Follow the saints, because those who follow them will become saints,” says Pope Saint Clement I, and although I don’t have high hopes of every reaching official sainthood, I’m a big proponent of befriending the saints, and asking for their much-needed intercession. Over the years, there a few saints that I have grown especially close to, and have learned to turn to often in times of need. Like St. Faustina Kowalska, when I need the advice of a compassionate friend. Or St. Francis de Sales, when I need the counsel of a wise, fatherly priest. Or St. Teresa of Avila, when I just need a kick in the pants.
The best thing about the saints is that they weren’t perfect, at least not right away. “The saints did not all begin well,” says Saint John Vianney, “but they ended well.” In their failings and human weaknesses, we can catch a glimpse of our own little pit of misery, and in their perseverance in prayer and virtue, we can see the way up and out. “Let us turn to the example of the saints,” says Saint Josemaría Escrivá. “Let us consider their lives and, like bees who distill precious nectar from each flower, we shall learn from their struggles.”
In honour of the upcoming Month of Saints, I’ve compiled all the Saints of the Eucharist that I’ve written about over the past nine months, along with a related word to reflect on, and I invite you to choose one of these saints to accompany you throughout the upcoming liturgical year. (You can do this either by simply picking the one that immediately jumps out at you, by taking the list to prayer and choosing the one that speaks the most to you, or – if you’re feeling adventurous – print them all off, cut them out and select one randomly! You might also want to choose one saint for your entire family, or have each family member select a different saint.) Spend the year reading books written about – or by – your saint, seeking inspiration from his or her life, and – most importantly – asking for his or her intercession throughout the year. And be assured of your saint’s prayers and aid: “God, because of the great love He bears us, and His great desire to see us saved, has given us, among other means of salvation, the practice of devotion to the saints,” promises Saint Alphonsus Liguori. “It is His will that they, who are His friends, should intercede for us, and by their merits and prayers obtain graces for us which we ourselves do not deserve.”
There’s no better time to reach out to the saints for advice, comfort, and spiritual support. “The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church’s history,” says Pope Saint John Paul II, and if that’s true, we need their friendship now more than ever.
EUCHARISTIC CHALLENGE OF THE MONTHJoin me in a 12-month challenge to grow closer to the Eucharist this year. This month, choose a saint to accompany you throughout the next liturgical year.
Holly Gustafson lives with her husband, James, and their five children, in Regina, where they attend Christ the King Parish. Holly received her Masters in Linguistics at the University of Manitoba, and now pursues her love of language through art, writing, public speaking, and unsolicited grammatical advice. The best advice she ever received was from her spiritual friend, St. Faustina, who told her that when in doubt, “Always ask Love. It advises best.”
