When John was a teenager he wanted to go to dances. There was one problem. He couldn’t dance. So he asked his older sister, Claire, to teach him. That was a disaster. Next he watched people dancing and slowly imitated one step after another. The church also watches a person’s whole life for steps in the dance of faith. This discernment process helps us find models of heroic virtue and holiness, like St. Teresa of Calcutta or St Therese of Lisieux. These saints become portraits of discipleship. And if we befriend a few, they can become mentors, who help us grow spiritually.
SPEAK WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY: The road to holiness is also traveled by all who die in Christ, the great cloud of saints described in the Book of Revelation (7:9-17). In addition to canonized saints, there are people who lived ordinary lives with extraordinary love, like Juan Correa, a friend, who studied chemistry in order to teach in his homeland of Colombia. He had unusual gifts of kindness and humility that brought many into our faith-sharing group. As graduation approached, he confessed strong fears about the political dangers that Christians faced in Bogota. Still, his love for his people drew him home like a magnet. Just two years later Juan contracted polio. As he lay paralyzed and dying in an iron lung, his one wish was to listen to Scripture all day. Within weeks of his death, two of his sisters who were experiencing high-risk pregnancies were healed.
HIGHWAY SIGNS TO GOD: But what help can saints be to you? Below are five steps for discovering your own answers. First, search out saints who can inspire you to draw closer to God. St. Therese of Lisieux (France, 1873-1897), strove to be a child before God and wrote, “I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.” And so she has. Claire and Harry asked her daily intercession during World War II. They promised God that if Harry returned safely from fighting in the Pacific, they would name their first daughter Therese. And so they did. Second, choose a saint who points toward love of others, like St. Teresa of Calcutta who talked about spending heaven rescuing people from dark places. Teresa can help you become more aware of the dark places that your family and friends inhabit. Then with God’s strength, you can learn how to be a physical and spiritual first responder. Third, learn ways to share the underpinnings of holy service through watching the way a saint explicitly shared about Jesus. Tiny St. Francis Cabrini, a cardiac disease sufferer, donned a hard hat to descend into coal mines and talk about Jesus. (Her shoes are pictured above.)
BUILD FRIENDSHIPS WITH SAINTS. Fourth, one of the dangers of living in a fast-paced world is the temptation to ignore the saints. But the effort to search out a few as friends is well worth it, since they can be like older brothers and sisters, or co-workers in faith. Begin by reading short bios online at websites like Catholic Online or this brief listing. Here you can acquaint yourself with “your spiritual neighborhood” and choose one or two to learn about in-depth. You might also want to read, “Making Friends with the Saints.”
Our fifth and finally suggestion is to speak with your new friend often about the place where your lives intersect. For example: St. Teresa of Calcutta was once asked by a reporter what is wrong with the church. Her reply was, “Me and you!” So a regular church-goer might pray, “St. Teresa, I have done my best to pray and to serve others. How can I be the problem? Help me listen to God in new ways. Help me be more compassionate. Help me be a humble servant in my parish and in every-day life. Amen.” And then finish by speaking with Jesus, the love of your saintly friend’s life.