All Saints
Day
Cycle B
November 1, 2015 4:00pm, 8:00am and 5:00pm
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air
Why the Saints?
This past summer, a number of
parents of other Christian traditions – not-Catholics – inquired about
enrolling their children in Saint Margaret School.
These parents are interested in a
faith-based school for their children. And
some of them asked a good question.
They asked: What is our Catholic devotion
to the saints all about? Do we in effect
worship them as we worship Jesus?
The Focus Is Jesus
This question led us to think
about what we believe and it gave us a good opportunity to share this.
To some people, it might seem
that our devotion to the saints takes us away from Jesus. After all, Jesus and he alone is the son of
God and the Savior of humanity.
The interesting thing is that the
saints probably understood this more than anyone else. They really focused on Jesus and on living
the gospel.
So, we believe that God in his
wisdom has given us the saints to help us on the journey of life. Instead of taking our attention away from
Jesus, they actually help us to stay centered on him.
One of our Catholic theologians,
Sister Elizabeth Johnson, says that in our Catholic tradition, there are two
models or ways of relating to the saints.
She calls these the “patronage model” and the “companionship model.”
The Patronage Model
In the “patronage model,” we
bring our needs or requests to a saint and ask the saint to help us.
The idea is that since the saints
are now close to God in heaven and have no more needs themselves, it is natural
to ask them for help. We are still praying
to God.
We are simply asking the saints
to intercede for us. It is something
like asking an older brother or sister to help us get what we want from our
parents.
So, Saint Peregrine is the patron
saint of cancer and we might pray to him if we are having treatments or surgery
for cancer. Saint Maria Goretti is a patron
saint that our youth could ask to help them to do the right thing when peer
pressure is tempting them to do something else.
Saint Ann is the patron saint of
mothers and mothers might pray to her for their children. And, of course, Saint Anthony is the patron
saint for finding things that are lost and there is that favorite little rhyming
prayer:
“Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony,
please come around.
Something is lost
and cannot be found.”
The Companionship Model
Then
the other way of relating to the saints is the “companionship model.”
The
idea is that the saints are simply our friends.
They have gone ahead of us and are now supporting us spiritually in what
we call the communion of saints.
This is
the relationship we have with all of God’s people, even those who have passed
on from this earth. We believe that the
saints are our companions in life and are really a help to us.
For
example, I regularly look to Saint Ignatius of Loyola for guidance in my prayer
and in discerning what God wants me to do when things are not clear. Women may look to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
who was both a devoted wife and mother and a leader in education.
Men may
look to Saint Joseph as an example of both strength and gentleness. Any of us could look to Blessed Teresa of
Calcutta as a companion to keep us going when things feel dark and
difficult.
Conclusion
I want
to close with one recommendation.
Try to
identify a saint who inspires you or whom you can turn to in times of trouble. Maybe read something about the saints in a
book or on the Internet.
And
then, consider buying a small statue or picture of the saint you choose for
yourself. This can be very inexpensive
and you can buy this in a Catholic bookstore or on the Internet.
And
then keep this image of the saint in your home, maybe in your bedroom.
And
allow that saint to keep you focused on Jesus and to be with you through life –
I think this will be enriching for your faith.
