While it is still August, I am beginning to look forward to the Fall. Yes, I am partly anticipating cooler months but this season also contains a number of feast days that warm my heart. Some close to my heart include St. Francis, St. Therese of Lisieux, Guardian Angels, the Archangels, All Souls, and All Saints. Today’s feast is a wonderful soldier of Christ, St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He was a Cistercian monk and wrote a beautiful prayer to Our Lady that you are probably familiar with:
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, and sought thy intercession, was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother, to thee I come, before thee I stand sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate! despise not my petitions, but, in thy mercy, hear and answer me.
Amen.
The saints are close friends to us because they are close friends to Jesus. They constantly pray for us as we sojourn on our earthly pilgrimage. By their lives on earth, they provide the comfort that holiness is possible.
In reality, the saints are not just role models or mythological characters. They are personal friends that know us even if we do not recognize them. When we meet them I think their reply will be, “I know so much about you,” instead of, “I have heard so much about you.”
As you live your Catholic Faith, it is common to run into brothers and sisters that have a devotion to a certain saint. It might be his or her feast day saint, a patron of place or vocation, or a namesake, among many other reasons. God willing I make it to heaven, I wonder which saints will approach me and say, “I prayed for you daily because…” Maybe the saint had similar struggles as I did or maybe the saint was just peering down one day and noticed I liked the color red.
The Communion of Saints is such a precious gift. In our life, we can experience trials and one of the hardest battles to fight is loneliness. Father Ed Broom, OMV says, “St. Ignatius of Loyola would call this a state of desolation. One of the most common manifestations of desolation is that of loneliness—you feel alone in the world and nobody really seems to care about who you are and where you are heading in your life.” As Catholics, we have an answer to loneliness because we have true friends that are always by our side and we have Jesus Christ. Quoting Lumen Gentium, the Catechism says, “They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus . . . . So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped.” (CCC 956)
The struggle of loneliness is real but so is the faithfulness of the Communion of Saints! If you are struggling with this desolation, please know that I, a member of the faithful still working on getting to Heaven, am praying for you and so are your brothers and sisters before the throne of God. I encourage you to get to know some of the saints and maybe start a devotion to get to know them better. St. Bernard also reminds us that, “In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal.” Mary always seeks our happiness and desires us to love Jesus and she will always work on our behalf to take the struggles that come between us and her Son.
The Catholic Encyclopedia says, “The communion of saints is the spiritual solidarity which binds together the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the same mystical body under Christ its head…” In the next few weeks, I will continue with some thoughts on the Communion of Saints and in particular the souls in Purgatory and the Church Militant here on earth.