Friends in high places

Saints and their lives should be an important facet of the faith life of every Catholic. That being said, Catholics are more apt to buy a "Self-help book" at a bookstore than they are in picking up a book on the Lives of Saints.

Interestingly, a couple of posts caught my attention today regarding this issue. I first saw them over at Sancte Pater. V features the post of a priest from England/Michigan Fr. John Boyle, who quotes the Pope:

The Holy Father said that it is important "to have 'travel companions' on the journey of our Christian life: I am thinking of a spiritual director, a confessor, persons with whom we can share the experience of faith, but I am also thinking of the Virgin Mary and of the saints."


"Each one," he said, "should have a saint that is familiar to him, to whom he feels close with prayer and intercession, but also to imitate him or her. Hence, I would like to invite you to know the saints better, beginning with the one whose name you bear, by reading his life, his writings. You can be certain that they will become good guides to love the Lord ever more and valid aids for your human and Christian growth."

Father Boyle expands on this idea, especially when it comes to choosing names for our children.

Many people now do not have names that have any reference to saints. It used to be the case that Christians were given a saint's name or names at Baptism, and would take another saint at Confirmation. But names like 'Autumn', 'Bristol', 'Chelsea' while not being in any way anti-Christian and therefore not contrary to the provisions concerning batismal names contained in the Code of Canon Law, do not, I feel, help children to grow up with the idea of seeking the protection of a particular saint, or seeking to imitate the example of that saint.

If you want to learn more buy a nice book, may I suggest:  Lives of the Saints: For every day of the year