The Saints...

[Selah]

I was thinking about this just now. Ever since I entered into the Catholic Faith, there are certain saints that I stumble across that I just instantly fall in love with. Such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bernadette of Lourdes, St. Raphael, etc...I suppose I was wondering, does the saint we pick or have in mind have us in mind too? Perhaps this isn't always the case, but do you think it can be?

[Vincent Vega]

I've experienced the same thing.
I love my St. Vincent, but ever since I started reading St. Augustine, I feel such a connection to him, because we seem so similar (obviously, he was much more holy than I, but we seem to share similar weaknesses).

[Era Might]

The Lives of the Saints are amazing. I think we probably gravitate toward those Saints who had a similar life to ours, or who had a similar spiritual emphasis. The amazing thing is that anyone can find a Saint whose life they relate to. And I do think that our personal favorite Saints become our friends by Divine Providence, and not merely by accident.

[thessalonian]

I believe that it's like anything else with God. It is our choice, our will but he molds it and guides it and gives our wills the grace to make the choices that lead us to certain saints that we need to help us and others around us. I would go a step further and say the spirit of God has an impact in the naming of us and our children. I have absolute proof of this in the story of my youngest daughter gianna. I've posted this before but will repeat it here. I couldn't make this up.


Nearly 7 years ago my wife began a strong spiritual connection and devotion to Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla. Blessed Gianna is a woman who choose to save her child (she was diagnosed with cancer) rather than her own life (www.gianna.org). Prayers to this woman have never failed my wife. Six years ago we were in Fargo after our boy was born. We stopped at a local Catholic book store as my wife was looking for an NFP book. She was thinking we were going to slow down on having babies for a while. This woman strongly believed that Catholics were using NFP for birth control and so she didn't even have an NFP book in her store. The woman also gave us a pamplet on the Blessed Gianna Maternity Home. My wife was thrilled. My wife said if Andrew had been a girl we were thinking of naming him Gianna. She said "you can name your next baby Gianna". Well two years later our baby was due in the middle of May. We found out that she was a girl in January and in February Pope JP II anounced that he was going to canonize blessed Gianna Berreta Molla, Saint Gianna, guess when, Middle of May, May 16th. Our baby was due in the middle of May. Not only that but before we choose the name, the woman we invited to be Godmother before we knew of this canonizatoin said she would be going to Rome in May. Turns out she was at the canonization. Also the doctor who delivered our baby has a baby girl who's middle name is Gianna and has my wife found out she had a strong devotion to this little known, soon to be, saint. Our baby was the last one she delivered before she went to Rome! There were other little details that all fit and made this far more than a coincidence as well.

This little girl 4 years later is such a blessing. The cutest, sassiest little thing you ever met.

[Mr.Cat]

[quote][b]John 15:16[/b]
"[color="#FF0000"][b][u]You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you[/u][/b]; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.[/color]"
[url="http://www.drbo.org/chapter/50015.htm"]http://www.drbo.org/chapter/50015.htm[/url][/quote]I offer the above quotation from the Sacred Scriptures ([i]John 15:16[/i]) merely as a point for personal reflection.

The Saints whom are in Heaven have been perfected in faith, hope, charity, and love. Thus we can have some confidence that we can receive their love, care, protection, and intercession in their ministry over us; in all that is in compliance to the Divine Will and Law. We are apart of the same Communion of the Saints and the same Church, though the Saints are in the Church Triumphant and we are apart of the Church Militant.

[b]Saint Odilia[/b] ( [url="http://saints.sqpn.com/sainto21.htm"]http://saints.sqpn.com/sainto21.htm[/url] ) appeared to John Novelan of Eppa to announce that God had appointed her patroness and protectress of the Order of the Holy Cross ([i]Crosier Fathers[/i]). While this is citing merely one instance I think that this shows that it is more than us merely picking the Saints or the Saints picking us, it’s something greater. For it is by the blessing and grace of God that we know of the Saints.

We are members of the Mystical Body, in the body every member functions in unity and mutual cooperation with each other. I would personally propose that our relationship with the Saints is not mono-directional. To simply describe it as we can go to the Saints and the Saints can come to us I would feel is insufficient, rather I think it is more important to recall that we are constantly in response to God’s prompting and grace.[quote][b]John 1:11-13[/b]
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name. [u][b]Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.[/b][/u]"
[url="http://www.drbo.org/chapter/50001.htm"]http://www.drbo.org/chapter/50001.htm[/url][/quote][quote][b]1 Peter 1:21[/b]
"For prophecy came [u]not by the will of man at any time[/u]: but the holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Ghost."
[url="http://www.drbo.org/chapter/68001.htm"]http://www.drbo.org/chapter/68001.htm[/url][/quote] Again, I offer the above quotation from the Sacred Scriptures ([i]John 1:11-13 & 1 Peter 1:21[/i]) merely as points for personal reflection.



[i]Simply put, I think that some Saints do come after us...[/i]

Edited September 12, 2008 by Mr.CatholicCat

[cmotherofpirl]

I think it is both. After all, are they not family? Don't you have a favorite aunt who enjoys your company, or a favorite grandparent that you just click with?
I fell in love with St Francis after reading the "Little FLowers", and St Fiacre [the gardening saint has always appealed to me. Having fearless children has made me friends with St Anthony and Jude. Celtic spirituality has always connected with me, so I am reading about the irish saints. Am I drawn to them, or are they drawing me in? Who knows.

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
i am pretty sure all the Dominican saints are stalking me.

[Selah]

[quote]I am pretty sure all the Dominican saints are stalking me[/quote]

Edited September 12, 2008 by Selah

[Saint Therese]

I think sometimes the Saints choose us. I firmly believe my baptismal patron chose me, St. Therese.

[puellapaschalis]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1653868' date='Sep 12 2008, 07:05 PM']+J.M.J.+
i am pretty sure all the Dominican saints are stalking me. [/quote]

I currently have this, but of the people in question, all are dead and one of them is [i]up[/i] for canonisation (Servant of God I think).

It's like, I read what they wrote and think "Wait...were you guys READING MY MIND/HEART/SOUL a few years ago when I started formulating stuff like this?!?!?!?!"

There are people out there who understand me! Huzzah!

[Balthazor]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1653868' date='Sep 12 2008, 07:05 PM']+J.M.J.+
i am pretty sure all the Dominican saints are stalking me. [/quote]

You are lucky it is just the saints..... I have the living dominicans stalking me.
I have lived in 3 countries.... and in every single one and in every town, the dominicans find me. Nuns and friars both.

I live two blocks or less away from a dominican friary right now.....

[goldbug16]

I have a really special devotion to St. Dominic Savio! He's my role model!

[Tinkerlina]

[quote name='Selah' post='1653582' date='Sep 11 2008, 11:54 PM']I was thinking about this just now. Ever since I entered into the Catholic Faith, there are certain saints that I stumble across that I just instantly fall in love with. Such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bernadette of Lourdes, St. Raphael, etc...I suppose I was wondering, does the saint we pick or have in mind have us in mind too? Perhaps this isn't always the case, but do you think it can be?[/quote]

Same experience with me and St. Anthony! I even somehow "inherited" a statue of him from a relative of a relative by marriage! -Katie

[phatcatholic]

I think one thing a lot of people forget is that when you name your child you have the chance to choose for them a particular intercessor in heaven. That, to me, is one reason why it is so important to give your child a good Christian name. In baptism, when the priest asks for the name of the child and then the litany of the saints is said, often times included in that litany are the saints who share their name with that child. The saints then become the child's spiritual older brothers and sisters, guiding the child and praying for the child as he/she grows and matures in Christ Jesus. It's a great gift that you give your child when you give him/her a Christian name!

[thessalonian]

[quote name='phatcatholic' post='1661835' date='Sep 23 2008, 12:43 PM']I think one thing a lot of people forget is that when you name your child you have the chance to choose for them a particular intercessor in heaven. That, to me, is one reason why it is so important to give your child a good Christian name. In baptism, when the priest asks for the name of the child and then the litany of the saints is said, often times included in that litany are the saints who share their name with that child. The saints then become the child's spiritual older brothers and sisters, guiding the child and praying for the child as he/she grows and matures in Christ Jesus. It's a great gift that you give your child when you give him/her a Christian name![/quote]


See my post about Gianna above. Amen bro.