St. Teresa of Avila praying to St Joseph and Jesus. A Saint praying… to a Saint.
The Communion of Saints
The Catholic Faith offers so many paths for finding peace when we are anxious, tired, and feeling like we lost our last friend. One of my absolute favorite ways of finding the strength, courage, and peace I need is to tap into the Communion of Saints. After the Sacraments, it might be the way I live in communion with God the most.
A little explanation for Catholics and Non-Catholics alike: The Communion of Saints is not a superstitious teaching, in the least. It is a recognition of the fact that God is in charge of all that is seen and unseen, visible and invisible. It is the recognition that this material, physical world and the spiritual world are not at odds with each other; in fact they are in communion with each other.
I live in New York City. When I ride the train to and from work, I often visualize everyone’s Guardian Angel sitting or standing next to them. The same is true of the Saints – they are always with us, helping us and praying for us. Because they are no longer living on the earth in their physical bodies, but are pure spirit, they can “travel” to different places on earth. For instance, St Thérèse of Lisieux can be consoling someone in Paris on the Metro on her way home from work AND consoling some other soul on the train in Manhattan, on his way to the office AT THE SAME TIME. And she can be with countless others who are praying to her at any given time (she might be the busiest Saint, after The Blessed Virgin Mary). Because Thérèse is no longer limited to the physical realm, she can be everywhere at once, even for those souls who don’t know of her, but nonetheless desperately need her intercession.
This image from the awesome Portraits of Saints can be found here.
Hanging About the Graveyard
The coolest thing about the Communion of Saints is that it is the most “grass roots” movement in the Roman Catholic Church and it knows no gender or racial boundaries. In my researching different Saints, I’ve been taught about their background and heritage, which is truly global.
It all began back when the Church was persecuted in the 3rd and 4th Centuries and many of the faithful were being martyred for their belief in Christ. If they would renounce Christ, they’d live. So many of them did NOT renounce Christ and were then killed. Because of their steadfast presence in the face of their own death, other Christians who were worried they might be next, came to pray at the graves of those earlier martyrs, asking for their intercession. They prayed for courage in the face of their own possible martyrdom, to be steadfast like those who went before them, to not renounce Christ in order to save their lives. They prayed with confidence that these martyrs were now with Christ in Heaven, and could hear their pleas for help. They believed they would receive their strength from beyond.
The point here is that they prayed for their intercession, which is a fancy way of saying “Hey, Thérèse, can you ask Jesus to help me with this issue?” Of course, we pray directly to Jesus, too. But sometimes it’s nice to have a friend, a confidante, that will guide us along our journey. Someone who can inspire us by the way they lived their life.
Border Children and the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala
I recently went to St Patrick’s Cathedral to pray a rosary for the Border Children, who have been violently ripped from their parent’s arms along the border of the United States. I was drawn to the Guadalupe Chapel, which seemed fitting, since she is the Patron Saint of the Americas. Jen Fulwiler is always promoting her as one of the most powerful intercessors, and I thought YES. In the Chapel, though, was this beautiful, mystical painting of what looked like three young women, perhaps teens or younger. At the very least, it seemed appropriate to pray in front of them and ask for their intercession. EVERYTHING about it felt right. As I was leaving, I asked a few people about the painting and no one knew anything about these young Saints. I sent a picture to my friend Cindy, Catholic Extraordinaire and Walking Saint Encyclopedia. Less than 24 hours later, she came back with her intel.
Turns out they are three boys! Cristobal, Antonio, and Juan. Indigenous Mexicans. And they are indeed martyrs – from Tlaxcala. They were killed in the 16th Century because they believed in Christ. And they were young, about 14 or 15 years old. Seems to me that these child martyrs are the perfect intercessors for the current crisis on the border. They were canonized in 2017. You can read more about them here.
Image: The Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala – Painting in Guadalupe Chapel, St Patrick’s Cathedral, NYC
I am asking for Our Lady’s intercession as well. And St. Juan Diego’s, too.
This image from the awesome Portraits of Saints can be found here.
Pray for us, O Most Holy Mother of God.
That we made be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
AMDG
Peace, Skye
Gotta have more saints? Check out this post by one of my favorite bloggers:
Catholic Sanctuary 