Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face is the Patron Saint of this blog. She was a beautiful, and prodigious child, who grew up in a very devout home under the guidance of devoted parents. She entered the Carmel at 15 years of age and suffered extreme pain and difficulty due to tuberculosis. She died at the tender age of 24. St. Therese was without any consolations from God, no 'feeling of his nearness' for many weeks or months before her death. I can't stress enough here what a blessing her life memoirs are and suggest you read a copy of "Story of a Soul." You don't have to be Catholic to find her a true friend. The one thing about being Catholic and our love for saints is this: They aren't dead and gone. We believe they only changed locales, for isn't that what we do when we "die in Christ?" They are only across a very thin veil, praying for us and cheering us on, to make it to the finish line in this 'race' for our goal, which is Christ and His Heaven. I love being able to pray to all my Saints. They're the friends of Jesus who've paved the way for us with prayer and with their own blood as they died for the Faith. We owe them a great deal, and there's no better way to honor Jesus than to honor his friends. That goes for his Mother, too, but that's another post.
Suffice it to say, I was always told that praying is only conversation, so when I pray to a Saint, I'm not "worshiping" the saint. That goes for Mary too. Catholics don't worship them, they 'venerate them. There's a HUGE difference. I simply never knew the beauty of this "communion of saints" and it's been a joy to learn from those who actually know and to put my own fears about this "curious Catholic thing" to rest. "To die is gain" so said St. Paul. The spiritual world is not like our own, and we can't see these Saints and angels all around us, but St. John did in his Revelation. His description of a "great cloud of witnesses" wasn't just the angels around the Throne of God, it was ALL who have died in Christ, Christians. We don't then "pray to the dead" as I've heard from faulty and misguided sources, so let that misconception go, if indeed you've got it. I once did, but happily it's a faded memory now.
The 'dead' aren't in Heaven. In fact, they're more alive than we are on this earth, for they're beholding the beatific vision of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ! I'm not there yet and I don't know anyone walking on this earth who is also there in Heaven. Who then is better equipped to pray for us here? Only our friends? We're all bedraggled sinners, struggling everyday to grow in holiness, to even generate a prayer life, to muster up 5 minutes to read the bible. However, the Saints who are there WITH CHRIST in glory seem quite able and capable and worthy of our prayers, as we also ask our friends and family. I say, if we can ask each other for prayers, then why not include the WHOLE FAMILY OF GOD, here AND in his resplendent glory?
Whoops! The soapbox has been pulled out from under me and I've landed on my rear. Guess I'll get on out of here and move on to other things, other thoughts.
Please, READ about St. Therese and the rest of these precious, faithful souls. They're our Big Sisters and Brothers, they're not "idols."
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