Befriend a Saint!

Lent Day 32 - Befriend a Saint

In the Catholic tradition, the saints are not simply models or people to be admired. They are, above all, friends. When we have a devotion to a particular saint, we've found a soul companion, a spiritual guide. In these last couple weeks of Lent, find a saint who is like you in personality, who struggled with some of the same things you struggle with, or who loved the same things you love. Find a heavenly soul-mate and make him or her part of your prayer life-read about them and pray with them. You might not connect with every saint, but chances are you'll find one whose style is agreeable to you. Also, and here's the more challenging suggestion, choose another saint who bothers you, one whom you don't really appreciate or who maybe rubs you the wrong way. It might be just this saint who helps fill you out, to realize in you that aspect of the holy you especially need. The ordinary goal of the Christian life is to be a saint. God has painted all of these masterpieces, clear and messy, attractive and strange, in order to help us toward that goal. (If you're looking for a new or unfamiliar saint to befriend, check out Jennifer Fulwiler's Saint Name Generator.)   Fr. Robert Barron