Unity in Lives of Saints and Church Fathers

Pick up a book by any Saint. St. Augustine’s Confessions. St. Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle. St. John of the Cross’ The Dark Night of the Soul. Immediately, you will sense that you have been plunged into deep spiritual waters. Dive a little deeper. Explore St. Francis de Sales’ Devout Life or St. Therese’ autobiography, Story of a Soul.

Of course, if you want to remain a Protestant, this might be risky. You are, after all, bound to fall in love, and then it will be all over.

Other than those first Apostles, I always thought of saints as people I knew – people who were holy – perhaps even people who were still alive but living really godly lives. I thought of my maternal grandmother as a saint. Maybe even my dad. I had an uncle who was a famous United Methodist evangelist. Maybe he was a saint.

It’s odd, really, that my thoughts went so quickly to those I knew, but I never gave a thought to the Saints of the Ages, the ones who had passed down this faith, even if it meant death at the stake. Even if it meant death by the jaws of a lion. Or on the spike. On the rack. Or even if they were skinned alive.

I guess that was when I first realized that the gaps in learning are there because you don’t even know you have gaps that need to be filled. You don’t think to read about the Saints because they were never a part of your schema. You don’t know what you’re missing because you aren’t likely to miss what you’ve never known.

Here’s the scary thing – you suddenly realize that these wonderful, beautiful, holy people were Catholic! Hey, wait a minute, you say, I can’t be attracted to that Church. But the lives of the Saints – and now even the writings of those early Church Fathers – St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Polycarp of Smyrna - the men who knew the Twelve personally – they are all calling to you and cheering you on.

Like a Great Cloud of Witnesses.

Suddenly, you remember Hebrews 12, and you hear the faint rumble of cheering.

It all makes sense now, that mysterious Communion of Saints, and that’s when you know there is one Church – one Home – and She’s calling to you.

That’s when you know that the lives of these men and women speak of a legacy of faith that you have only just begun to uncover. And you know, if you let them take you by the hand, it will be okay. The fear will fall away, the fog will lift, and you will find yourself standing before a beautiful, old, holy Church. And you will want to climb the steps at any cost, and claim your very own seat at the Table.

(article by Denise Bossert first published by One Bread Lay Apostolate at http://www.1bread.catholic.org/)