Saints: our big brothers and sisters in Heaven

All Saints day is this Saturday!  I love the Saints. I've learned quite a bit through reading books that they had written while on Earth, and I've learned a lot while reading books that were written about them. Sometimes I almost have to avoid picking up a  "Saint book" while going about my daily business  because if I do pick one up, well, say goodbye to at least an hour because I won't be able to put it down! However, when I do have some time to read, my first choice will always be one of these books.

Maybe you have the same "issue" if you will, or perhaps you are wondering why I get so drawn in by them. The reason I love them so much is because I think of them as my older siblings in Heaven, and really they are! We all have been "Born of the Spirit."

I don't have many older siblings on Earth, so I need more people to look up to, to be my role models. Thankfully, God has blessed me with a few on Earth, but He's also blessed me by introducing me to many of the older Brothers and Sisters He's given me in heaven. A few of my "closest Brothers and Sisters" in Heaven are St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Bolonga, St. Alphonsus Ligouri and St. Faustina Kolwalska.

Some people have the sad misunderstanding that we worship the Saints. We don't worship them at all. I'm going to use a familiar scenario to explain this. Perhaps you had siblings here on earth. You might remember a time when you and your brothers or sisters all wanted something, and were deciding who was going to go ask mom or dad. Very often, the oldest  got sent, though perhaps a little unwilling, with the younger ones giving the excuse, "They'll say yes to you!" This scenario is a pretty good illustration of part of our relationship with the saints. We want to get to Heaven, and they want us to get there too! So obviously we would ask our older siblings to ask for graces and favors for us, and they are more than willing to do so!

There also seems to be a misconception that Saints were sort of "holy robots" who were born perfect and that their holiness came naturally, perhaps even automatically. This also is not true. Each of them has a personality just like we do, and all personalities come with strengths and weaknesses that present challenges throughout a person's life. All of them made mistakes, just like us. Some of them actually led pretty bad lives before their conversion! Even after their conversion they had struggles. But they humbly accepted these difficulties and trusted in God to hep them overcome them, and He did.

The Saints really are our big Brother and Sisters. Since All Saints day is in November, maybe sometime this month you could find a book about a Saint or two and get to know them! You'll find that they are more like you than you think.