Six ways saints guide us as disciples of Jesus

By John J. Boucher
Special to The Catholic Free Press

Are you unsure of how people who passed away centuries ago can help us today? Here are six ways the saints can guide us as disciples of Jesus.

First, saints can inspire us by their example of how to draw close to Jesus Christ. I am inspired by St. Ignatius of Loyola (Spain, 1491-1556), a strong-willed soldier who liked to be right. God first got his attention after a serious leg injury and lengthy convalescence. Following Jesus always meant surrender for Ignatius, constant surrender of his own will. I find myself being led in the same way.

Second, saints can help when we turn to them with our needs. In a real sense, we can talk to the saints the way we would to a friend. They live now, forever, in the Lord’s presence. They are intercessors for the living, placing us before the Lord.

Third, a saint’s life is a sign of the kingdom of God among us, something like a highway sign. In our fast-moving, computerized world, we may be tempted to ignore saints, never probing deep into their lives, works, and writings. A highway sign points out where to turn to go deeper into a city or the country. Let the Holy Spirit point out a few saints into whose lives we go beyond the surface, reading their life stories and especially what they wrote.
Fourth, we can choose a few saints in “our neighborhood” as special friends for our journey. I first began meeting saints in my “spiritual neighborhood” like St. John the Baptist (Judah, c.3 B.C.-A.D. 28), a namesake. Jesus called John a prophet. John’s call to be a messenger of God reverberated in my soul. I first responded by helping people meet the Lord through praying and studying the Scriptures. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (USA, 1774-1821) helps me deal with family difficulties and illnesses, working to combine ministry with parenting. She wrote, “What was the first rule of our dear Savior’s life? You know it was to do his Father’s will. Well, then, the first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God. Secondly, do it in the manner he willed, and finally, do it because it is his will.”

Fifth, saints’ spiritual gifts or charisms for service and evangelization call us to seek similar gifts of the Spirit. Before I received confirmation, I was instructed to look for a saint’s name to be added to mine. I read the New Testament and when I read about the evangelization ministry of St. Paul (Tarsus, c. 5-c. 67), my heart caught fire. In time, I realized that I am John Joseph “Paul” Boucher, called by the Spirit to spend the rest of my life moving missionary evangelizing discipleship forward in the Church and in everyday life.

Sixth, the Spirit calls us to respond to a particular saint’s life direction and teaching. St. Josemaria Escriva’s (Spain, 1902-1975) writings always challenge me, “Rather than in not having, true poverty consists in being detached, in voluntarily renouncing one’s dominion over things. That is why there are poor who are really rich. And vice-versa.” I am called to hold-on-loosely to things, money, possessions, successes, failures, worries, and even people. All these belong to Jesus and I am his servant who borrows them to live with and serve for a while.
As we watch and listen to saints the Holy Spirit will touch us. The words, actions, charisms, and events in saints’ lives call for a personal response from us. We are either attracted or repelled by their desires, values or actions. We are inspired and challenged by their examples. Through the saints, Jesus invites us to join him in the mission of evangelizing the world by the power of the Holy Spirit.