Seven Quick Takes Friday #1 - MY FAVORITE SAINTS

I have been wanting to do this for a while and hopefully I have figured out how to do it properly (links and stuff are not my forte) So thanks to Jen at Conversion Diary (and apologies in advance if I made any boo-boos, I am still working on learning the whole "link" thing).

Today I would like to share seven of my best friends in heaven.

1) St. Therese of Liseux
2) St. Theresa of Avila
3) St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
4) Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
5) St. Gemma Galgani
6) St. Gianna Beretta Molla
7) St. Joseph

Now I love and admire many other Saints. St. Thomas More is the Patron Saint of lawyers (both hubby and I are attorneys) and our ds#3 was given the middle name Thomas. I have been learning more about St. Anthony the Abbott and cannot wait to read more of his writings. St. Catherine of Sienna was an awesome woman (a doctor of the Church for goodness sake!) and I hope to become more familiar with her spirituality in the coming years. I also encountered Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati recently - a 20-something Italian with the good looks of a movie star and an unshakeable devotion to the poor and the Eucharist!! What is there not to like!!!

But these Seven Saints above really mean something to me right now. They are like friends who live a bit a far away or who I only know through emails or blogs ;-)

I have never met them in the flesh, but their presence is REAL in my life and I love them and depend on them.

For the life of me, I just cannot understand what a good number of Protestants have against following the example and asking for the intercession of our elder brothers and sisters in Christ who have already "run the good race" and "fought the good fight" and who AT THIS VERY MOMENT are getting to see Jesus face-to-face for all eternity!!

Remember the old adage  - "It is not WHAT you know, it is WHO you know!"

We "network" here to advance our careers...why not "network" to advance our holiness??

It takes nothing away from Jesus' divinity and his sovereign position as Lord of the Universe to have a devotion to a particular holy man or woman (or their special way of living) because Jesus loves them even more than we do! By becoming full human himself, Jesus also completely understands that in this "vale of tears" we NEED real-life, tangible examples of how to live the challenging life of a Christian.

I will spend a little time each coming Monday talking about a Saint and why he or she means so much to me and what they have to offer the whole Church. St. Therese of Liseux is up first, since I have a lot to make up to her for, as you will see next week!

I think I will call it...

 Meet A Saint Monday


Until then, I will remember you at the altar at Sunday Mass (and at Adoration a few times if I can sneak out this weekend!) and I humbly ask you do the same for me and mine....