When The Saints Go Marching Out

Mother Theresa, the Albanian nun whose work to feed the hungry and comfort the dying in India became the foundation of a new religious order and earned her a Nobel Peace Prize,  was named a saint on Sunday by Pope Francis. It's good news in a world of more sinners than saints. It's not easy to be named a saint. According to the Catholic Church rules, a man or woman must be credited with two miracles to be considered for sainthood. In 2002, the Vatican ruled it was a miracle when an Indian woman was cured of stomach tumors after praying to Mother Teresa. And in December, Pope  Francis declared Terera's part in the healing of a Brazilian man suffering from multiple brain tumors a second miracle.

Like everyone theses days, even Mother Teresa has some critics. But is it not refreshing to know that some humans can endure such sacrifice for the welfare of others? This age of empty headed, do nothing, celebrities needs saints, particularly saints most of us agree are worthy of the title. We are supposed to emulate the saints, strive to be like them. But in reality, most of us can't do so. Being a saint is a special condition, and most human have neither the will power or ability to be one. Thus, saints are ideals. Boy do we need ideals today.

The church says saints are supposed to be models for our behavior and be people we pray to when in need. Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over areas of our life. I remember my mother dearly believed in St. Christopher, the patron saint of safety. She used to put a St. Christopher medal in her car for protection and carried the medal aboard airplane flights. When the church declared St. Christopher no longer a saint, my mom never wavered and kept her belief in him. The patron saint areas can include occupations, illnesses, churches, countries, causes, anything that is important to us. Hmmmm Maybe I need a patron saint of the rant, since I rant here so often.

Few Catholics today even attend church, much less pay attention to saints. More often, in a crisis such as a terminal illness or some other severe challenge to life and safety, people turn to saints. Because humans need both faith and hope, they seem to need saints, humans who excelled in the spiritual, to motivate them to achieve their own dreams and meet their needs.. And that is a good thing for all of us.