This is the final installment of our series The Ten Wellsprings of Grace for an Evangelical Catholic Spirituality
Caption: Father Damien lived and died, ministering to leprosy patients banished to Molokai island in the late 1800’s.
Learning from the Saints
An evangelical Catholic reads the saints for both inspiration in saintly living and instruction in spiritual doctrine. How inspirational it is to read the life of the formidable St. Teresa of Avila who played a major role in the Catholic reformation, or St. Damien, who gave his life caring for those banished to an island, dying from leprosy.
Moreover, there are untold treasures of spiritual insight to be found in the instructional writings of the Church’s Doctors, which are Saints particularly recognized for their contributions to some aspect of Christian Theology. Consider, for example, the angelic wisdom found in St. Thomas’ Summa, or the seraphitic insight of St. Bonaventure’s The Mind’s Ascent to God. Are you seeking the way of union with God? Prayerfully meditate through the Mystical Doctor’s Spiritual Canticle. Few habits will reap greater rewards than that of regular and systematic reading in the Saints.
Requesting the Intercession of the Saints
Catholics have a long tradition of requesting the intercession of those who have gone before us in faith. We are part of the Body of Christ, which extends back to Christ and the apostles themselves. Together, in heaven and on Earth, we are working for the healing and salvation of the world and for its sanctification and salvation. We believe that to ask someone in heaven to pray for us is no different — except perhaps more effective! — than to ask a fellow believer on earth to pray for us. We live in fellowship with the saints in heaven and the “saints” on earth, as St. Paul refers to them. This fellowship is a true communion with one another in Christ!