A great solemnity
today as we honor All Saints, those canonized by the church, and those who may
be in heaven without a halo or without holy pictures. These could very well be
our own parents, grandparents, spouses, brothers and sisters, children and
many dear friends. There are hundreds of canonized saints in heaven, but there
are many who have been canonized recently, mostly unknown to us until we read
their biography and learn something about their lives. This was the case with
many saints with whom I was not familiar with, until I shared their life story
with the people in a brief homily during the week. Yes, there are some
incredible stories of courage, martyrdom and deep faith and commitment. These
include the courage of St Gianna Beretta Molla, who sacrificed her life for her
newborn daughter, instead of committing an abortion to save her own life. These
include the great sacrifice St. Maximilian Kolbe did to help a married man
survive and be reunited with his family, while the martyred friar died in his
place in Auschwitz. These include St. Josephine Bakhita, a colored girl who was
abused until saved by an Italian family, becoming a much-beloved nun and saint.
These include St Louis and
Zelie Martin, the couple who were married with the intention to
remain celibate. But they followed their spiritual director’s advice and had 9
children, with the surviving 5 all becoming nuns, including a saint, Therese of
Lisieux. These include the first Maltese Saint, George
Preca who started a movement to teach young people about the Catholic Faith.
These include many other newly-canonized saints and others who are beatified.
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