Suffering and Sainthood

The following post is a copy of a comment by my cousin Linda left on my last posting “Went for a Walk with the Walker”. I know that the comment is available to you all but I wanted to make sure you all saw it. I think that what she has to say is very inspiring and encouraging. I asked Linda if she would mind if Iposted it and she did not hesitate to allow me. As a resut, Linda has been given the title of “Contributing Poster”.  Thank you Linda.

Oh, by the way, I by no means consider myself “Saintly”. I’m just another guy who, like thousands of others along with their families, are going through a journey that we really are not exited about. I have simply turned it all over to God who sustains me. Thank You Lord.
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'My Cousin The Saint,' is a great book by Justin Catanoso that I recently read. The author finds out that his grandfather's cousin, Padre Gaetano Catanoso of Calabria, Italy is being cannonized a saint in 2001. "A typically lapsed American Catholic, Justin embarks on a quest to connect with his extended family in southern Italy and ultimately, to awaken his slumbering faith." That last line is from the inside cover In any event, I thoroughly enjoyed his adventure of discovering his roots and learning about the life of his ancestor who so inspired others that he was being recognized by the Catholic Church as a bonified 'saint.'

As I mentioned before, I love the saints......I love reading about their lives and circumstances and about how they nurtured their relationship with God. It seems to me that the one thing they all have in common is that they all suffered - some from physical ailments, some spiritual - and that they so fully embraced this suffering because they saw it as bringing them in union with Christ - carrying that cross. They never complain. It's as if their suffering chips away at the earthly distractions so that their understanding of eternal life is heightened. A necessary evil, if you will.

I am currently reading Debra Herbeck's "Safely Through The Storm" which includes several quotes that I find inspirational. They also remind me of 'my cousin the saint'......you - Paul:) Your Mall Walker with a Walker story is told with the same patience and acceptance as any other saint I've read about.

Here are a few 'saint' excerpts from the above-mentioned book that I thought you might enjoy also:

Be at Peace Today
Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same Eternal Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day of your life. He will either shield you from suffering, or he will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts.
----St. Francis de Sales

God Does Not Change
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
Though all things pass
God does not change.
Patience wins all things.
But he lacks nothing
Who possesses God;
For God alone suffices.
---St. Teresa of Avila

Four years ago when I went on Pilgrimage to Italy we visited a remote mountain town of San Giovanni Rotondo. That is where St. Padre Pio spent most of his life. He is one of our modern saints having lived from 1887-1968. He was cannonized in 2002. While he is said to have had the gift of tongues and bilocation, he was most well known for the spiritual phenomenon of the stigmata. He suffered the wounds of Christ for over 50 years. 'The wounds were painful, and he felt them not only on his hands, on his feet and in his side but also, as was recently revealed, on his shoulder, where Christ carried the cross.' (From '39 New Saints you should know' by Brian O'Neel.)

Here are a couple of thoughts from Padre Pio -

The Way to Heaven
What does it matter to you whether Jesus wishes to guide you to Heaven by way of the desert or by the fields, so long as you get there by one way or the other? Put away any excessive worrying which results from the trials by which the good God has desired to test you; and if this is not possible, resign yourself to the Divine will.

and

Make Yourself at Home
It is just as well to make yourself at home with the sufferings that Jesus is pleased to send you as you must always live with them. In this way, when you are least expecting to be liberated from them, Jesus, who cannot bear to keep you long in affliction, will come and relieve you and comfort you, giving you new courage.

Since saints are just 'holy and human people who live extraordinary lives,' I think you qualify. So from now on, you are 'MY COUSIN, the saint.'

Love,
Linda


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