A priest friend Houston moved into a new parish which was chock-a-block full of statues. Knowing this could be delicate he noticed that there was an unused choir loft so he moved all of the statues up to the loft and used the Letter to the Hebrews to explain the new arrangement. Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden … while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. The saints, he explained, were joining with the community in prayer from their place in glory. He know that it had worked when he noticed a mother hushing her restless child by pointing back to the statues reminding him that they were watching. Catholics have always reverenced the saints as heroes and role models. We all have personal saints who might not be canonaized but who embody for us the Christian life. Let us live in such a way that we too might model the blessings God has bestowed on us in life.
