Reading the Lives of the Saints
Introduction
There is a general conversion, life, and apostolic-pattern by which Saints have been molded by the Holy Spirit in the history of the Church. Though few are gifted with spiritual maturity at a very young age (like St. Catherine of Siena), many started lives which were worldly or sinful. But, after a conversion experience of encountering God, they changed their way of life. It became rooted in the love of Christ and the Catholic Church. Their conversion experience was an important turning point that often is unforgettable. It was this experience that led them to begin a spiritual journey: a greater love of the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and the members of the Church, especially the sick, the poor, the uneducated, and the homeless.
The study of the lives of the Saints is called hagiography. Two definitions in Microsoft Encarta Dictionary define hagiography as: [1] biography dealing with the lives of saints; and [2] biography that shows undue reverence.
In the early Christian centuries, it was the monks of monastic orders who studied the lives of the Saints; many of them were hagiographers. But now, in a modern age, scholars make analytical studies of the Saints' lives, with a few who use the social sciences, such as depth psychology (as in the study of the life of St. Benedict of Nursia). These scholars consider socio-historical methods as tools to understand extraordinary spiritual phenomenon, or literary form analysis to study the Saints' mystical writings.
In the stories of the Saints, especially those that have been written traditionally, one should note that many of these were written for pious purposes (to cultivate faith in its readers). This is why some stories of the Saints are judged by modern scholars as having no historical basis in fact. Those with more pious minds can easily relate to these stories, but those with more scientific minds can have a healthy skepticism of such stories. However, whether one is religiously or scientifically inclined, the best approach to these stories is to balance one's understanding. This means including a pious context as well as a social scientist's context to know both the unique spiritual gifts of the Saint as a person and the socio-historical era in which the Saint lived and completed his mission.
In our present civilization, which has undergone many industrial revolutions, we are called to also understand the pious context of a Medieval Christianity with an educated faith and reason that gives space also for the mystery and the powers of a Saint whose soul is truly gifted by God. Even in this age of machine learning and artificial intelligence, there is still so much to be known and cannot be known (as ML and AI has not fathomed the entire universe yet, nor the elements of time, history, nor the depths of the human soul/psyche). Science and religious mystery are boths gifts God gives to humanity so that mankind can live a balanced and sane life. The spiritual, as well as the material, are both in mankind since the beginning of his consciousness, up to now. Miracles happened in the past. They also happen now. And they will continue to happen in the future. Concrete examples of miracles in the past are the stigmata of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (died 1968 A.D.) and St. Francis of Assisi. Also beyond the ordinary are the aerial flights of St. Joseph of Cupertino and bilocations of St. Martin de Porres (whose feast will be celebrated this November 3). And not to mention the countless Saints, (canonized or not canonized), who have been the sources of many healings, exorcisms, and conversions.
But it is not the Saints' miracles that are primary for faith in God. It is the way they lived the charity and mercy of Christ in their lives. The Saints' miracles are only supplementary to the miracle and the mystery of God Himself incarnated in the Person of His Son Christ Jesus. What each of the faithful is called to believe is that each and every one of the Saints have exemplified a pattern of prayer, or ministry, which Christ Himself first did - as recorded in the gospels. The Saints applied Christ's manner of praying and mission according to the particular historical period and culture in which they lived. Some Saints have been gifted with extraordinary spiritual gifts because they were to be God's instruments for healing the sick, and instruments for performing miracles and supernatural wonders that the unbelievers may have faith in Christ. One's attention must go beyond the seemingly impossible feat that a saint can do, and look deep within his or her soul to discover a God who made that Saint's life-story the "face", the "body", the "hands", and the "feet" of Jesus for his or her time, or country (like Mother Teresa of Calcutta of Albania). God calls the Saints in order that the Church may grow in faith and charity, not only for their particular historical period, but for all time. They embody "Jesus" for the whole Church, the world, and for a universal purpose.
Common life patterns among the lives of the saints
Every saint has his or her own unique story, but in reading each one's life and history, one will discover the following common elements:
- 1. a conversion experience where there is a turning away from a life of vice or sin;
- 2. a period of intense prayer and solitude accompanied often by a withdrawal from a worldly way of life;
- 3. a period of intense apostolic activity that involves great works of charity - with some performing miracles and wonders;
- 4. experiences of persecution and suffering as a result of this apostolic work;
- 5. death by sickness, consumption, exhaustion due to penances or martyrdom
1. Conversion experience
There are inspiring conversion stories that brighten up the Catholic Church's history of Christian heroes. Think of St. Francis of Assisi who went home sick from battle with a fever. After his terrible fever, he suddenly changed his behavior to the Poverello of Assisi. Think also of St. Ignatius of Loyola who was a soldier engaged in battle and then hit by a cannonball on his right knee. While convalescing in the castle of his family, he was given Thomas a' Kempis "The Imitation of Christ" and a volume of Voraigne's life of the Saints. From then on, he resolved to turn away from his earthly soldier life to become a spiritual soldier of Christ the King. Think also of St. Augustine of Hippo. How he turned away from his pursuit of worldly wisdom and his life of unchastity to a life in Christ - inspired by the leadership of St. Ambrose and the incessant prayers of his mother, St. Monica. Not to forget the story of St. Teresa of Avila who began as a 'worldly' religious before she became a reformer of her Carmelite Order. Also consider St. Thomas a Beckett, who was fond of wine, women and song, before he took seriously his appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury. From then on, he lived an austere monastic life and often wore a hairshirt for penance.
2. Prayer, solitude, withdrawal from the busy world
St. Benedict of Nursia is reported to have entered a cave in Subiaco to live a life of solitude and prayer. St. Ignatius of Loyola also entered a cave in Manresa where he discovered the movements of the Holy Spirit in his soul and wrote a book for discerning the movements of the spirit in our spiritual life. Then there is St. Anthony Abbot, a.k.a. St. Anthony of the Desert. He entered an empty castle for 20 years and then after emerging from the castle, people exclaimed how he had not changed a bit in those 20 years, and still looked like what he was before he entered. The only difference was that he produced such a remarkable calm and equanimity in his soul that could not be disturbed by the noises around him. After an intense period of prayer and withdrawing from the world, some Saints attracted others to their way of life and prayer. These Saints founded communities who also valued the way of life, prayer, and work which these Saints did. They formed communities in the desert or on the top of hills and mountains.
3. Apostolic and missionary activity
After encountering God, withdrawing into solitude, and learning to be in union with Him in prayer and work, the majority of these saints returned to the world with a remarkable zeal and burst of energy to evangelize others. St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuit Order for the purpose of Catholic education. St. Benedict of Nursia founded the great monasteries of Europe that influenced many to follow his Rule up to now. St. Francis of Paola, the wonder-worker hermit, also founded an association of hermits called Minims. St. Teresa of Avila was a zealous reformer of the Carmelite Order.
4. Experiences of persecution and suffering
As a result of their zealous works, some of these saints had political conflicts with the Church's authorities or with the members of their own religious communities. St. Ignatius of Loyola was put under the Inquisition due to what he wrote in his book, The Spiritual Exercises. It was a new charism (discernment) and not yet part of the mainline tradition of the Church. St. Teresa of Avila also suffered the rebukes from some Church authorities because she wanted to improve the spirit of her Order, making it stricter. Other saints suffered in different ways. St. Alphonsus Liguouri was expelled as the superior general of the congregation he himself founded! St. John of the Cross was imprisoned by his own community of brothers! These stories attest to the fact that as these Saints chose Christ, they also shared in the Cross of Christ in their lives.
5. Death
The martyrology of the Church gives witness to the gift of courage and fortitude that many of these Saints have shown. Although martyrdom is the best witness to Christ, the majority of the saints simply suffered by patiently enduring whatever opposition or sickness they received from preaching the gospel in their apostolic life and work. The deaths of many these saints were remarkable. Those who were martyred were unbelievable examples of great Christian courage. People rushed to grab the bones of these early Christian martyrs because they believed that those relics have the power of God in them to heal and to grant intercession.
Summary
The common life pattern we see in the lives of the saints is a testament to the truth that they have followed faithfully the life and mission of Jesus. The faithful are called to respect and pay reverence to them because they help all see what was important in Christian life and witness in the era in which they lived. As one reads more and more into the lives and biographies of these Saints, you will discover how each one particularly emphasized a charism of Jesus that is needed for their specific generation, for the historical period, and culture in which they were called to embody the values of the gospel.
