This upcoming Sunday we will celebrate the canonization of two historical Popes, men who not only contributed greatly to the church but have loved with such passion and zeal, they illuminated Christ himself.
As we look to their canonizations, we are reminded that we are all called to be saints. Every single one of us. We are called to be witnesses to the faith in charity and peace. We are called to be light to the world.
I just love this reminder when I am driving along the local interstate.
Last week my sister-in-law, who is a wonderful evangelical Protestant, asked me a simple question: who are the modern day saints in today’s world? I immediately begin to think of three notable figures that have played a great significance in my life.
1. Peter Kreeft. I don’t know him personally, but I have encountered him and his philosophical treaties through his writings and talks. Kreeft has written dozens of books on faith, morals and teachings of the church. His recorded talks also helped me prepare for my first half-marathon, carrying me through the countless miles I logged.
Though I do not know him personally and therefore cannot completely speak on his character, I do know that, for me, he is one of the most thought provoking philosophers and has challenged me in my thinking on the faith. I can’t help but think that he is a patient, kind and charitable man too. That is why I have included him on my list of my modern day saints.
2. Shawn Pauc Chapman. Haven’t heard of her? That’s ok, now you have. Shawn is a prism of faith, one who has illuminated to me the facets of the St. John of the Cross and Carmelite spirituality. Shawn has been given some very heavy crosses to bear in life. She does it with such valiant faith, I would consider her a modern day Joan of Arc in way, not letting anything stop her from carrying out her mission. There is nothing that can shake this woman away from her deep rooted faith in Christ. In the past 25 years Shawn, a once seemingly agnostic punk hippie child, entered the Catholic Church, lost her first husband to a tragic car accident and her second husband to cancer. Through these sufferings, she still manages to walk through the valley with faith and hope.
But it’s not just through her suffering that her faith has shone to me, it’s her way of undeniably accepting all who enter her doors, sometimes for months at a time. I had the privilege of living with Shawn while I attended Texas A&M University. Her home and her heart were a refuge to me in a time when I needed it the most. Shawn is a constant to love and faith and if she isn’t a modern day saint, I don’t know who is.
3. Monica Ashour. Monica Ashour is a leading speaker and author on the Theology of the Body (TOB) and has lived out her faith in a persistent attitude, sharing her love of the church from campus ministry to teaching at a Catholic high school and now is executive director of a wonderful non-profit, TOBET, the Theology of the Body Evangelization Team, Inc. The thing I love about Monica is that she daily practices what she preaches. She speaks of keeping a daily prayer time and attending daily Mass as frequently as possible, and she does it, despite her very busy schedule. Her national organization devotes their time to sharing the TOB and as Monica does this through her words, she most certainly conquers it through her actions, taking time to speak with each person and really trying to connect with them on a personal level. Come to think of it, this was my experience with Christopher West too. Perhaps the study of the TOB brings living it out into fruition.
These are just a couple of modern day saints I can think of who have greatly influenced my life. I also want to give a shout out to Dorothy Polchinski, a hard core Catholic whose patience, charity and steadfast faith has been a light to me, the Carmelite sisters (everywhere, just every single Carmelite sister, ok?!) because their prayers have such a profound effect on the church and a little Irish priest I met once down in south Alabama who was filled with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They may not be Saints yet, but I know they are striving wholeheartedly to the throne of grace.
Each one of us is called to be a Saint. Proverbs 13 reminds us that we become like those whom we spend time with. Who are the modern day saints in your life? Who do you spend your time with? How can you become be a modern day saint?
He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 13:10
1 thought on “Modern Day Saints”
People who are still alive are iffy as saint figures. Fr. Corapi probably converted a lot of people. Fr. Enteneuer probably changed a lot of minds in pro life areas. Now both fell morally in a real sense and need our prayers. Mother Teresa was the only living person I thought of as a saint and I still at that time didn’t like her circumvention of Romans 13:4 on the death penalty but the last three Popes did the same as she did….Aquinas didn’t do that on that passage. But Mother Teresa was still a saint to me always.