THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

Welcome back, my fellow pilgrims. We finish up our pilgrimage to Italy today with stops in Assisi, LaVerna, and San Giovanni Rotundo.

First though I have a question for you. Do you consider yourself a saint?

I’m also curious—was your first thought, “No way, I’m not even close to being a saint?” I wonder if you will have to reconsider…

After doing some research, I learned that the word ‘saint’ derives from the Latin word ‘sanctus’ which means “holy” or “consecrated.”  If you are a Christian, wouldn’t you agree that we are called to live holy lives? Doesn’t a holy life mean one filled with prayer, a relationship with the Spirit, loving and serving God and others?

 

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  –1 Corinthians 1:2-3  (ESV)

Paul tells the Corinthians and us that indeed we are all called to be saints, knowing that Jesus is always with us as we maintain a daily relationship with Him, and sharing our ups and downs. How beautiful it is to live as a saint in fellowship with the Spirit.

 

For through him [Jesus] we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  –Ephesians 2:18-31  (ESV)

Paul shares with the people in Ephesus and us that even while we are on this earth we are part of the family of saints—part of God’s family that started with the earliest apostles and prophets. Jesus is the cornerstone of this beautiful family that is joined as one and pleasing to God.

 

Think about the saints that you are privileged to journey in faith with daily. Aren’t there things that inspire your faith by the way they live? We can learn from each other and be challenged to live more holy, saintly lives as we journey together.  God has given us all different gifts and talents to use for His glory in our unique way. At the end I will share about an inspiring ‘saint’ in my life thanks to this writing ministry.

 

There are some saints that are more famous that we hear of. One is St. Francis of Assisi who is a man who had a great love for animals. Let’s pilgrimage to Assisi which is about two and half hours northeast of Rome.

 

 

Even though pictures don’t quite do the area justice, hopefully you will be in awe of God’s masterpiece of creation. Assisi is lined with the buildings, walkways, green fields, rolling hills, and areas of flat land with rows of grape and olive trees.

 

 

St. Francis is the patron saint of Italy but not of animals like you might think. In fact, Italy does not celebrate the blessing of animals like some in America do. This is because he found beauty in all of God’s creations—from the sun, to the wind, to the water, to people, and even to bodily death. He penned the Canticle of the Creations that you can read by clicking here which urges us to keep our focus on the greatness of the CREATOR [God] most of all. More amazing is that he wrote this during a time when he was going blind and suffering greatly. What great inspiration for us—to keep praising the Lord even in the direst of situations.

 

 

St Francis was born into a rich family but he rejected their riches when he turned his life over to the Lord. He took a vow of chastity, poverty, and obedience which he lived out faithfully. On 9/17/1224, two years before he died at the age 45 years old, he received five stigmata, which are the spontaneous appearance of wounds, scars, or pain on a person’s body, mirroring the wounds of Jesus’ crucifixion on His hands, feet, side, head, back. He suffered greatly with these. This occurred on a mountain called LaVerna, in Tuscany; the place I found the most beautiful and peaceful in Italy.

 

 

 

Stone bed that St. Francis slept on

 

It was a special encounter to visit one of the newest recognized Saints, St. Carlos Acutis here in Assisi, who was canonized on 9/7/25—just fifteen days earlier. He is a modern day saint who lived from 1991-2006, and was born in London before his family moved to Milan, Italy shortly thereafter. He died twelve days after learning he had leukemia. In his young life, his babysitter influenced his spiritual life by praying with him and attending church. When he was seven years old he asked his mom to start taking him to church so he could ‘see’ Jesus. At a young age he created a website as a way to share the gospel message and the miracles he learned of. He also shared his time and clothing helping the least of people. What a wonderful way, even at a young age, to live a saintly life.

 

St. Carlos Acutis who died at age 15

 

St. Padre Pio, whose life spanned from 1887-1968, lived in San Giovanni Rotundo, Italy which is about five hours east of Rome. He had a deep devotion to God which began at the young age of five years old when he dedicated his life to Him. He was charitable and had a love for people, even those he did not know who sought his counsel and help. Intercessory prayer and miracles of healing were gifts of his along with establishing a major hospital, “House for the Alleviation of Suffering.” He, too, received the five stigmata of Christ on his body.

 

House for the Alleviation of Suffering founded by St. Padre Pio

 

 

 

St. Pio lived by these three nuggets of wisdom that are inspiration for us:

“Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”

“Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God’s heart.”

“My past, O Lord to Your mercy; my present, to Your love; my future, to Your Providence.”

 

The Adriatic Sea with Croatia in the background

 

Be encouraged this week to…

… reflect on ways you can grow in holiness to be more saintly.

… keep your focus on the greatness of God rather than His creation.

… see how you can spread the gospel message.

… be more deeply devoted to God.

 

I thank God for a beautiful ‘saint’ that is a part of my life because she bought my earliest books that are at a retreat center. The center let me know of her and we started conversing on the telephone as she does not have a computer. She shared how my books bring her peace and comfort while she gets treatments at the hospital. Her upbeat and positive attitude despite the health issues she has battled for almost 20 years inspires my faith. We met in person for the first time a few months ago when I surprised her by attending the closing celebration for a retreat she was on. It was wonderful to be able to hug her in person. Click here to be inspired by reading some of her story or watching the short video clip.

 

REFLECTION:

How can you better reflect being a saint growing in holiness?
Which of the three nuggets of wisdom from St. Pio do you need to work on most?

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  –Colossians 1:9-12  (ESV)