Do you have saints that you consider to be your friends? In reading the new book from Teresa Tomeo, “Girlfriends and Other Saints: Companions on my Journey of Faith,” where she shares her experiences of how the communion of saints is really communion of our friends, it got me thinking about which saints I consider to be friends.

St. Therese

Tops on my list is St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower. She is my confirmation saint and just as Teresa Tomeo shares amazing experiences she’s had with saints like St. Teresa of Avila and St. Catherine of Siena, St. Therese has made herself present to me in many ways. She has sent me “roses,” answered my most pressing novena prayers and just seems to pop up in the most surprising places.

When I stand at mass, I like to imagine St. Therese standing behind my right shoulder and my Guardian Angel standing behind my left with Mary behind and in between them both with loving arms outstretched guiding my way. I recently read a fascinating book by Father Michael Gaitley called “The Second Greatest Story Ever Told,” which discusses the role of Divine Mercy in our generation and how it has been revealed through a number of saints, including St. Therese, St. Faustina and St. John Paul II. I recommend this as a MUST READ, as it really helps tie the message of Divine Mercy all together.

I truly feel like St. Therese and I are friends, as she has seen me through my conversion to Catholicism and I call on her in many situations. I just feel her calming, sweet presence and turn to her so often.

St. Faustina

In the last year or so, I’ve felt a call toward St. Faustina and her message. I don’t quite feel like we are “friends” yet, but we are getting to know each other :). I have not read her Diary in full, though have read through many Divine Mercy Daily emails, which cover portions of her diary. I have read about her and I want to learn more about this humble Polish nun and the incredible messages she received from Jesus and Mary.

St. Benedict

Early on in my conversion, before actually joining the Church, I felt drawn to St. Benedict and his Rule for monks. While his rule of living was meant for the monastery, it really can be lived in our secular world, as well. I love his call to daily conversion — we must keep turning to God every single day — and how he places holiness on the most ordinary of things and activities from cooking utensils to manual labor. They are all gifts from God and we must treat them as such. I have a statue of him on my desk to remind me of the holiness of my day-to-day activities.

St. John Paul II

This year, I’ve felt a call to St. John Paul II. I realized I had a connection to him after a visit to a church on Gozo in Malta that he had visited years before. I feel like it may have played a role in my conversion. I was also drawn to read the new book “City of Saints: A Pilgrimage to John Paul II’s Krakow” by George Weigel about the many places he lived. It’s a wonderfully written read that combines travel, history, religion and biography. Poland is definitely on my list of places to visit!

Which saints do you consider to be friends? Please post in the comments below!

Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, 1934

Have someone in your life who causes you to suffer that you feel no love for, yet you help them anyway? This wonderful passage from the Diary of St. Faustina is for you. Thanks to FlockNote’s free Divine Mercy Daily for sharing this morning:

During Holy Mass, I saw Jesus stretched out on the Cross, and He said to me, *My pupil, have great love for those who cause you suffering. Do good to those who hate you. I answered, “O my Master, You see very well that I feel no love for them, and that troubles me.” Jesus answered, It is not always within your power to control your feelings. You will recognize that you have love if, after having experienced annoyance and contradiction, you do not lose your peace, but pray for those who have made you suffer and wish them well (Diary, 1628).

*Note: The bolded portions are Jesus speaking.

A wonderful meditation for today from the Diary of St. Faustina. This is Jesus speaking to the saint:

“Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm (Diary, 1685) .”

This is from a daily Divine Mercy email that is sent to me daily for free courtesy of Flock Note. They also have daily emails to read the Catechism in a year and the Gospels in a Year. It’s a great service I highly recommend! Read while waiting in line, for your child’s game to start, etc and get a small dose of Holiness ;-).

I’ve been enjoying the daily email readings from the Diary of St. Faustina for Lent from the great folks at Flocknote (read the full reflection) and I particularly loved this excerpt from March 20:

“The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.” (Diary – 1397)

I was so happy to hear that the prayer most pleasing to Jesus is the conversion of sinners, because I pray that one a lot. And I know I’ve been told to be persistent in prayer and there are plenty of saint examples and even words from Jesus that support this, but sometimes I thinking I’m bugging God, you know? I think clearly he’s not ready to convert this particular sinner, so perhaps I should be quiet and know that God’s will shall be done in His time.

But after reading this, it made me feel good about continuing this prayer. We want to console Jesus and make Him happy. And he told me it WILL be answered in His time. I’ll keep on praying…