What are saints and why pray to saints?
Saints are persons who have died and have gone to heaven. They lived a life of heroic virtue because of their love for Jesus Christ. The saints are the good and faithful servants of the Lord (cf. Matthew 25:21), they are the blessed ones who have inherited the kingdom (cf. Matthew 25:34).
Christians need to be reminded of the saints because although saints are human persons like us, they inspire us to live a life of heroic virtue out of love for Jesus Christ. We ask the saints to pray for us so that we too can live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. We can always pray directly to God, but God has given us the saints to be our helpers. In this life, God always sends people to help us. In the same way, God also sends angels and saints to help us, even if we don’t see them with our eyes.
Saint Mark (martyred 68 AD) Feast Day: April 25 In 41 AD, Herod Agrippa I, king of Judea had James, the son of Zebedee, killed. He also had Peter arrested, but Peter was miraculously saved by angels and escaped (Acts 12:1–19). Peter then went to Antioch, then through Asia Minor ...
Saint Melito of Sardis (d. 180 AD) Feast Day: April 1 The lamb that was slain has delivered us from death and given us life There was much proclaimed by the prophets about the mystery of the Passover: that mystery is Christ, and to him be glory for ever and ...
Saint Zeno of Verona (300-371 AD) Feast Day: April 12 Job was a type of Christ Is Job a type of Christ? If I am right, he is, and the comparison will reveal the truth of my claim. But while Job was called a just man by God, God himself ...
Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109 AD) Feast Day: April 21 Desire for the vision of God (From the Proslogion by Saint Anselm, bishop) Insignificant man, escape from your everyday business for a short while, hide for a moment from your restless thoughts. Break off from your cares and troubles and ...
Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380 AD) Feast Day: April 29 From the dialogue On Divine Providence by Saint Catherine of Siena (Cap 167) I tasted and I saw Eternal God, eternal Trinity, you have made the blood of Christ so precious through his sharing in your divine nature. You are ...
Saint Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879 AD) Feast Day: April 16 Bernadette was born on January 7, 1844 in Lourdes, France. She died on April 16, 1879. She was canonized a saint by Pope Pius XI on December 8, 1933. A letter from Bernadette Soubirous: I had gone down one day with ...
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