There are so many saints in the October calendar to get excited about because they are so well known both from their history and even from their own writings. St. Therese, St. Teresa of Avila, the North American Martyrs, St. Francis of Assisi, Pope St. John XXIII and Pope St. John Paul II are the ones I have in mind here. These last two are particularly well known to us, but all the others are beloved and familiar.
Funny, where else but in the Communion of Saints do we feel as if people who lived 500 to 800 years ago are contemporaries and even friends?
But I must admit that this feeling diminishes somewhat when the name on the calendar is someone who lived well over 1500 years ago and who did not leave us a body of writings. Today's saint, Pope Callistus, is one of these, but his story is well worth reading. The irony is that what we know of him was written by one of his worst enemies, who is also today known as a saint!
This article at Catholic online helps us read that account with a discerning eye. There's a video above which is okay, but the article is more thorough.
Funny, where else but in the Communion of Saints do we feel as if people who lived 500 to 800 years ago are contemporaries and even friends?
But I must admit that this feeling diminishes somewhat when the name on the calendar is someone who lived well over 1500 years ago and who did not leave us a body of writings. Today's saint, Pope Callistus, is one of these, but his story is well worth reading. The irony is that what we know of him was written by one of his worst enemies, who is also today known as a saint!
This article at Catholic online helps us read that account with a discerning eye. There's a video above which is okay, but the article is more thorough.
