Some months back a friend recommended that I read My Life With the Saints, by James Martin, SJ. At first I thought the book was about Drew Brees and the New Orleans football team, but then I realized that the guy who wrote this book was a priest who wore a collar and everything, and he was writing about how the saints had influenced his life and faith.
Okay, I can take the latter, too. It's a wonderful book and deftly written. And I certainly learned a great deal about the saints and how they have influenced my life, too!
Not being catholic, however, I don't see the saints in the same light as Fr. Martin does, but I truly appreciate the way he writes about their humanity. I felt like I actually wanted to know some of these people. They were not just stained glass. I had read the works of many of these modern saints like Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Mother Teresa . . . but some of the oldies surprised me. Too bad most of them died young or were burned at stakes. Ouch.
As for saints in my life, however, I'd have to go with the following as being the most influential to me:
Saint Bernard--patron saint of large dogs and pooper-scoopers
Saint Helen--patron saint of wives who have volcanic tempers
Saint Elsewhere--patron saint of really bad television dramas
Saint Martin--patron saint of beautiful Caribbean beaches
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