"When the Saints Come Marching In" -- VID 14
All the earlier talk about selecting a family patron for your Heaven Window does not mean to shadow the fact that family members have their own personal patrons. Pulling the world together happens (and healing the home happens) when those who “made it,” lead us to eternal glory. Following how my patron lived for others, I experience how yet another disciple answered Jesus’ command, “Love one another as I loved you” — a real, living Communion of Saints.
Baptismal names reveal
the identity of our individual Patron Saints.
Most days of the Catholic calendar are set aside to commemorate Gospel personalities
or historic Saints. As a matter of fact,
the original Catholic “birthday” celebrates a Saint’s death, that is their
entry or “birth” into heaven. This,
earliest of all birthdays, marks their entry into the ageless eternity day of
heaven. In the not so distant past,
people were named after the Saint, whose feast day fell on or closest to their
actual birthday. More over, for decades,
godparents have been entrusted with the responsibility of providing their
godchild with an image of their patron.
At Confirmation, we ourselves
chose a sainted name establishing a life-long relationship with them and their
mission. Our relationship with our personal patron is an intimate way to draw
strength, protection, and inspiration.
Nurturing this bond means we need to know the Saint’s bio — the unique
way they followed Jesus’ commands. After
researching their legacy, each person needs to procure and honor a favorite
image of their personal patron in their room.
Honoring your patron’s
image means its presence reminds you to converse with them and to tell them
your cares, hopes, and worries. The Patron
Saint wants to hear from you during good times and challenging moments. You’ll find solace in them by asking for protection
from harm, inspiration in decision making, discernment in difficult choices, assistance
when weary, and just by knowing they accompany you everywhere. The personal image of a patron reminds us of
their constant presence and mutual friendship.
Get to know them well now; you’ll be eating at God’s Table in the
Kingdom with them forever.
Families benefit from
celebrating the feast days of each of their member’s patrons. On that feast day place the person’s favorite
image in an honored place, near the Heaven Door or on the dinner table for the
entire day (see prayer card clips below). The commemoration may also include lighting a
praying candle or placing flowers near the image. The evening meal may include reading a
selection of their life’s story and/or praying a prayer rom the Mass of their
day (opening prayer/collect).
A great way to discover
what Catholics believe about Saints is to check online “Lectionary for
Mass.” It contains Bible readings and
Gospel selections assigned to each day of the year: Sundays, Holydays, seasons
(Advent and Lent), and the feast days of most Saints.
There is a separate
section of readings or “Common of Saints,” starting with Mary, the Apostles and
Martyrs, all the possible types of Saints, featuring Sacred Scripture passages
which inspired them. Saints are rembered
under the categories of Pastors, Missionaries, Teachers (Doctors), Religious
Women (Virgins), Holy Men and Women, those who work for the Underprivileged,
Widows, etc. Do not neglect looking up
your own patron’s feast day and reflect on the assigned readings.
A personal hand missal contains
many of these options. Also check http://www.usccb.org/bible/liturgy/index.cfm
for more background and biblical texts for the current of day of the year of
the Church’s liturgical calendar. Or
surf your patron’s name, their current feast day, Mass readings and prayers.
Restoring a living
experience of the holy Communion of Saints in the family means each
believer activates an authentic, personal interaction with the one whose names
they carry. In traditional cultures patrons
are called “spirit guides.” Living
without them could be tragic. While the
entire family daily honors the home patron, they also support one another by
means of an annual celebration of each member’s personal Patron Saint by recalling
their unique Gospel mission. These are
concrete ways to live in the Communion of the Saints.
Announcing a family
member’s Saint’s day, households could sing, “When the Saints come marching
in,” as they prepare their “prayer card clip,” gather for supper, or
place a devotional lite/flower. On All
Saints’ Day (Nov 1) consider chanting the Litany of the Saints by singing out
the name of each family member’s Patron Saint, responding to each name with “pray
for us.”
Families may prepare a
prayer card clip. Hang a paper clip from
a string over the main table from the ceiling or light. Insert a holy card with the patron of the day
into the clip. A prayer card image may also be placed in a holder or reusable. In more festive commemorations, the image of the
patron could remain on display for an entire week. Images, cut out from seasonal greeting cards,
or past religious calendars and hung in a similar fashion remind the household
of the variety of faith seasons: Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter, May/October,
etc.
Concrete and happy
reminders are needed for relationships to stay alive and dynamic. This resource calls them action prayers,
enlivening meaning-filled interaction of individuals in the household with
heaven.
Next Week: Heaven Door Outreach: An
extra place setting and a broken cup
All video and textual content of St
Casimir’s Series on the Domestic Church and Tandem Blog Articles © CzMKrysa,
Buffalo, NY April-August 2020.
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