“… Now you shall consider My love in the Blessed Sacrament. Here, I am entirely yours, soul, body and divinity, as your Bridegroom. You know what love demands: one thing only, reciprocity.” Jesus to St. Faustina
“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.” – St. Maximillian Kolbe
“When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now.” – Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
In honor of All Saints Day, we wanted to feature some of the great content and resources about the saints that we’ve written about on LifeTeen.com. Share this with your friends and celebrate the lives of the saints!
“Do not, therefore, regard the bread and wine as simply that, for they are, according to the Master’s declaration, the Body and Blood of Christ. Even though the senses suggest to you the other, let faith make you firm.”
- St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Sometimes I find myself itching for a good miracle story. And I know I can just open the Bible for one but sometimes I find myself asking, “Lord, how about a good modern day miracle story on the news tonight?” It’s kind of a bad attitude to have because after all, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” (John 20:29)
When I heard this miracle story it blew my mind! It’s about Pope Benedict’s role in the rescue of the Chilean miners, whose one-year anniversary we observed last Thursday. Check it out …
“Everyday, Jesus humbles Himself just as He did when He came from His heavenly throne into the Virgin’s womb; everyday He comes to us and lets us see Him in abjection, when He descends from the bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the altar.” – St. Francis of Assisi
“Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you – for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart … don’t listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love …
Receive Communion often, very often … there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing …”
- St. Therese of Lisieux
Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the most well known and beloved Catholic saints. His life of poverty and humility has captivated millions of people throughout the centuries and led to establishing an order devoted to a life of poverty for the love of God. He also well known for his love of nature and for creating the Nativity Creche seen at Christmas. His feast day is October 4.
When I was ten years old, I asked Saint Therese for a kitten.
It makes me laugh now, but back then I desperately wanted one. My aunt, who knew more about Saint Therese than I did, had told me that she promised a shower of roses to whoever invoked her aid.
So I begged for that kitten. After all, it had to be easier than sending a torrential downpour of roses.
Years later, my youth minister gave me a book about her spirituality called “I Believe in Love.” I started reading it – no, I raced through it. I could relate to her so much more than any other saint I’d yet encountered.
She fell asleep while praying, messed up her daily chores …
The cheers exploded! There was singing and dancing. The outdoor arena was packed with 50,000 teens and the energy was tangible in the air because of their excitement. No, we weren’t at a Lady Gaga concert. We came for the greatest “Lady”—Our Lady, the Blessed Mother. It was the 22nd annual Medjugorje Youth Festival, and I was there to experience the pilgrimage of a lifetime!
When I ask you, “How many friends do you have?” what pops into your mind? Is it …
How many “true” friends?
How many Facebook friends?
How many friends in my whole lifetime? Actually, it’s far more than any of those numbers. In truth you have more friends than you can count. The saints in heaven are the best friends you could ask for – and they’re pulling for you.
About twelve years ago a teen named Billy asked me this question, “Why do you Catholics believe that Mary ascended into heaven, when it’s not even in the Bible?” “Well, first…” I replied, “Mary did not ascend into heaven; the Blessed Virgin Mary was assumed into heaven. Jesus ascended by His own power. Mary was taken up into heaven by God.” That little difference is a big difference, so I wanted to be sure he understood it.
Billy then replied, “Okay, fine…but it’s still not in the Bible. The Church made it up.”
This is where the conversation got really interesting.
I knew as soon as this Beatification was announced I couldn’t miss it. The opportunity to witness one of the great Saints of our time become blessed was something of a lifetime achievement.
Jesus wanted to show us that His heart is constantly, forever, always, eternally loving and forgiving us. He loves you. He loves me. He loves every person so intensely that His heart burns with that love. Look into His eyes and you can’t see anything else.
Drag and Gary are back, and for All Saints’ Day they’re answering emails and talking about their favorite saints!
A favorite saint among theologians, St. Thomas Aquinas was one of the greatest minds in Church history. Here is our short video on the priest known as ‘The Angelic Doctor.’
When I was a teen picking out my Confirmation saint, I searched long and hard for someone who was least likely to change my image… meaning someone like me!
But while I was drowning myself Googling saints, I stumbled across a loud-mouthed girl around my age who converted almost every pagan she encountered. Although I hadn’t converted anyone from my knowledge, I knew that I loved reasoning with people and speaking openly about my faith; I knew I wanted to be more like her.
St. Athanasius is my absolute favorite saint. He is awesome, he is unique – he’s pretty much my BSF (Best Saint Forever).
You may be asking yourself: “Self, what is so cool about St. Athanasius?” I’m glad you asked. Here are the top three reasons.
Writing a resume can be a painful experience, especially for a Christian. Christians aren’t supposed to lie. Christians are supposed to be humble. Yet there you are, having to cram your personality and life’s accomplishments onto a page – to be judged often times by very worldly eyes, who might value what you do more than who you are.
Titles matter to employers but not to God. In fact, the only “title” God cares about for us is that we are His son or daughter. Beyond that, the only earthly “title” that would leave Heaven applauding would be that of a “saint.”
