October 27, 2010

Saints: Heroes worth emulating

All Saints’ Day is Nov. 1. The feast commemorates all those in heaven.

By Julie Filby

As children shape their behavior and values, they look to role models for guidance. However, many of the role models that culture shines a spotlight on today are far from heroic such as “…athletes who are entitled and irresponsible and entertainers who are spoiled and aloof.”

So notes a July 8 story in Psychology Today (“Where Have All Our Heroes Gone?”).

When seeking good role models for children parents can turn to the saints.

“Parents can make children aware of people deserving of their respect by bringing good role models into their lives,” said Amy Welborn, author of 17 books including the Loyola Kids “Book of Saints.”

“For Catholic families,” she noted, “primary role models should be Mary and the saints.”

According to Welborn saints serve as role models in three ways: (1) by modeling the love of Christ in their actions, service, teaching, healing and suffering; (2) showing children it is possible to live as Jesus did; and (3) demonstrating that listening to Christ brings joy and peace.

Modeling love
Saints are ordinary people who become extraordinary examples of holiness through prayer and devotion. Their stories of conversion, friendship, bravery and allegiance capture children’s attention.

“Children love stories. We all do,” Welborn said. “So bringing saints into the lives of children is easy because they have great, exciting stories.”

Examples include the courageous adventures of St. Frances Cabrini who traveled from Italy to the United States to serve immigrants, including those settling in Denver; stories of imagination and drama such as Blessed Miguel Pro who escaped detection while serving the faithful during a time of rampant anti-Catholicism in Mexico; and the sacrificial bravery of St. Maximilian Kolbe who gave his life at Auschwitz so a father could be reunited with his family.

“Children are all different. They come from different places, they have different personality types and have different interests,” Welborn said. “There’s a saint—many in fact—for each child, whether he or she is intellectually inclined like St. Edith Stein, creatively inclined like Blessed Fra Angelico, or a strong leader like St. Theresa of Avila.

“Each child is called to be whoever he or she is, growing in holiness in a particular way.”

Living as Jesus did
Jesus lived a radically different lifestyle and saints emulate that example.

“Our fundamental purpose on earth is not to succeed, or even to find self-fulfillment, or to be ‘happy,’” said Welborn. “Hard to believe, but true. The purpose of human life is to love and serve God, and let him live and love through us.”

This countercultural way of thinking presents a much different message than children encounter in the world.

“With saints as role models, children will see that listening to Christ and following him will probably bring them ridicule and misunderstanding,” Welborn said. “But they will also see that this is OK, more than OK—it is something they should expect and welcome because if they want to be like Christ, they must accept suffering.”

St. Catherine of Siena was misunderstood in medieval Italy when she followed an unprecedented path that was neither marriage nor religious life; and St. John Bosco was ridiculed as he developed educational methods that were radically different from any in his day.

Bringing joy
The examples of the saints demonstrate that a life of discipleship brings joy.

“In the end, children will see that the most important aspect of all—that a life as a friend of Jesus—brings joy,” she said. “Because that is what we were made for, after all.”

Saintly examples include the recently beatified teen Blessed Chiara Badano, who was known for her redemptive suffering, once saying, “I suffered a lot, but my soul was singing;” and the Blessed Mother herself was only a teenager when she said ‘yes’ to becoming the Mother of God.

“The power of presenting saints as role models to children doesn’t always lie in what a particular saint did, but in their fundamental stance to listen to God first and foremost,” said Welborn.

Saints at home
There are many ways parents can incorporate devotion to the saints in their family life.

Prayer: All saints’ lives begin with prayer. Families can observe saint feast days as noted on a liturgical calendar and pray for their intercession.

Read: There are many books on the lives of saints including Welborn’s. (See the accompanying box for suggested reading and websites.)

Activities: Devotional books and websites give information on saints and age-appropriate activities such as coloring pages for younger children, cooking projects and crafts.

“When children are surrounded with the communion of saints, they will see consistently that they’re called to listen to Christ, to follow him, and go wherever he leads,” Welborn said. “We’re not just giving them good lessons, we’re introducing them to friends for life here on earth and for eternity.”