The Saints Who Walk Beside Us
There is something comforting about having a friend who knows the way. Someone who has walked a difficult road before us, understands our struggles, and reminds us that we do not have to make the journey alone. On this Solemnity of All Saints, we celebrate a great communion of friends: women and men whose lives have drawn them close to God and who continue to accompany us through their witness, their prayers, and their example.
In the first reading from Revelation, John sees “a great multitude” gathered before the throne of God, people from every nation, race, and language. Imagine that gathering! Among them are women whose names we know and countless others whose names have never been recorded. Some were mystics, teachers, and reformers. Others were mothers, sisters, daughters, caregivers, and women who spent their lives doing what needed to be done. They cooked meals, tended the sick, raised children, cared for aging parents, worked for their communities, and comforted those who were lonely. Their lives may never have attracted attention, but their ordinary acts of love became extraordinary expressions of faithfulness.
Perhaps this is one of the most beautiful truths about holiness: it often grows quietly in the middle of ordinary life. It is found in the patience required to begin again, the courage to speak a difficult truth, the generosity to put another person's needs before our own, and the willingness to keep loving when love is not easy. The saints remind us that holiness is not reserved for a select few. It is discovered in the choices we make, the relationships we nurture, and the love we offer each day.
St. Bernadette Soubirous is one of my favorite companions on this journey. She was a poor, young girl who never imagined that her name would be remembered around the world. At Lourdes, she experienced something extraordinary, but her own life remained remarkably simple. She endured misunderstanding, criticism, and physical suffering without seeking recognition or importance. Bernadette reminds us that we do not have to be powerful, accomplished, or admired to be close to God. We simply have to be willing to respond faithfully to the grace we are given. I find comfort in her humility and in the quiet strength with which she lived her vocation.
In today's Gospel, Jesus offers us the Beatitudes, a portrait of the people who are blessed in God's eyes. The women saints help us recognize these blessings in real life. St. Thérèse of Lisieux found holiness in small, hidden acts of love. St. Teresa of Calcutta recognized Christ in people who were poor, forgotten, and suffering. St. Catherine of Siena showed courage in speaking truth even when it was difficult. Their lives remind us that the Beatitudes are not simply beautiful words. They are invitations to live differently, to practice mercy, to make peace, to remain faithful through hardship, and to recognize God's presence in those the world overlooks.
On this feast, perhaps we might ask: Which woman saint feels like a friend to me? Whose story gives me courage when I am tired, uncertain, or discouraged? Who reminds me that the small, ordinary things I do each day can become holy?
Let us give thanks for the women saints who have gone before us, both those whose names we celebrate and those whose holiness was known only to God. May they walk beside us as friends and companions, helping us recognize that the path to holiness often begins right where we are. And may we remember that the world does not need us to become someone else to be holy. It needs us to bring God's love into the ordinary circumstances of our own lives, one faithful act at a time.
Susan Amann is a life-long Catholic, wife, and mother of 5 who has spent more than 30 years in volunteer parish ministry of all sorts and in professional ministry leading catechetical and spiritual growth ministries. Susan has a BS in Engineering and an MA is Justice Ministry, and she is a self-proclaimed "Nerd Theologian". She is especially interested in the intersection of Theology and Disability and is passionate about the justice issue of children with disabilities being formed in the faith community where their families live and worship. Susan loves to garden, paint with watercolors, crochet and read historical mystery novels.
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