After this, I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”

On November 1st, the Church celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints. Given this, the question often arises as to why we venerate the saints. Let us remember that venerating the saints has been a tradition of the Church since its beginnings. The first saints who were venerated were the disciples of Jesus and the martyrs (those who died for Christ). Later, confessors were also included (they are called that because with their lives, they “confessed” their faith), virgins, and other Christians who demonstrated love and fidelity to Christ and his Church and who lived with heroic virtue.

The saints are our older brothers and sisters who help us with their example and intercession until we meet them. Devotion to saints is an expression of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints, which teaches that death does not break the ties that unite Christians in Christ. The Council of Trent (1545-63) reaffirmed the Catholic doctrine that the saints intercede for us. By virtue of being in Christ and enjoying his spiritual goods, the saints can intercede for us. It is important to clarify that intercession never replaces the direct prayer we can all make to God. But God is pleased that his children help each other and thus participate in his love. God wanted to make us a great family, each member doing good unto his neighbor.

The saints are models. We must imitate the heroic virtue of the saints. They teach us to interpret the Gospel according to our time and culture. For example, by seeing how the saints love the Eucharist, the Virgin Mary, and the poor, we can understand how far love can go in a heart open to grace. By venerating the saints, we give glory to God from whom all graces come.

The Patron Saints
A patron saint is a saint or blessed who has been chosen as a special intercessor before God for a person, place, community, diocese, parish, or religious institution. The special mission of a patron saint is to obtain graces for those who turn to him.

As I said previously, the saints, in addition to interceding for us, serve as models to imitate in living the virtues. Having a patron saint is not superfluous, but it is not a substitute for God either. He or she helps us have a reference point. As a parish, we have Saint Louis, the King of France, as our patron saint, who intercedes and protects us in a special way. As patron saint of this parish, he intercedes and prays to God for the needs of all parishioners and vice versa. You, as parishioners, can join your prayers with his or ask for his intercession. In other words, as members of this parish, we invite San Luis Rey to join in the prayer of our parish with the purpose of finding God’s favor.

Religious art and sacred images are signs that we come across to show us the way. Just as the red, green, and yellow colors of a traffic light tell us when we should go, stop, or slow down, in the same way in our churches, chapels and homes, we have images that help us focus on our final goal: communion with God in Heaven.

When we see the image of the patron saint, we remember that, just as he or she was able to practice the Gospel and live a holy life, we can do so too. We know very well that images are not to be worshiped. As Catholic Christians, we worship only God. But the images of the Virgin Mary, and the saints, and for a parish, that of their patron saint especially remind us that these people already enjoy the presence of God and that, just as they could, we can too.

As you have already noticed, I have moved the image of our patron saint, San Luis, King of France, to the front of our parish church. So that, upon seeing it, instead if evoking negative judgments, it rather serves to open us to the beautiful Catholic doctrine of believing in the Communion of Saints and feel privileged to be under the protection of a patron saint. Seeing his image reminds us that this parish is not alone but has the protection of its patron saint and that we are invited to ask for his intercession; it reminds us that we, too, can be saints like he was. His image reminds us that in each Eucharist, he joins this parish family to praise, glorify, adore, and ask God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Fr. Lalo Jara, OFM Pastor, Mission San Luis Rey Parish

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