Should We Read Lives Of The Catholic Saints?

We explore why the lives of the saints still matter, moving from raw witness and practical prayer to Eucharistic and Marian devotion, with concrete ways to begin. Their hard-won wisdom becomes a roadmap for modern struggles and a call to act with courage and love.

• why reading saints’ lives is transformative, not passive
• flawed people becoming models of heroic virtue
• connecting Augustine, Thérèse, and Kolbe to modern challenges
• learning perseverance amid suffering and dryness
• deepening Eucharistic devotion through concrete practices
• simple, repeatable prayer habits for daily life
• Marian devotion as a path to Christ
• the communion of saints as an active family of intercessors
• how to engage with Journeys of Faith resources

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Open by Steve Bailey

Chapters

• 0:22 Welcome & Purpose Of The Series
• 0:37 Why Read Lives Of The Saints
• 1:23 Saints As Roadmaps For Today
• 2:49 Role Models Of Heroic Virtue
• 4:35 About Journeys Of Faith Ministry
• 5:29 How To Engage: Books, Pilgrimages, Media
• 6:06 Saints As Beacons Amid Modern Skepticism
• 7:55 Bridging Saints With Modern Challenges
• 11:03 Learning Perseverance Through Suffering
• 13:23 Deepening Eucharistic Devotion
• 15:29 Prayer And Daily Spiritual Practices
• 18:25 Growing In Marian Devotion
• 20:47 The Communion Of Saints As Family
• 23:24 Closing Invitation And Next Steps

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:11

Hello family, welcome to Journeys of Faith Super Saints Podcast at Brother Joseph Fryaldenhoven here at your service. Be sure to look at the description for special information of interest to you. And also, there's more to this article. Why read Lives of the Catholic Saints? In a world that often feels fragmented and fleeting, where distractions pull us in a thousand directions, there's a quiet, timeless refuge waiting for us in the stories of those who've walked the path of faith before us. The lives of the saints aren't just dusty relics of a bygone era, they're vibrant, hard-hitting narratives of struggle, sacrifice, and ultimate triumph through God's grace at journeys of faith, we've made it our mission, our very heartbeat, to bring these stories to life to show how the saints, with all their human flaws and divine callings, can ignite a fire in our own spiritual journeys. Founded on the bedrock of Catholic teaching, inspired by the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano, and driven by the vision of Bob and Penny Lord, we've spent over four decades guiding souls through pilgrimages, both physical and virtual, to the sacred spaces where saints lived, loved, and laid down their lives for Christ. Reading the lives of the saints isn't a passive pastime, it's an active, transformative encounter. These aren't fairy tales, they're raw accounts of men and women who wrestled with doubt, faced persecution, and sometimes stumbled yet clung to faith with a ferocity that reshaped the world. Whether it's Saint Augustine's restless heart finding peace in God's truth or Saint Therese of Lysieux's little way of profound simplicity, their stories preserved and shared through our ministries, books, DVDs, and armchair pilgrimages offer not just inspiration but a roadmap. They teach us how to live with purpose, how to pray with depth, and how to love with the selflessness that mirrors Christ Himself. Under the banner of one heart, one mind, one spirit with one vision, we at Journeys of Faith invite you to dive into these sacred biographies not as mere history, but as a call to action, a nudge from heaven to become the saint God created you to be. Discovering role models of heroic virtue. When we crack open the pages of the lives of the saints, we're not just flipping through dusty old stories of people long gone. We're stepping into a masterclass of grit, sacrifice, and unshakable faith, real lives that read like epic quests. These aren't sanitized fairy tales, they're raw accounts of men and women who stared down temptation, persecution, and even death with a courage that feels almost otherworldly. Think of Saint Maximilian Colby, who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in Auschwitz or Saint Teresa of Avila, who battled illness and doubt to reform an entire religious order. Their stories aren't just inspiring, they're a gut punch. I mean, although a call under to examine our own lives and ask, what am I willing to stand for? Reading about the saints strips away the excuses we hide behind. They weren't born with halos, they were flawed, human, and often broken by the weight of their struggles. Yet through grace they became vessels of heroic virtue, models of charity, humility, and obedience to God's will. Their lives teach us that holiness isn't reserved for the perfect, it's forged in the mess of daily choices, in the quiet moments of prayer, and in the bold acts of love that defy a world obsessed with self. Diving into their journeys we find not just history, but a roadmap for our own spiritual battles, a reminder that we're all called to be saints in the making. Embark on a spiritual journey with journeys of faith. Hey there, fellow seekers of the divine, if the lives of the saints have ignited a spark in your soul, let's take that journey deeper together. At Journeys of Faith, we're not just about reading stories, we're about living them. Founded by uh Bob and Penny Lord, our ministry, rooted in the heart of Montefalco, Italy, has been guiding Catholics worldwide since 1980 with unwavering loyalty to church teaching. From our pioneering EWTN series to virtual armchair pilgrimages, we're here to enrich your faith through the lives of the saints, Eucharistic miracles, and Marian devotion. Ready to dive in? Here's how you can join us with one heart, one mind, one spirit, with one vision. Explore our resources, grab a copy of our iconic book, This Is My Body, This Is My Blood, Miracles of the Eucharist, or stream our inspiring content, join a virtual pilgrimage, experience sacred shrines from home with our innovative online journeys. Shop devotional items, visit our expansive religious gift shop for tools to deepen your prayer life. Connect with us, follow our podcasts and updates to stay inspired. Let's walk this path of faith together. Start your journey at Journeys of Faith Today, strengthening faith through real life witnesses. In a world often clouded by skepticism and fleeting trends, the lives of the saints stand as unyielding beacons of truth and grace. These aren't just dusty old stories tucked away in forgotten tomes. They're raw, real accounts of human struggle, divine encounter, and ultimate triumph. Think of Saint Augustine wrestling with his restless heart until he found rest in God or Saint Therese of Lysieux, who turned the mundane into a masterpiece of holiness through her little way. Their journeys aren't polished or sanitized, they're messy, relatable, and in and piercingly human. Reading about the saints isn't just a history lesson, it's a masterclass in faith. They show us how to navigate doubt, endure suffering, and cling to Christ even when the world seems to crumble. Saint Maximilian Colby, for instance, didn't just preach love. He lived it, stepping into the shadow of death in Auschwitz to save a stranger. These witnesses challenge us to ask, How am I living my faith? Am I willing to sacrifice, to stand firm, to trust God's plan even when it's incomprehensible? What's more, their stories aren't locked in the past. They're a live in dialogue with the present. The saints walk the same earth we do, face temptations we recognize, and yet found a path to sanctity through surrender to God's will. They remind us that holiness isn't reserved for the perfect, it's for the persistent, the broken, the seekers who keep turning back to the cross. Diving into their lives, we uncover a roadmap for our own spiritual battles, a reminder that God's grace is always enough, no matter how steep the climb. Connecting historical saints to modern challenges. Let's be real, the world today feels like a relentless grind. We're juggling endless notifications, political chaos, personal struggles, and a nagging sense of disconnection. It's easy to think the saints, those holy figures from centuries past, couldn't possibly relate to our twenty first century mess. But dig into their stories, and you'll find they face battles just as raw and real as ours. Their lives aren't just dusty relics, they're blueprints for navigating the chaos with faith as our anchor. Take Saint Augustine of Hippo, for instance. Before he was a theological heavyweight, he was a man drowning in worldly temptations, think late night regrets and a restless heart chasing empty pleasures. Sound familiar? In an era of instant gratification and social media facades, Augustine's brutal honesty about his struggles with sin and his eventual surrender to God's grace hits hard. He didn't just get holy overnight. He wrestled with his flaws, much like we do when we're stuck in cycles of bad habits or self-doubt. His story reminds us that transformation isn't a straight line, it's a messy, grace fueled journey. Then there's Saint Therese of Lisieux, the little flower who never left her cloistered convent yet became a spiritual giant. She dealt with mundane frustrations and hidden suffering, offering them up as quiet sacrifices in a culture obsessed with grand gestures and viral moments, Therese teaches us the power of small, faithful acts. That unnoticed kindness you showed, that prayer whispered in a moment of exhaustion, they matter. Her little way is a radical counterpoint to today's hustle. Showing us holiness isn't about being seen, it's about being steadfast. And consider Saint Maximilian Colby, who stared down the horrors of Auschwitz and chose to lay down his life for another in a world where division and self-interest often reign, Colby's radical love cuts through. He faced unimaginable darkness, yet his faith didn't waver, it burned brighter. When we're tempted to despair over global crises or personal betrayals, Colby's witness challenges us to ask, How can I love sacrificially even when it costs me everything? The lives of the saints aren't just feel good tales, they're battle-tested guides. They grappled with doubt, persecution, and inner turmoil, yet found strength in unwavering trust in God. Their stories bridge the gap between history and now, reminding us that the same divine power that sustained them is available to us in every struggle. Whether it's Augustine's redemption, Therese's simplicity, or Colby's courage, these saints speak directly to our modern challenges, urging us to lean into faith when the world feels like it's falling apart. Learning perseverance amid suffering. In the tapestry of the lives of the saints, there's a recurring thread that binds their stories together, the unyielding grit to endure suffering with a heart fixed on God. Take Saint Padre Pio, for instance, a man who bore the stigmata, the very wounds of Christ for decades. His body was a battlefield racked with pain that would have broken most of us on day one. Yet he didn't just endure, he transformed that suffering into a ministry, hearing confessions for hours on end, often until he could barely stand. His life wasn't a highlight reel of easy victories, it was a slow, grinding marathon of perseverance fueled by an unshakable trust in divine purpose. And then there's Saint Therese of Lisieux, the little flower, who faced a quieter but no less brutal struggle with tuberculosis at a young age. She didn't have dramatic visions or public miracles to buoy her spirits in those final months. Instead, she wrestled with spiritual dryness, feeling abandoned by the very God she loved, yet she clung to her little way, offering every small pain, every hidden tear as a sacrifice. Her story isn't just inspiration, it's a blueprint for those of us who feel like our suffering is meaningless. It's a reminder that even in the silence, even when the heavens seem shut, perseverance isn't about feeling God's presence. It's about choosing to act as if he's there. These saints didn't have cheat codes to bypass hardship. They faced the raw, unfiltered weight of human struggle, physical agony, doubt, rejection, and still chose to press forward. Their lives challenge us to stop seeing suffering as a dead end and start viewing it as a forge. It's not comfortable and it's not glamorous, but it's where faith is refined. When we read their stories, we're not just spectators, we're students, learning that perseverance isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about walking through it step by painful step with eyes fixed on eternity. Inspiration for deepening Eucharistic devotion. Let's pause for a moment and dive into one of the most profound wellsprings of faith that the lives of the saints offer. Their unshakable devotion to the Eucharist. Picture this. Centuries ago, men and women, often in the face of unimaginable hardship, found in the blessed sacrament a source of strength that could move mountains. Take Saint Claire of Assisi, for instance. When her convent was under siege, she didn't cower or flee. She held up the monstroance with the Eucharist, and legend tells us the enemy scattered. That's not just a story, it's a testament to a belief so fierce it could stare down an army. The saints didn't just revere the Eucharist, they lived it. Saint Anthony of Padua, known for his fiery preaching, once challenged a skeptic to a test of faith with a starving mule. The animal given the choice between hay and the Eucharist, bowed before the blessed sacrament. These accounts aren't mere folklore to dust off on feast days. They're raw, unfiltered reminders of a truth at the heart of our Catholic faith. Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, and the saints knew it in their bones. Their lives challenge us to ask, do we approach the altar with that same awe, that same hunger for the divine? Reading about these holy men and women isn't just a history lesson, it's a call to action. They show us that Eucharistic devotion isn't a passive ritual, but a transformative encounter. Saint Margaret Mary Alakuk, through her visions of the sacred heart, urged a deeper love for Christ in the Eucharist. Even when her contemporaries dismissed her, her perseverance paid off, igniting a devotion that still burns in hearts today. These stories push us to go beyond the surface, to let the Eucharist be the center of our spiritual lives, not just a Sunday obligation. They invite us to kneel a little longer, to pray a little deeper, and to let that sacred mystery reshape us from the inside out. Guidance on prayer and spiritual practices in the quiet corners of our busy lives where the noise of the world fades into a distant hum, the lives of the saints offer us a roadmap to deeper communion with God. Think of prayer not as a chore but as a conversation, one that's been refined through centuries by holy men and women who've walked this path before us. The saints like Saint Teresa of Avila with her intense interior life, or Saint Francis of Assisi with his raw, earthy devotion, didn't just pray, they live prayer. They show us that it's less about perfect words and more about persistent presence, showing up heart open, even when you feel like a mess, start small. If you're new to this or just rusty, take a cue from Saint Therese of Lisieux and her little way. She taught that even the smallest acts offering a fleeting thought of love to God while washing dishes can be a prayer. Set aside five minutes in the morning or before bed to simply sit with a saint's story, read a snippet from their life, maybe about Saint Ignatius of Loyola's relentless discipline in discernment, and let it sink in. Ask yourself how did they turn to God in their struggles? Then whisper a simple request for their intercession. It's not magic, it's relationship. For a structured approach, consider the rosary a weapon of peace that saints like Saint Dominic wielded against chaos. It's meditative, repetitive, a rhythm that calms the mind while drawing you into the mysteries of Christ's life. Or look to Saint Benedict's balance of aura et labora and pray and work. Pair a short prayer with a daily task, sanctifying the mundane. The saints weren't floating on clouds, they were knee deep in life's grit just like us, and their practices remind us that holiness isn't reserved for the cloister, it's forged in the everyday. Dive into their writings if you can. Saint Augustine's Confessions isn't just a memoir, it's a raw, unflinching guide to wrestling with God through doubt and sin. Let his words prompt your own examination of conscience. Journal a line or two after prayer. How did a saint's example challenge you today? This isn't about perfection, it's about progress, a slow burn toward transformation. The lives of the saints aren't museum pieces to admire from afar. They're living tools handed down through the church to shape our spiritual practices into something real, something that sticks. Fostering Marian devotion through Catholic saints' examples. Let's dive into the heart of why the lives of the saints are such a powerful gateway to deepening our love for Mary, the mother of God. Think of the saints as our spiritual guides, real people who walk the earth, wrestle with doubts, and yet clung to faith with a ferocity that transformed their lives. Their stories aren't just dusty relics of the past, they're raw human testimonies of how devotion to Mary can anchor us in the stormiest seas of life. Take Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, for instance, whose writings on Mary as our intercessor burn with a passion that feels almost tangible. He didn't just admire her from afar, he leaned on her as a lifeline, urging us to do the same with his famous plea in dangers, in doubts, in difficulties. Think of Mary, call upon Mary. Then there's Saint Louis de Montfort, whose unapologetic zeal for Mary and consecration reads like a battle cry for the soul. His life wasn't a quiet, cloistered existence, it was a mission to show how total surrender to Mary leads straight to Jesus. Reading his works like true devotion to Mary, you can't help but feel the urgency, the insistence that Mary isn't just a figure to venerate, but a mother to trust with everything. These saints didn't theorize from ivory towers. They lived their devotion often in the face of ridicule or hardship, proving that Mary's intercession isn't a pious add-on, but a cornerstone of Catholic life. When we immerse ourselves in these lives of the saints, we're not just learning history. We're being invited into a relationship. Their examples challenge us to ask, how often do I turn to Mary and my struggles? Do I trust her as they did? Their stories are a mirror reflecting both our shortcomings and the boundless grace waiting if we just reach out through their unwavering loyalty to church teaching and their personal encounters with Mary's love, the saints teach us that Mary and devotion isn't a one-way street, it's a dialogue, a lifeline, a path to Christ that's been walked by countless holy men and women before us. The communion of saints, our heavenly family. When we dive into the lives of the saints, we're not just flipping through dusty old pages of history or marveling at impossible feats. We're connecting with a living, breathing family, a network of souls that have walked the same broken roads we tread, who've wrestled with doubt, sin, and suffering, and who now stand before the throne of God cheering us on. The communion of saints isn't some abstract theological concept. It's a lifeline, a reminder that we're never alone in this spiritual grind. Think of the saints as our older siblings in faith. And they've been through the fire, whether it's Saint Teresa of Avila navigating the dark night of the soul, or Saint Maximilian Colby offering his life in a Nazi death camp. Their stories aren't just inspirational, they're instructional. They show us how to lean into prayer when the world feels like it's collapsing, how to cling to Christ's cross when hope seems out of reach, reading about their lives isn't a passive entertainment. It's a call to action, a nudge to examine our own hearts and ask, how am I running this race? And here's the kicker. The saints aren't distant celebrities in some heavenly VIP lounge. They're intercessors actively praying for us, bridging the gap between earth and eternity. When we read their stories, we're not just learning about them, we're forging a bond, inviting their friendship into our daily struggles. Saint Therese of Lysieux, with her little way of small loving acts, becomes a companion for the mundane moments. Saint Augustine, with his uh with his raw confessions of a wayward life redeemed, walks beside us in our own battles with temptation. This is the beauty of the communion of saints. Our heavenly family doesn't just inspire, they accompany. So when we crack open a book on the lives of the saints, we're not escaping into a fantasy. We're stepping into a reality far bigger than ourselves, a reality where every tear, every prayer, every step toward holiness echoes in the halls of heaven. Their victories are ours to claim, their wisdom ours to borrow. It's a sacred exchange, one that roots us deeper in the faith and reminds us that holiness isn't a solo quest, it's a family affair, a call to journey deeper with the saints. As we've explored the profound impact of reading the lives of the saints, it's clear that these stories are more than historical accounts. They're a living blueprint for our own spiritual quests. At Journeys of Faith, we've dedicated decades to uncovering the transformative power of these holy lives inspired by the same Eucharistic devotion that ignited Bob and Penny Lord's mission in 1980. Their legacy, now carried forward by Luce Elena Sandoval Lord, invites you to dive deeper into faith through our books, streaming content, and virtual pilgrimages. The saints remind us that holiness isn't reserved for a distant few, it's a call for each of us, echoing our motto one heart, one mind, one spirit with one vision. Let their courage, sacrifice, and unwavering loyalty to uh Catholic teaching stir your soul. Whether you're joining us on an armchair pilgrimage or seeking inspiration from our vast resources, the lives of the saints are a guiding light. Take that first step. Explore their story with journeys of faith and let their example lead you closer to Christ. Your journey of spiritual enrichment awaits. Visit our website today and start your journey with journeys of faith. Thanks for listening to Super Saints Podcast. Be sure to click the link in the description for special news items.