Chiara Badano – nunspeak

What a vision to behold…to imagine…the Saints, the holy ones of heaven! And today, that is exactly what the liturgy concentrates on; To recall the great gift we have in the many luminous examples of the Christian Life that have gone before us to share in the heavenly reward with Christ. It is often argued, no one knows for sure who is in heaven and who is not. In her wisdom, the Church has put forth good examples from every walk of life of holy men and women, so to inspire the faithful towards holiness.

I mention only a few who have been beacons of light in my life.

Blessed Chiara ‘Luce’ Badano, pray for us

Deep union with the Lord in her suffering.

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Blessed Margaret of Castello, pray for us

Loving her parents who didn’t want her.

I propose her to be patroness of the unborn.

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St Gianna Beretta Molla, pray for us

Gave her life for the birth of her child. I propose her to be patroness of expectant mothers.

St Josephine Bakhita, pray for us

Canossian Daughter of Charity known for forgiveness.

When we are persecuted, let us learn forgiveness.

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St Magdalene of Canossa, pray for us

Foundress of the Canossian Daughters of Charity, Servant of the Poor

Let us learn from her zeal for our Lord in His passion.

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St Augustine of Hippo

Patron of those struggling with vices.

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The list could go on forever…St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross, St Paul of the Cross, St Francis Xavier, St Dominic, St Catherine, St Francis, St Clare, …

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, today we rejoice in the holy men and women of every time and place. May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

May all the Saints of heaven, pray for us. Omnium Sanctorum, Orate pro nobis.

If you have a favorite saint, why not add it in the comments. Let us honor them today. Here are some suggestions from the comments:

Assorted Joys added:

St Maximilian Kolbe, Pray for Us!
St Anthony of Padua, Pray for Us!
St Jude, Pray for Us!

Greg added:

St Pio of Petricina, Pray for Us!
St Therese of the Child Jesus, Pray for Us!
Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati, Pray for Us!

Ellen added:

St Thomas More, Pray for Us!
St Philip Howard, Pray for Us!
St Edmund Campion, Pray for Us!
Ven Elizabeth Lesseur, Pray for Us!
Ven Pierre Toussaint, Pray for Us!

EricaTwitts added:

St Bernadette Soubirous, Pray for Us!

Sylvie adds:

St Brother André, Pray for Us!

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More ways of honoring the Saints:

Gardenia shares a way of honoring the Saints, making stained glass candles at My Little Flower.

Charlotte made a St Bakhita costume for her daughter at Waltzing Matilda.

The Anchoress shares some beautiful pictures of Saint statues from St Peter’s Basilica – Rome, and the difficult reality of the Christian Life – Syrian Catholics killed yesterday in Baghdad during Mass.

Colleen Hammond reminds us of how our prayers during the month of November can obtain indulgences for the faithful departed souls (November 2nd is the Feast of All Souls).

If you’re interested in knowing where to add your favorite Saint in the Litany of Saints, Adoremus has a post on that.

What does one say to a couple who has just heard that their seventeen year old daughter had a rare and painful form of bone cancer? Test after test, they tried to find a way to beat it, and their hearts sank more with the results of each treatment. I have dear friends who have lost their children to disease, and even after many years the pain is just as raw. A father told me once, conveying the loss of his son, “I don’t know how non-believers live through it. The only thing that makes me get up in the morning and go on is knowing I will see my son again.” There is the sorrow of journeying with a loved one who is suffering. And oh, how very much we need examples in our society to remind us that our suffering is not in vain.

One such light is becoming well known – Chiara ‘Luce’ Badano, the seventeen year old Italian was diagnosed with a painful form of bone cancer. When she was told the news, she didn’t cry, but instead within that half hour she decided, “Se lo vuoi Tu, Gesù, lo voglio anch’io” – If you want it, Jesus, so do I! This became her motto for living each day with the growing pain, and the weakening of her body. It is said that when her hair fell out due to the chemotherapy, she held up the strands in her hands and said, “For you, Jesus.”

What was it like for her parents? Her father, Ruggero describes their experience during the beatification:

“We lived exceptional moments being with Chiara. We lived in an atmosphere that you cannot explain. These two years (of Chiara’s suffering) have been the most beautiful of our lives, the most blessed by God, because Jesus made us live in a supernatural dimension that raised us from the ground. Like when you are on a plane, and from the window you see the earth, the clouds far below you. All of our pain and those of Chiara that were even greater, we saw them there, below us, not touching us. This was the fruit of the love of many people who prayed and supported us.”

Let us pray remember to pray for those who are suffering from illness, and also to pray for their loved ones, that they may be sustained in their sorrow by our prayers. And, if the moment comes when God calls a loved one home, may the family have the strength to issue the words of Chiara, “For you, Jesus.”

Prayer

Oh Father, source of all good,
We give you thanks for the admirable
testimony of Blessed Chiara Badano.
Moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit
and guided by Jesus’ luminous example,
she firmly believed in your great love,
determined to respond to it with all her strength,
faithfully abandoning herself
to your paternal will.
We humbly pray: grant us too
the gift of living with you and for you,
As we dare to ask you, if it is your will,
The grace of…
for the merit of Christ,
our Lord. Amen.

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To know more about this beautiful soul of Chiara ‘ Luce’ Badano, here’s the website.