My Life with the Saints

Did you ever have a plastic statue of St. Jude in your sock drawer? Fr. James Martin did. When he was a teen, he was afraid his friends would see the statue if it were prominently displayed in his room so he relegated this "Saint of Impossible Causes" to the sock drawer where he couldn't cause any embarrassment. That is just one of the stories Fr. Martin shares in "My Life with the Saints," a spiritual memoir focusing on how he became introduced to various saints and the impact they have had on his life.

Fr. Martin provides a brief biographical sketch on each of these saints who have had such an influence on him. In the process, we too become introduced, or perhaps reintroduced to these models of holiness. We may also learn some lessons from these saints along the way, like the way Thomas Merton " gave up trying to run his life according to his own plan, preferring to let God do so, instead" or St. Ignatius of Loyola who encourages us "not to be so attached to anything or person or state of life that it prevents us from loving God." St. Bernadette Soubirous who saw the Virgin Mary at Lourdes is a "model of fidelity, and a witness to the importance of trusting one's experience, no matter what the consequences," while Blessed Mother Teresa continued to serve God and do His will even as she suffered a dark night of the soul for much of her life.

Fr. Martin has an easy writing style. Interspersed with his portrayal of these saints (and many others) are stories from his own life which reveal much about the meaning of vocation and what life is like for a Jesuit today. "My Life with the Saints" is a pleasure to read. Perhaps the most important lesson to take from this book is that each saint is different, called to holiness in his or her own way. So, too, are we. "each of us brings something to the table, and we each, through our own gifts, manifest a personal way of holiness that enlivens the community."