The saint I love the most is St Francis of Assisi. He’s strongly connected with several of the Spanish caminos. The prayer attributed to him is well known, and is beautiful. He described the wind and the rain as his brothers. He said that “all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” And he also said, modestly and humbly, “I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, He can work through anyone.” After a serious illness and spiritual crisis in 1204, he embraced a life of poverty and non-materialism. He’s forever associated with a love for nature, for animals and flowers, and with a deep and humane compassion for the poor and the sick.
St Francis
December 18, 2011 by solitary walker
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My favorite saint as well, Robert. Recently, I came across a quote from St. Francis that resonated deeply with me. While I may be off a word or two, it was essentially this: “You are that which you are seeking.” The more that I have meditated on these words, the deeper and more profound they have become. If I am indeed what I seek—and I agree with St. Francis on this—then I am compelled to become more mindful of my moment to moment desires, for when all is said and done, those desires will have defined this life of mine.
Have to agree. St. Francis has always been way up there for me. After my stay in San Anton’s along the Camino Frances, even more so!
I don’t know enough about saints to have a favourite really but, if pushed, I’d nominate St Columba. As I understand it, he put a great emphasis on the importance of cheerfulness. I occasionally come across posters aimed at children that say things like “God wants you to be happy” which, I think, is a dreadful and emotionally dangerous thing to say. Cheerfulness is an altogether more subtle concept to me. As I understand the word, you don’t have to be happy to attempt to be cheerful. One can deal with difficult feelings and situations with an appropriate degree of cheerfulness, without simply using it to mask or deny emotion, if one can find the strength to.