As we have said so many times before, our Church is perfect - perfect because she was founded by the Perfect One - Jesus Christ. Our Church is precious, more precious than the most beautiful, costly diamond in the world; because the cost was, and continues to be so high - higher than any price ever paid for a priceless jewel. And why is she so precious? What was the cost? Our Church flowed from the very Heart of Jesus, pierced out of love for us. And well, you might ask, if this Church is so perfect, why this book, why any book about the ongoing blood, sweat and tears shed by those who adore Jesus and His Church?
List of Most Popular Lives of the Saints
We are told that the Church is nourished by the blood of the martyrs. But there are many types of martyrs, many who lived and died for Mother Church - the Names of Jesus and Mary on their lips. Many of those Saints you will read about could have touched the world without being part of Mother Church, could have been accepted by the world solely by their merits. Then why did they choose to serve God, often suffering the malignant slings of slander, the judgments of those who misunderstood them and mistreatment at the hands of those they trusted? Why? The answer can be found in any Catholic Church - in the Tabernacle - on the Altar during any Holy Mass. It is He, Our Savior, Who is with us, as He promised, to the end of time. It is He Who is in the Church He founded, never leaving her an orphan, as He promised. This Savior stole their hearts and they would never be the same - suffering any cost, any wounds, any attacks - all for the Mother (Church) they fell in love with, as their hearts were being won by her Founder.
We are told that many of the great writers or artists, for that matter, were not accepted in their lifetime. Then why did they do it? We believe the answer can be found in the lives of the Saints you will be reading about, because they were compelled to; there was a wind at their backs propelling them forward to their writing pads or canvases. The best way to explain why they chose the path they did is to go to Hebrews 11:13, "All of these (Saints) died in faith. They did not obtain what had been promised but saw and saluted it from afar." For us, the key words here are "...saw and saluted it from afar." They trusted in God; they had Faith in God, and while possibly everyone else in the world let them down, He did not disappoint them.
There is a love story that has to be told. For us, the love story is about Mother Church, her founder Jesus Christ, His Mother Mary, all the Saints and the Angels. They are like photos on the wall, or in an album, that have no meaning unless they are shared.
We want to shout, along with the Saints we are writing about, from the roof tops, from the mountain peaks - We are in love! And because we are in love, we write. And because they were in love, they served Jesus through Mother Church, without looking at the end of the story, without any promises, sometimes lonely and forsaken - always faithful.
The greatest betrayals, the ones that wound the most, are the attacks from within the family. We, who are part of the Body of Christ, are part of a large beautiful family. Only sometimes members of the family forget to look into the mirror Jesus holds up to all of us and they give in to the traps of the world; the result - good people doing bad things. Now, don't get us wrong. We are not excusing or downplaying the iniquities suffered by our Saints, at the hands of those who promised to be faithful and lost their ways. Nor are we judging those who inflicted the mortal wounds borne by our Saints. Sometimes, even for us, as writers, it is hard to separate the act from the actor. If we looked at the guilty, with the loving Eyes of Jesus, most likely we would see those who have fallen, as they once were, full of innocence and dedication - commitment and truth their standard. Sadly they forgot that the deeds that man does live after him.
But this book is not about those who inflicted pain, but those upon whom pain was inflicted, and how, against tremendous odds, they remained true to their calling and became Saints! Get to know these Saints. Get inside their souls. Let them influence you on your pilgrimage of life. They are there for you; they will help you; they will take you gently by the hand and walk you right past St. Peter through the Pearly Gates, to the Kingdom of God. And you will at last be with Family. You will be Home! Come! Let us begin!