Many would agree that October is a beautiful month. Perhaps, one of the best months? The weather is perfect and the leaves start changing colors. The harvest is bountiful with apples, pears, and pumpkins galore! It’s football season for sports fans. It’s even getting closer to sweater weather in many parts of the country. In addition to why October is magnificent, did you know it’s a great month on the liturgical calendar as well?
“I always look forward to the month of October because I know there’s all these wonderful, wonderful saints that we can emulate. The saints are our heroes – they’re … ordinary people who tried their best to unite themselves to Jesus. Their stories are inspiring and encouraging to all of us and they kind of help point the way for each of us as we try to live our lives … and many of them lived in very challenging times, as we do. And yet, they were able to succeed because of their faith,” said Fr. Paul Cannariato, priest of the Archdiocese of Newark.
We might look at the saints and think, there’s no way I could be like that! But these saints came from ordinary backgrounds like us and used the gifts God had given them to live lives of great faith and love. “Saint Therese of Lisieux (feast day October 1), even as a young person she had great parents who are saints themselves. And Louis and Zelie Martin created a family life in the home, so that kind of speaks to the importance of Catholic family life and really creating an environment of faith in the home. And Therese thrived in that environment and she discovered her vocation in that environment in the home.”
The many saints have different stories and backgrounds so we are sure to find one who resonates with our faith journey. “Saint Teresa of Avila (feast day October 15), another woman of great faith who even was a mystic and the beautiful Interior Castle that she wrote. And the many ways in which she emulated the Lord, yet she was very down-to-earth and practical.”
“And of course, Saint Francis of Assisi we celebrated on the 4th, a wonderful man who loved creation and was a person who had a transformative conversion where he had a spiritual awakening and his eyes were opened to the Lord. He suddenly saw the poor in a whole new way and he wanted to help the poor and help the Church. He gradually discovered his vocation and then gathered a group of followers around him and inspired them and rebuilt the Church in the Middle Ages.”
The month is full of feast days for saints whose intercession many faithful call upon: The Holy Guardian Angels (Oct 2), Saint Faustina Kowalska (Oct 5), Our Lady of the Rosary (Oct 7), Saint John XVIII (Oct 11), St. Ignatius of Antioch (Oct 17), Saint Luke (Oct 18), Saint John Paul II (Oct 22), Saints Simon & Jude (Oct 28), and many more. Holy saints and angels, especially those whom we celebrate during the month of October, pray for us!
