Imagine….
Today, your phone rings. A genealogical researcher introduces himself, and proceeds to inform you that you are related to a saint…that your family tree includes a towering giant of the faith from centuries past.
How would you react?
If it were us, we’d probably drop the phone in shock. And then we’d celebrate and read everything we could about that saint, tell our friends, hang an icon of that saint prominently in our home, and treasure our newly-discovered spiritual kinship.
But, of course, we’re happy to announce that this good news is true for all of us in a profound way!
As the month of September begins, we turn our focus to the Faith Life, Level 1, of our Trinity Houses. You may recall our recent e-letter on cultivating family memories and photos from across the generations. One of our readers wrote us after that letter to say, “I think you wrote this for me! I loved having heirlooms and photos up everywhere but then the insane minimalism bug got into my head. I’m going to return family things to their rightful places! The kids love looking at them and hearing my family stories!”
But right alongside bringing our family stories to life, we need to give the communion of saints their rightful place in our homes.
To be honest, it’s so easy for us to put saints on pedestals—remote from our own day-to-day challenges. Instead of friendship with and affection for them, we slip into an “out of sight, out of mind” approach, that, sadly, impoverishes our children’s faith and their spiritual and moral imagination.
We’ve always had a lot of saint pictures around our house, but one extra thing we’ve always talked about doing is tomix some saint photos into our family photo gallery wall. Years ago, we got as far as having the photos printed (see a few of them in the above photo), but still haven’t framed them. So many unfinished projects!
At any rate, on our family photo wall, we imagine that the kids will be looking at one of their great-grandmothers, and just a few inches away, St. Andre Bessette will remind them of a deeper part of their heritage. Maybe this e-letter will motivate us to finally finish this so that those faces can become more a part of our vocabulary and our shared sense of who we are as a family.
Of course, we’re not recommending curating a museum of images. This is about pointing our entire family to Jesus. “[O]ur communion with the saints joins us to Christ,” we read in the Catechism, “from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God” (957). We want to be more than just their “admirers”: We want to be their “companions and fellow disciples” (957). We want to form “one family in Christ” (959).
How can our families—living in our Trinity Houses—take practical steps to widen our idea of family to include our relationship to the saints? Here are three ideas:
- Display photos of the saints in your home. Ever grew up with a large copy of Hans Holbein’s portrait of St. Thomas More hanging in the living room, and we’re big fans of icons. That said, photos can provide your family with another, possibly more personal, point of access. When we first had this idea, we went low tech and copied some online images of favorite saints, uploaded them, and had them printed for a few dollars. A few informal shots—like this one of St. Maximilian Kolbe at his messy desk—help to bring these towering figures down to earth.
- Tell stories about the saints at dinner and other family together-times. We have so many “favorite” saints, and we try our best to weave in stories of them when we’re all together as a family. When we care about people we know, we know what they like, their quirks, their special gifts. Get more comfortable sharing these family stories.
- Deepen your friendship with your patron saint(s). Our names are deeply personal, and the more we can get to know our patron(s) and call upon their intercession—like you would ask a close friend to pray for you—the more this living reality of your spiritual family will bear fruit in your own life. “The patron saint provides a model of charity,” and we can be assured of his or her intercession (Catechism, 2156).
Our Trinity Houses—our domestic churches—are the arenas in which our families seek to live more and more like Christ. The communion of saints, our family in faith, is not some kind of optional nice-to-have feature. These are real men and women who are more alive spiritually now than they were in their earthly pilgrimage. They intercede for us, here and now.
By cultivating this lively awareness of the family of saints, we as parents enlist the help we need! We’re not alone in our desire to see our children become saints. The saints want this too, and are ready to help us through their prayers.
“Therefore,” we can say boldly with St. Paul, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1).
Heaven in Your Home Toolkit
It’s always good to go back to the sources. Here is a compilation of Scripture verses on saints, and here is a compilation of passages about our call to become saints from the Catechism which we found helpful.
Do we think of our families as saints-in-the-making, and our homes as schools of holiness? “Meet the Family and Their Friends that Gave the Church at Least a Dozen Saints” is an inspiring article about three generations of a family who became saints.
If you’d prefer a video, check out any of these video reflections by Bishop Robert Barron on the topic of saints, the communion of saints, and prayer. You’ll even find “Saints and Smartphones,” a reflection offering guidance from saints and spiritual masters.
It’s easy to get tripped up on an important distinction about saints—we “honor” them as opposed to “worship” them. If you want to brush up on this, here’s a helpful article on this point.
Enjoying the weekly Heaven in Your Home Letter in your inbox? Share it with a friend and encourage them to sign up to receive this weekly boost of inspiration and practical tools! Signing up takes just a few seconds at www.trinityhousecommunity.org.
Next Week…
Beginning next Thursday, Sept. 10, Trinity House Community will collaborate with Fr. Thomas Cavanaugh of St. John the Apostle in Leesburg on a 10-week Bible study called “Signs & Wonders: A Bible Study of the Gospel of John,” from 7:30-8:45 pm (in the sanctuary, and also on FB live via the St. John’s website) on Thursday nights. Check out, like and share this Facebook video from Fr. Thomas about the Bible study. Trinity House Community will offer weekly challenges based on the Bible study and specifically focused on strengthening your home and family. We can’t wait to dive into the Gospel of John and, with you, draw connections to your daily family life!
What’s new on Level 2—Person & Relationships—of your Trinity House? Next week’s Heaven in Your Home Letter will focus on developing healthy relationships in your marriage and family, and we’re eager to hear from you—whether it’s a question, a challenge your family is facing, a story, a link to a resource, testimonial, or prayer request. Just drop us a line at contact@trinityhousecommunity.org with what’s on your mind!
Testimonial
“Trinity House Café is an exciting and encouraging model of the local Church going on the offense in an unassuming yet effective and attractive way. As a platform for evangelization literally located at the corner of Church and Market Streets, Trinity House embodies the call to be a Church not in ‘maintenance mode,’ but rather in a permanent state of mission.”George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
Please Join Us In Prayer
- For all students as they begin the new academic year, that they might grow in wisdom, age and grace;
- For all individuals and families, that they might deepen their roots in the grace, peace, and love of Jesus Christ during this time of uncertainty;
- For healing for those struggling with COVID-19, and for strength and safety for all medical personnel;
- For the staff and ministry of Trinity House Cafe, and all Heaven in Your Home Workshop participants;
- For unity and healing in our nation, and for wisdom for all public officials;
- For all parents, that they may be refreshed and renewed on a daily basis by the Lord in prayer, as they seek to lead their families through the uncertainties of this time.
In Christ,
Soren & Ever Johnson
Founders & Directors
Trinity House Community
Making Home a Little Taste of Heaven
