Tag: patron saints

  • Faith and Finance: 4 Patron Saints for Money Matters

    Faith and Finance: 4 Patron Saints for Money Matters

    We all have our favorite saints, and I’m no different. I have a few I turn to frequently whose stories have spoken to my heart. When my husband was deployed to the Gulf of Aden in the Middle East, I would ask for the intercession of St. Michael to keep him safe. Since my husband is a pilot, I also find myself turning to St. Joseph (aka “The Flying Friar”) with my prayers. I often feel a kinship with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who would worry about her son who was in the Navy. I know we experienced similar anxieties  while having loved ones out to sea. I’ve chosen these saints because I know they’ve experienced the same challenges that I’m facing. They’ve been through it and come out on the other side.

    Life hands us many challenges to overcome. Just like us, many (now) saints earned money, spent money, and had to overcome financial challenges. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about your debts, you’re not alone. Millions of people are dealing with all sorts of financial stress. Often, getting ahead may feel unreachable. Asking for the intercession of the saints doesn’t negate the necessity of hard work, but we’re encouraged in Matthew 7:7-8 to ask for help when he says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Here are a few saints you can turn to next time you’re feeling a financial pinch.

    RELATED: The Virtue of Being Thrifty: How to Spend Money Wisely in College

    1. St. Anthony of Padua

    St. Anthony is known for being the patron saint of lost items, but he’s also known for advocating on behalf of debtors. In 1231, St. Anthony petitioned the Council of Padua to pass law to benefit the debtors who could not pay their obligations. At that time, money lenders were loaning money at excessive interest, so only desperate people would consult a money lender. St. Anthony was known to advocate for them and campaigned for change to this predatory system. We usually think of St. Anthony when we can’t find our keys, but consider asking for his intercession next time you’re dealing with a debt load. 

    2. St. Edwiges

    St. Edwiges was the wife of a rich businessman who lived in the 13th century. She was known for visiting debtors in jail and helping them find jobs once they were released. Her fortunate life was challenged when her husband was arrested and died from a disease he contracted while in prison, leaving her to enter a convent to which her daughter already belonged. Despite her poverty, she remained faithful and charitable. She personally reminds me that generosity isn’t a luxury. We are called to have open hearts, no matter our financial circumstances. 

    RELATED: What Is Our Responsibility When It Comes to Money

    3. St. Matthew the Apostle

    St. Matthew was a tax collector and was even sitting in a tax booth when Jesus called him to become one of his apostles. It may strike you as odd to reach out to a tax collector like Matthew when you’re dealing with debt, but he was a financial wiz. The Gospel of Matthew is full of insight on how to keep our finances in perspective. For instance, Matthew 6:21 tells us, “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” And in Matthew 6:24, Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” He tells us to be concerned with things of heaven and less concerned with worldly affairs. St. Matthew encourages me because he was actually “good” with money by the world’s standards. Financial stress isn’t limited to those with debt. The Gospel of Matthew can be helpful to those who struggle honoring God as their master rather than money.

    4. St. Jude

    Handling a debt load may sometimes cause us to feel desperate and hopeless. St. Jude, the patron saint of desperate situations, may be the perfect saint for those days of anxiety. St. Jude is known for helping Danny Thomas, the founder of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Danny was in desperate need of financial help and a job. He prayed for the intercession of St. Jude and now the research hospital is now named for the saint of lost causes. 

    Combining an action plan, some hard work, and prayer to these helpful patron saints may help you pay off your debts. When I’m faced with money matters, they always help me remember, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

    Originally published November 9 2020.

  • How My Family Is Celebrating St. Joseph and St. Patrick Together This March

    How My Family Is Celebrating St. Joseph and St. Patrick Together This March

    Side-by-side stained glass icons of St. Patrick and St. JosephEvery March, I notice an emergence of leprechauns, shamrocks, and Guinness, followed by an abundance of Italian pastries, lilies, and the color red. The remembrance of St. Joseph follows St. Patrick’s Day on the calendar each year, but too often I have neglected to celebrate them both intentionally. This year, my family has decided to honor the impact of these two heroic saints in a (hopefully) memorable way. 

    My wife, Joanna, is always concerned about how we can encourage our young sons to experience the faith in a way that goes beyond attending Mass on Sunday mornings. She is great at finding ways to make being Catholic about celebrating life and having fun doing it. She’ll buy a colorful saints calendar for the kitchen, set up dinner on the floor on Holy Thursday, or dress the kids in colors that align with a specific feast day. Finding ways to infuse the faith into the normal parts of our lives sparked our ideas for how to celebrate St. Patrick and St. Joseph this year. While Joanna’s Italian side gives rise to her proclivity for Joseph, St. Patrick has always been celebrated radically in the Irish Griffin household. 

    WATCH: What Do People Really Know About St. Patrick? 

    St. Patrick receives most of the spotlight out of these two saints, and much of his feast day has been commercialized into drinking and eating corned beef. This year, we plan to eat all of the traditional Irish foods, but also use the shamrock as a way to teach our sons about who God is. 

    We plan on going outside and using chalk to outline a huge shamrock in green and have the kids color it in. Then we will focus on how the shamrock points to the fact that God is a relationship of perfect love represented by the three leaves (The Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). While we eat dinner, we will tell the brief story of St. Patrick who helped bring the faith to the people of Ireland even though it was not easy. Then we will talk about how prayer helped him through his trials. 

    At bedtime, we will reinforce this and pray one of St. Patrick’s prayers: 

    “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.”

    We will end the prayer with the Sign of the Cross, referencing the huge shamrock we colored together as a family. 

    Two days later on St. Joseph’s Day, we will enjoy some nice Italian pastries while focusing on an activity that we hope the boys will love. Our kids already have some toy tools. Some of them have worn out their flavor, but we will try to resurrect that by giving them a chance to build something together. As we build something together as a family, we can talk about how Joseph was a carpenter and how Jesus spent so much time building with him. 

    RELATED: Turning to St. Joseph as a Rookie Father

    Later in the day, we hope to make a tiny home out of popsicle sticks. All we’ll need is glue, a piece of cardboard to serve as the walls, and about 30 popsicle sticks. By gluing them together to form the structure of a simple five-sided house, we can teach the kids that God calls us all to build time to talk to him in our home every day. 

    In many ways, Patrick and Joseph belong together. They were both heroic men of virtue who acted radically for God. Despite the challenges they faced, they trusted that God would protect them, and moved to love those around them as if they were Christ themselves. Highlighting their trust and devotion can only aid the growth of faith among our children. 

    Even though these are simple practices, we think they can have an impact because we are using ordinary moments of the day to invite God to speak to us. Whether it is playtime or dinner or bedtime, these can be opportunities for us to bring God to our kids. While some aspects of these activities will, undoubtedly, not go as planned, we hope that they can become habits that we come back to each year so that faith becomes a part of their lives in an organic way. Hopefully, they will even give rise to celebrating other saints in a similar way. Then Patrick and Joseph can truly impact the holiness of our growing family.