Five Saints to Pray to when You're Stressed Out
"Pray, Hope and Don't Worry." -- Padre Pio
I'm not Catholic (or even Christian), but I like the idea of praying to Saints. I'm more at home talking to a specialist than a general practitioner. And Saints are specialists in certain spiritual areas we can usually put faces to. My Mom is Catholic, which is how a Pagan like me found out about Saints. There are Saints or enlightened dead people who intercede with impersonal spirits on behalf of the living.
Whether you believe in the Saints or Gods or not is not the point. Saints don't seem to care what religion you are. They're great to talk to when you can't talk to anyone else about whatever is stressing you out. As a kid, didn't it ever felt great after talking to an invisible friend? Same principle -- only you don't have to talk out loud to these invisible friends. Here are five Saints to pray to or talk to when you're stressed.
Although there isn't an official "Patron Saint of Worry" in the Catholic Church, Padre Pio (1887 - 1968)comes closest because he often counseled, "Pray, hope and don't worry." He was a controversial Italian friar that tended to tick of the Church. He was allegedly blessed with mystical powers that make would make a witch envious, but he also was cursed with terrible physical pains like that stigmata thing. (Creepy!) He did the usual Saintstuff like being at two places at one time, miracles and also was devoted to feeding the hungry. He was made a saint in 2002. After reading biographies about Padre Pio, the reader gets the impression that he got annoyed at being called a saint when he was alive, so perhaps you shouldn't call him a Saint now that he's dead.
He's great to talk to about animal worries. Others like to talk to him to help protect animals or the environment (another source of stress in modern life). Legend has it that he was a rich man who renounced all of his worldly goods and spent the rest of his life helping feed the hungry, do miracles, talk to birds and other general good stuff. It's nice to see a Saint who literally put his money where his mouth was.
Saint Joseph
Christ's adopted father and carpenter extraordinaire. Legend has it that he would still work for good people even when they couldn't pay him. So, he's the patron Saint of fathers, workers and working fathers. I have to include him because my Mom prayed to him when I was unemployed. I didn't, but Mom did. I still don't because I figure that after the worldwide recession of 2008, Saint Joseph is busy enough.
Kuan Yin (Qwan Yin)
Okay, she wasn't Catholic, but don't hold that against her. There are many different spelling variations to this Goddess of Mercy, who seems to have been based on a real woman. One legend is that the Buddhist saint Miao-shan was such a good person that when she died, she refused to enter Paradise because she heard the suffering of all the creatures left behind on Earth. Since then, she spends her time helping lost travelers, bringing comfort to the suffering, helping seafaring folk not drown and listening to the prayers of the stressed.
When All Else Fails
You can pray to Saint Jude, also known as Saint Jude Thaddeus. He's the Patron Saint of Lost Causes -- a sort of one size fits all saint. It is unknown why Jude received this title -- perhaps because we know nothing about him.
Recommended Reading
"Padre Pio: Man of Hope." Renzo Allegri. Servant Books; 2000.
"Francis of Assisi: A Revolutionary Life." Adrian House. Paulist Press: 2003.
"The Saints from A to Z: An Inspirational Dictionary." Cynthia Cavnar. Charis; 2000.
"The Book of Goddesses: A Celebration of the Divine Feminine." Kris Waldherr. Abrams; 2006.
Published by Rena Sherwood - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
Rena Sherwood is a freelance writer and Peter Gabriel fan who has lived both in America and England. She has studied animals most of her life through a synthesis of direct observation and insatiable reading.... View profile
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3 Comments
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Why use a mediator when Jesus is our High Priest? You pleasantly surprised me, too, Rena! Have a good day! :)
Well, I was shocked that you would be writing an article on praying to the Saints! Imagine that! I don't usually pray to the Saints - I go directly to the Lead Guy - Jesus and I try to avoid the middle-men! Good one, Rena, cheers :)