Lots of saints had unusual animal companions. Jerome, as one can see in many paintings of him, had a lion. I’m not sure if the point of the story of Jerome and the lion is that exotic pets are good, but there is a moral in it about compassion and judgment worth hearing.

It’s no secret that Christianity and its role in society is shrinking in Europe and much of the Western world. How our faith adapts and grows again remains to be seen. The answer may come from Africa and Asia. The story of the Korean Martyrs offers hope.

I’m blessed to be where I am. Even a few years ago, I would not have guessed that I’d be sitting here in a region that I love, in a house I just bought, with a wonderful and wise wife downstairs, and our son in her womb. God has been generous to me. He’s given me all these gifts at a point when I thought too many years had gone to hope for these blessings. It isn’t that my life is free of challenges now or that it lacked blessings before, but I am grateful for what I have now and feel awe at how my Father works in His own time to show His love.

Today’s saint is a reminder that God lavishes his patience and generosity on everyone. Some of these are temporal gifts, like my home. Some have eternal worth, like forgiveness. One of those whom God loved with such gifts lived in fourth-century Egypt as a robber, a murderer, and a fornicator. His name is Moses, nicknamed “the Black” on account of his skin, and he is a great saint.

One of my best experiences as a high school teacher came in an activity where each day we offered our prayers through St. Genesius: drama. We can learn a lot about being ourselves through theater kids and Genesius.

How did a medieval religious woman dedicated to poverty become the patron saint of television? Read the story of Saint Clare.

St. Lawrence is the patron saint of comedians, firefighters, and grilling because of his wit and good humor while being roasted to death. Humor and joy are an important part of the Christian life.

The first two American citizens recognized as martyrs died during my lifetime. Blessed Stanley Rother and James Miller show the power of vocation, sacrifice, and joy in the face of a world of hate.

Who was St. Mary Magdalene? Was she both apostle and reformed prostitute? What can she teach us about the marginalized, the despised and our own sinfulness?

St. Kateri Tekakwitha was a scarred, half-blind, orphan Native American girl with a foot in two worlds. She lived as an outsider. There, on the margins, she learned to see, to believe, and to love.

Christianity came to India before Ireland thanks to St. Thomas the Apostle. Far more than a Doubting Thomas, this great saint teaches us to build something that lasts.