Vehige: Saints and Almost Saints Meme

Unlike Woodward, I think memes are fun. For a guy who's so absorbed by our ranking on the TTLB Ecosystem, I just don't understand his dislike for memes. The more memes we do, the more hits we get, and the quicker we advance up the evolutionary ladder. (By the way, Woodward, the Slithering Reptile his nine rungs higher than an Insignificant Microbe -- but you probably already knew that).

And since he complained and called me a mean name last time I tagged him, I'm gonna tag him again. Here's to you, Mr. Strohm. I also tag the folks over at Cosmos~Liturgy~Sex.

Now to the meme at hand . . . .

Four Favorite Saints

Well, in terms of personal influence, the two saints that I've really come to rely upon are St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother. Being a stay-at-home dad who home schools his children is a hidden like with thankless responsibilities — and it's very, very, very, encouraging to know that the two greatest saints also lived hidden lives with thankless responsibilities.

I'm also very fond of St. Teresa of Avila and St. Ignatius of Loyola. Teresa taught that the the key to sanctity is accept all the trials that come your way as crosses from God. And Ignatius taught me that living a Christian life isn't so much about doing great things for God, but, rather, is about having the correct disposition so that what you're doing becomes great.

Two Favorite Blesseds

Here, I fall short. I couldn't think of any blesseds until I saw Woodward's list. Since I like popes, I'll say that my two favorite blesseds are Pius IX for calling Vatican I and John XXIII for calling Vatican II -- two of my favorite Ecumenical Councils.

No, seriously.

(O.K. everyone, all together now ... Vehige is a nerd!).

One Person I Think Should Have Been a Saint

Like Steven at Book Reviews and More, and Woodward before me, I'm not sure how to take this question.

Two people I think should be saints—Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa—will be canonized by the end of the decade. I'd like to see both Archbishop Fulton Sheen and Father John Hardon canonized, preferably on the same day, and these two men probably will be canonized, too, but not by the end of the decade.

So my pick is Flannery O'Connor (who will never be canonized) for the simple reason that she was a tough soul who accepted her lot in life with humor and charity -- two virtues I could use more of.