House on a Hill

Once when our seminary had a day of street evangelization in the surrounding neighborhoods, a man said to one of the groups, “we feel the protection of all your guys’ prayers up on that hill!”
  
    That struck me for many reasons, but the greatest of those didn’t land until a year later around this All Saints Day. I have grown much closer to Our Lady and to certain saints over my time in seminary so far. But, this year, for the first time, a certain fact has become very real to me: It is because of the prayers of the saints that many of us will be saved.

    Now, obviously, all grace comes from God. But, in His overabundant goodness, Jesus has chosen to allow the saints to participate in His mission of the salvation of souls, and in this way He has given real power to their intercession for the according of grace to souls. On its own, this is a very beautiful fact, but it becomes so much greater when we really learn the love of the saints for us – which in itself is a very special grace. St. Thérèse wrote that she wanted to spend her heaven doing good on earth, but she never could have imagined the truly great works she would be able to accomplish in souls over the whole world by the generosity of Jesus Christ.

    The love that the saints bear for us is powerful in times of hardship, for they teach us how to suffer beside and together with Jesus and how to love our neighbors, not just as ourselves, but as Jesus Himself loves them.

    With that in mind, this grace of knowing the love of the saints is twofold: not only does it strengthen and encourage us, but it also reminds us of the crucial importance of our prayers. The man that we met during street evangelization knew very deeply that not only those of the saints, but also our prayers, are incredibly precious and efficacious in God’s sight. By the lifestyle we have the grace to live in the seminary, by sharing intentions that are close to our hearts at Mass each day and in our list of intentions, by offering penance together as a house, and simply by striving each moment to more fully know and share the love of Jesus Christ, we are able to be the coming of God’s heavenly kingdom on this earth – to be that house on the hill.

Knowing the love of Jesus and the saints for us gives us strength to toil in the Master’s vineyard, as well as giving us a model for that work. Through our prayers, the hearts of many like this man can (and do!) receive great graces, and by that grace come to know this same love of God that they may glorify Him throughout endless ages. Know of my prayers for you, and please pray for me!

Jordan Damewood is a College III Seminarian for the Archdiocese of Baltimore