Raising Saints?

Learning about saints and their lives can be very inspiring and spiritually enriching. However, how much time do we spend thinking about their parents? Some saints come from troubled backgrounds and have a profound conversion experience later in life, but I am willing to bet that the majority of saints come from holy families. Recently I was reading more about my favorite saint, St. Therese of Lisieux, and I learned that her parents were beatified in 2008. I knew that she grew up in a very devout Catholic loving family, but I didn't spend much time reflecting on the influence they had on her spirituality. Her parents , Zelie and Louis both owned small businesses. They managed to balance family life, work, and most importantly their involvement in the Church and guiding their family towards heaven. The Martin's had nine children but sadly four died. Their five daughters that lived all ended up becoming nuns. If this isn't enough of a testament to their holy home, one of there daughters became one of the four female Doctors of the Church.

Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin were not beatified because their daughter is a Doctor of the Church but because they lived their vocation of Matrimony to the fullest. It is beautiful that they were beatified together and they will hopefully be canonized together as well. Shortly after reading about their beatification I attended  a seminar where Bishop Cordileone of San Francisco's mother was in attendance. Someone asked her "How do you raise a Bishop?". Since she was just in the audience we didn't hear her response but it certainly got me thinking about the answer. I truly pray that Tim and I will raise our children in such a faithful and loving home that they will become saints. As Patrick Coffin on Catholic Answers says "be a saint, what else is there?" And it is so true. Raising a family is a big responsibility. But it's also a profound blessing, especially when the home is the primary place of teaching the faith to children. I am so blessed to have Tim who I know will be a wonderful example and leader for our children. I know that I will be praying to Mary and Joseph as well as Zelie and Louis Martin to help guide Tim and I in our parenting.

I love how the Catholic Church esteems marriage and family life to be a sanctifying vocation. A priest once told our young adult bible study that often people look to him as being holier than a married man when that isn't true. A married man who lives his vocation is just as holy as a priest who is living his. How amazing is that? I know I often tend to place Priests higher than married men in my mind, but I will certainly stop doing that. A priest sacrifices everything for the church as a married man sacrifices everything for his family. All of this is so beautiful.

For people who are interested in learning more about Blessed Zelie and Louis Martin I will attach a link.
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=30127