Read Fr. Jim Martin’s book in the car on the way down (yes, we are in an undisclosed locations somewhere south of Cincinnati). It’s just what the title indicates – an account of the saints who have impacted Fr. Martin’s life, those he looks to for intercession, companionship and inspiration. He takes it somewhat chronologically, beginning with his youthful interest in St. Jude. The book weaves personal anecdotes, history, and a bit of theological reflection gracefully. In his Jesuit life, Martin has worked in some interesting apostolates – as all Jesuits do in their formation – and the stories take us from New York City to Chicago to Kenya – to schools, a Missionaries of Charities  hospice, refugee work and ministry to gang members.

Martin tells the stories well, with balance, an appreciation for the varieties of holiness we find in Catholicism, and a clear sense of what matters. He’s honest, too  – we can appreciate a Jesuit who admits that while he admires St. Ignatius of Loyola, he doesn’t connect with him in the same way he does, say, with Therese of Liseux! I do think the book even though thick and has the appearance of a weighty tome, would be a good book to give to someone who was wondering about saints, who they are, what holiness is, and how it all fits into the Catholic thing.

Most affecting is – as most accounts of similar experiences are – Martin’s narrative of a pilgrimage to Lourdes as a chaplain of a Knights of Malta trip. To ponder, as he does at the end of the chapter, that all of this is because of God’s work in the life of a 14-year old girl – is revelatory.  His visits to Loyola in Spain, and  to the shrines (one RC, one Anglican) of the Ugandan martyrs also stand out, as well.

One point, however, jars a bit. Throughout the book, Martin writes about God’s actions in the lives of the saints, as well as in his own, and doesn’t shy away from confronting miracles, large and small, and contemplating the mysterious challenges in some stories of holiness – St. Joan of Arc, for example. It is all very open, very comfortable with God’s sometimes startling movement among us. But in the chapter on Mary, which begins well, he stops us in our tracks by a discussion of the historicity of the Annunciation as related in Luke. Is this what really happened? Or is this a metaphor for what happened in Mary’s life? Or is this the fruit of her attempt to describe a moment of grace that goes beyonds words and human expectation? It is a small moment, but it is jarring, as I said, because Martin doesn’t bring the same kind of inquisitive skepticism to other events he describes in the books, and it certainly jolts one in the broader context of his otherwise quite lovely meditation on the meaning of Mary’s "yes."

But despite those few pages, I’d recommend the book. One comes away with a deeper appreciation for the connectedness and mutual charity that binds the Body of Christ. Martin accomplishes what he set out to, I think – to communicate that the Communion of Saints isn’t just an idea – but very real, and rather wonderful company for the journey.

(No comments – I’m going to be stingy with comments the next few days because I’ll be on the road and not around to monitor constantly.)