SAINT OF THE DAY
WITH UNCLE EDDY
Navigating today’s world is tough and all of us could use a nudge in the right direction. Figuring out the right path to take at work, college, or in social situations is not always easy. Looking to the lives of the saints can give us the insights we need.
Written by Fr. John Bartunek, LC, Uncle Eddy’s Saint of the Day is a fictional series of letters written by a man who has been imprisoned for the Catholic Faith. Using the saints of the day as examples, Uncle Eddy pens a daily letter with spiritual advice to his many nieces and nephews.
St Sebastian
Dear Basia, Have you ever considered why some saints are made “patrons” of certain things? Theologians point out that it is a practice that goes way back, and is based (theoretically, at least) on the Biblical fact that a change of name indicates a change of personal identity or social role (e.g. Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter). Then, of course, there is the early practice of erecting churches over the tombs of martyrs. Thus there emerged the custom of choosing individual saints as special intercessors with God for a particular person, place, community, or organization. All quite logical up ...
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St Sebastian
Dear Basia, Have you ever considered why some saints are made “patrons” of certain things? Theologians point out that it is a practice that goes way back, and is based (theoretically, at least) on the Biblical fact that a change of name indicates a change of personal identity or social ...
St Wulfstan
Dear Stan, Always good to hear from you, my faithful nephew, though your last note brought ominous tidings. In your description of the recent successes of your campus activities you only mentioned numbers – so many students now attending the weekly meetings, so many students coming to the First Friday ...
St Deicolus
Dear Deirdre, Your last few notes have been gloomy, to say the least. You always tended to be a bit pessimistic, and the events of these past few weeks have aggravated that tendency, it seems. Thanks be to God! Now you have a golden opportunity! When things are going well, ...
St Anthony the Abbot
Dear Tanya, Don’t be alarmed that your firm decision to follow God’s call into the consecrated life is being assailed by doubts. Do you think the devil is happy with your decision? Do you think he will stand idly by as you finish college and prepare to devote yourself wholeheartedly ...
St Fursey
Dear Ferdinand, The excessive stress that you are always complaining about may have many different causes. But whatever the cause, one spiritual exercise will surely diminish it: remembering heaven. Every Sunday we all go to Mass and dutifully profess our faith in eternal life and in a Kingdom that has ...
St Paul the First Hermit
Dear Herman, Things have been going quite well for you for a long time, and now you have just received the coveted Student Service Award to top it all off. I wouldn’t be surprised if the bishop invites you over for a private dinner or something. Congratulations. Personally, I am ...
St Kentigern
Dear Ken, Your article on “Pro-life Priorities” edified me tremendously (thanks for sending me a copy). I would only add one point to your argument, stressing the importance of reaching out to women who – for any reason at all – are faced with an “unwanted” pregnancy. Until we show ...
St Berno
Dear Bernie, Your ambition to change the world for the better is commendable. Indeed, I would expect nothing less from someone who has received so much (“much will be expected from him who has received much,” our Lord said). I have a little bone to pick with your method, however. ...
St Arcadius
Dear Kate, Your resistance to pain is edifying. I remember the strain we used to undergo in conditioning exercises for football, but judging from the descriptions provided in your last note, your basketball coach seems to have reached new heights of discomfort. I hope it pays off in a successful ...
St Theodosius the Cenobiarch
Dear Theodore, It is possible, you know, to overdo things. Certainly the pleasures of the world are God’s gifts to us, his beloved children, but they were never meant to be the exclusive object of our desires. But judging from the narrative of your exploits during Christmas vacation (which your ...
St William
Dear Bill, Your latest discernment update begs a response. Just because you “feel attracted” to the vocation of marriage (most normal young men do, you know), and just because your prayer life has lately “felt kind of burdensome,” that is no reason to cancel your scheduled visits to the seminary. ...
St Marciana
Dear Marcia, I know that it is hard to keep living the demands of your faith in the middle of that decadent campus culture. I know that temptations ceaselessly assail you, and your defenses get worn down. (Of course, that’s why you should keep reading my emails every day.) But ...
