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 Albert the Great
Dear Alice, I do so hope you are able to take a break from your grueling work in the lab and get a chance to read this before midnight; today is the feast day of your patron saint, my dear niece, and you ought to do something special in his honor. Don’t be confused; I know that you are not named after Albert the Great, but do you know that he is patron of all students of the natural sciences? And since your biochemistry fetish still qualifies as a natural science, he is your patron. There you have it. I ...
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St Martin I
Dear Marty, If you really love Jesus Christ, there is something you must do for him every day without fail: pray for his Vicar on earth, the Pope. How casually we modern Catholics view the papacy! Christ’s promise that the papacy will continue to preserve the true faith and surely ...
St Julius I
Dear Julie, Thanks for writing back so quickly. I have often wondered which saint you were named after, perhaps it’s today’s, Pope St Julius I. It’s amazing how many of those early Popes were saints. The corruption of a few Renaissance Popes miffs some people, but they are missing the ...
St Stanislaus
Dear Stacy, My dearest of nieces, you have no reason to torture yourself so. It’s not an “either/or” proposition – either you speak out against the sinful behavior of your peers or you keep silent – not at all; rather, you both remain silent AND you speak out. First of ...
St Bademus
Dear Bart, Never get too comfortable. You are a baptized Christian, a confirmed member of the Catholic Church, armed to do constant battle on behalf of the Church militant until our Lord calls you to receive your reward. Taking only 12 credits this trimester so you can have more time ...
St Waldetrudis
Dear Willie, There is no rule that says every family has to have a “black sheep.” Just because your sister is a nun, your brother is studying for the priesthood, and your dad is the most popular deacon in the diocese doesn’t mean that you have to be mediocre. Of ...
St Julia Billiart
Dear Julie, The Sisters of Notre Dame of Namur were founded by a paralyzed French girl who had to be smuggled from house to house in the aftermath the French Revolution in order not be burned alive for her faith. No joke. Her secret transfers aggravated a mysterious illness that ...
St John Baptist de La Salle
Dear John, Well, today the Church celebrates the fellow to whom you owe your early education, St John Baptist de La Salle, patron of teachers. His Christian Brothers were once the largest teaching order in the world, and have done incalculable good for innumerable souls. As you are still undecided ...
The Persian Martyrs
Dear Sal, With spring in the air and summer around the corner, you are probably getting antsy. We humans are part of this biosphere, and our bodies and emotions really do react to the change of weather and seasons, sometimes violently – just like the trees and flowers that burst ...
Saint Vincent Ferrer
Dear Vinnie, Let nothing deter you from following your vocation. If you think God may be calling you to be a Dominican, then go knock on the Dominicans’ door. Your continual struggle with chastity means nothing. I will remind you of your namesake, the great Dominican preacher, St Vincent Ferrer, ...
Saint Plato
Dear Pat, Do you really believe in the “communion of saints”? Sometimes you act as if you didn’t, as if you were the only one who ever had to try and follow Christ amid the confusion of this wild world. Well, you aren’t. And you should keep that in mind! ...
Saints Agape, Chionia, and Irene
My dearest niece Irene, Life in this prison of a cubicle is often quite oppressing, but whenever I get sad, I just think of all the blessings God has given me, including a niece like you. I do so wish that I had a Bible here, though. Not only did ...
St Francis of Paola
Dear Frank, I am delighted that your report cards make your parents proud. But I am worried that they might be making you proud as well. It’s OK for your parents to be proud of you (as long as they remember that you were created by God through their cooperation, ...
