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 John of God
Dear Jack, In your zeal you have forgotten one of the basic guidelines for Christian behavior: hate the sin, but love the sinner. I have no doubt that the corrupting influence of the individuals you refer to needs to be stopped. You are right and valiant to take up the ...
St Perpetua and St Felicity and their Companions
Dear Felix, Your father’s opposition to your vocation, I am afraid to say, is part of your cross. All signs indicate that God really is calling you to the priesthood, and you have rightly discerned your primary obligation as a faithful son of the Church to give that call first ...
St Chrodegang
Dear Rhoda, Your defeatist attitude is unworthy of you. You must never, ever underestimate the impact that one person can have on the world – either for good or for ill. To consider your efforts at campus evangelization worthless is to insult the love and power of God; to give ...
St Gerasimus
Dear Jerry, Don’t be so childish. If God gave you strong passions, it’s for a reason. Instead of complaining about them, and about all the trouble they cause you, start training them. Offer them to God when you receive Holy Communion, ask for the grace to channel them into the ...
St Casimir of Poland
Dear Chuck, It sounds to me like you have begun your spring vacation too early. Reliable sources have informed me of your growing laxity – spending more time playing backgammon than perusing textbooks (plus your obsession to that positively addicting pastime of disc golf – would that you had gone ...
St Cunegund
Dear Connie, Now that you have decided to follow through with your curatorial training (the elite corps of graduate students associated with that program at the Louvre Museum will be surprised to find such a refined and genial companion in their first American classmate), prepare yourself for spiritual battle. The ...
St Chad
Dear Cheryl, Don’t let yourself be seduced by self-named Catholic theologians who berate Catholic dogma. This is an old trick, and it has poisoned many souls; don’t let it poison yours. Remember that theologians too are inside the community of faith, and their research, reflection, and teaching is meant to ...
St David
Dear Dave, Have you ever thought about what your dying words will be? Lately, I have been thinking about it quite a bit. They have decreased my food ration and increased my “dialogue” sessions (i.e. interrogations). I feel weak as a drunk bunny. Perhaps my time of trial is coming ...
St Oswald of Worcester
Dear Ozzie, If you send me one more note complaining about Catholics on your campus, I will never write to you again. I am starting to get the impression that you actually enjoy complaining, pointing your finger at those who are “in charge” and criticizing them. Not only is such ...
St Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
Dear Gabriela, Don’t be so foolish. If you stay out in the sun, you’ll get burned; and if you hang out with pagans (by profession or by practice), your faith will wane. It’s that simple. Use your imagination a little. Imagine yourself fifteen years from now, married, with four children. ...
St Victor the Hermit
Dear Vicky, I heartily commend your sincere concern to choose your first post-graduation activity with an eye to “whatever will do the most good for the Church.” If only all Catholics approached their life decisions with the same mentality! Nevertheless, your evaluation of the different options available to you leaves ...
St Ethelbert of Kent
Dear Bert, Great news about your acceptance into the School of Government Affairs – I happen to know firsthand that they have the best diplomatic training available in the States. It will be an auspicious first step towards your long-desired goal of serving the Kingdom by infusing Christian values into ...
