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 Joseph Marello
Dear Marla, I hope your latest note was written in a bad mood, not after serious reflection. I realize that going back to a small town for vacation after your first semester at school in the “big city” involves switching gears. But as your faithful uncle, I simply refuse to ...
St Andrew Dung-Lac
Dear Drew, Now, now, there’s no need to be rash. Your freshman year has hardly begun. If you’ve had to brave the tempests of being misunderstood, rejected, sad, and a bit lost, that doesn’t mean you ought to drop out. Some people face such challenges in high school, where you ...
St Clement I
Dear Clem, You are doing it again. Can’t you tell? You’re letting yourself get turned upside down, so that your Christian identity seems less and less important than your college identity – Frat guy, top student, ladies’ man… I really can’t blame you. It ain’t easy to keep Christ in ...
St Cecilia
Dear Ophelia, Your sadness is understandable, but unnecessary and self-indulgent. Feeling inferior to the “aristocratic” type of student that seems to populate your college is a case of false humility. OK, maybe that college does cater to America’s unofficial aristocracy, but what does it matter? You may have grown up ...
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear Preston, You shouldn’t agonize so much over your decision. I know that sounds strange, since your vocation is the most important decision you’ll have to make in your life. But even if it sounds strange, I hold by it. If you’re agonizing over it, something’s wrong; you’re thinking about ...
St Felix of Valois
Dear Fred, You mustn’t be discouraged by your small beginnings. Remember the mustard seed, my dear nephew. If your group is growing slowly, redouble your prayer and focus your efforts on whatever will be most effective in helping it grow. Be fervent in your faith and practical in your action. ...
St Raphael Kalinowski O.C.D.
Dear Linus, It’s never too late to follow God’s call. I know that you are well advanced in your Ph.D. studies, and having invested so much of your life in mastering chemical engineering seems to “oblige a responsible course of living” as you so eloquently put it (you should have ...
St Rose Philippine Duchesne
Dear Roselyn, Thanks for your last note. You were wise to write. Your intuition didn’t fail you; your life, indeed, is on the edge. Without a doubt, the most prolific spoiler in the spiritual life is lack of willpower. Why is the world the way it is, instead of the ...
St Elizabeth of Hungary
Dear Liza, Your last note was alarming. Shocking. Disturbing. It has thrown me into severe agitation. If I had a window in this cursed cubicle, I would be screaming my frustrations out through it right now, but since I don’t, I’ll just have to write you back. How could you ...
St Joseph Moscati
Dear Joe, I am very, very sorry to hear of your, well, your little “stumble”, as you euphemize it. I must say, however, that I’m not completely surprised. Keeping on track requires God’s grace as well as our effort, and your college’s atmosphere of self-indulgent hedonism tends to exhaust your ...
St Leopold the Good
Dear Polly, Your complaints about your chaplain may be accurate, but they still disturb me. Faith doesn’t oblige you to call irresponsibility and scandal virtuous, but it does oblige you to maintain your reverence and respect. Remember, the dignity of a priest doesn’t derive from his holiness or his affability; ...
St Dyfrig
Dear Frogger, I’ve got my suspicions about that psychology professor of yours with whom you’ve been spending so much time. OK, his scholarship is unquestionable and his popularity legendary, but what about his holiness? Remember, disciples follow the path of their teachers; maybe your motives for seeking scholarly excellence and ...
