Who are your patron saints?
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WHO ARE YOUR PATRON SAINTS?
10/30/2016 by
Kyle Parton
8 minute read
SUMMARY:
A brief tribute to the luminaries that embody the causes and legacies that I identify with most. Includes a quick contemplative exercise to help you discover your own patron saints.
Recommended pregame coffee intake: 2 cups (of 4)
WHAT ARE PATRON SAINTS?
Traditionally, patron saints are key religious figures that act as heavenly advocates for those engaged in specific causes, activities, roles, or even afflictions. Found in various religious traditions, these figures are actively involved in the endeavors that affected them most on Earth. Many were martyrs for their respective causes. To me, the concept makes sense: If Saint X was passionate about (for or against) a certain cause here on Earth, she is most likely still passionate about that cause in the hereafter. She may even pay special attention to those who are also involved in that cause. This points to a special connection between the patron saint and the devotee. Said plainly, patron saints are heroes or bodhisattvas that we personally identify with.
[And here’s a comparative religion fun-fact: The Christian church doesn’t hold the patent on canonizing saints. We can find comparable examples in cases like Green Tara, a Buddhist bodhisattva who vowed to always appear as a woman, and seems to have a special place in her heart to aid the students of Atisha’s lineage.]
Figuratively, a patron saint can be anyone who: embodies the causes, legacies, or conflicts you care about most; has previously walked a path similar to yours in a way that encourages you; serves as a muse of sorts in that they inspire ambitious creativity and gratitude. In this figurative sense, patron saints can be the champions and alumni of the most significant themes of your life. This is the context of my “saints” that I’ve identified below.
WHAT DO PATRON SAINTS DO FOR YOU?
It can be surprisingly meaningful to identify your personal patron saints (in either the literal or figurative sense). The primary reason for this is, as outlined above, they inspire, teach, and encourage by their example. However, there is a much more subtle and meaningful reason. Identifying your personal patron saints is a valuable exercise in that they can prevent you from feeling alone in your cause or plight. If someone has blazed a controversial trail in the past that is parallel to your trajectory, it gives you permission and courage to move forward. For instance, those who work in environmental care may find inspiration in learning about St. Francis of Assisi. Similarly, those enduring fertility issues may find strength in learning about St. Anne. In this, patron saints validate and infuse context into your mission (as well as your suffering). They walk our path with us.
MY PATRON SAINTS
These are the “saints” that embody the causes and legacies that I identify with most, as well as a rhetorical prayer to each of them:
William James: A uniquely American philosopher, psychologist, physician, educator, and mystic, James was one of the first to pioneer a scientific dialogue between religion and modern psychology. He advocated a challenging theory of truth (pragmatism) and immersively studied religious mysticism
through this framework. James was a remarkably prolific writer who directly influenced several fields of knowledge, and as such inspires me greatly. Read: The Varieties of Religious Experience
St. William, protect us from ineffective,
fruitless beliefs that have no cash value.
Teach us to see when our concepts
distort rather than reveal reality.
Stephen Batchelor: An inconvenient and controversial disrobed monk, Batchelor champions the worldview of Secular Buddhism (meaning he rejects the magical aspects of karma and rebirth, yet still practices the core teachings of the Buddha). He demonstrates a sincere post-Buddhist practice, which regards the Buddha’s teachings as tasks to be completed
rather than metaphysical propositions to be affirmed. This framework is the candle I use to guide my journey as a post-evangelical. Read: Buddhism without Beliefs
St. Stephen, protect us from magical thinking.
When we have outgrown a certain system of belief,
teach us to transcend and include it
rather than condemn and reject it.
Fr. Thomas Merton: A Trappist Monk, passionate social activist, and keen student of comparative religion, Merton’s writings and campaigns to promote interfaith understanding were monumental in popularizing the Christian contemplative path. Arguably, he was the first contemporary Christian to successfully engage with Buddhism and Taoism (among other faiths). Such investigation earned him enmity from many in the Church and endearment from those attracted to eastern thought. Merton’s deep conviction to reconcile the east and west canonizes him as the champion of investigative mystics
– a population of contemplatives I dearly identify with. Read: Zen and the Birds of Appetite
St. Merton, protect us from justifying our
ignorance about other faiths.
Teach us to find beauty and
meaning in paradox.
Padmasambhava: A (legendary?) 8th-century Indian monk, Padmasambhava introduced Buddhism into Tibet. As the mythos goes, he encountered many fierce demons (see: Bon) in this campaign; but rather than destroy, damn, or exercise the demons, he essentially converted them to Buddhism. In my mind, this represents the highest soteriology. Do we believe that “demons” (e.g. destructive people, bits of ourself, primal desires) are categorically damned? Or is redemption available and open to all living beings? Our answer to that says more about our prejudice than it does about Divine grace. After all, real saints do not slay dragons; they ride them. Read: Natural Liberation
St. Padmasambhava, protect us from
concepts of salvation that misdiagnose a
part of us as permanently bent or sinful.
Teach us to domesticate our inner demons
rather than waste our life trying to
surgically remove our shadow.
Rumi: A beloved 13th-century Sufi mystic, Rumi is perhaps the world’s best-known spiritual poet. It’s difficult to explain why I admire him so much, but here’s a shot: There is a certain point on the spiritual path where the little self is unconditionally absorbed by the Divine (known a thousand names, or by no name). Where some mystics then strive to step out
of the illusory world, Rumi turned and dove in
to it, face first. The result? Experiencing this life as rich, sensual art in the mind of God. Oh that I could one day know the world the way he knew it. Read: The Essential Rumi
St. Rumi, protect us from a cheap Gnosticism
that dismisses this world as profane.
Teach us the folly of frantically searching for the
jeweled necklace that peacefully hangs around our neck.
Angulimala: A sadistic murderer in 4th-century India, Angulimala was notorious in that he wore a bloody garland of his victim’s fingers around his neck. He had murdered 999 victims and was seeking to kill his mother as the 1000th when he was instead intercepted by the Buddha. Angulimala tried to strike him down but, after the Buddha displayed a miracle and questioned his unnerved attacker, Angulimala yielded and became a monk. As a bloody-handed murderer turned saint, he is perhaps the one I hold most dear on this list (distantly comparable to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes). Read: Angulimala Sutta
of the Majjhima Nikaya
St. Angulimala, protect us from our
capacity to inflict violence – both physical and psychological – on others.
And if we falter, teach us to stop
locking our identity in the remorseful prison of our
flawed past decisions, and teach us to
extend that same grace to others.
Johnny Depp: Ok, this one is a little more lighthearted. But seriously, I think he’s brilliant. He models what it means to unreservedly become something. I think he wholeheartedly embraces his roles, and that constantly inspires me. I also admire his mystique, his eccentricity. See: Anything he’s been in, but especially Into the Woods, Sweeny Todd, or any of the Pirates of the Caribbean
movies.
St. Johnny, protect us from being normal.
Teach us to truthfully embrace the
roles we play.
WHO ARE YOUR PATRON SAINTS?
Comment below and let me know: Who are your top three patron saints? Who’s legacy do you follow? What key figures do you feel a special connection to in your faith, profession, or overall mission here on earth?
Click here
to download a brief contemplative exercise to help you identify your personal patron saints.
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