November 11.  November is the month for All Saints when we focus on the communion of saints, which we hope includes many of us still here on earth. Today’s saint is St Martin of Tours, who was a bishop but had always loved the poor and even cut his army cloak in half to give to a poor beggar freezing in the cold.  It can be valuable and exciting for families to explore the lives of more recent saints and martyrs and what we can learn from them.  Josh shared, “I’m a great fan of Mother St Theresa of Calcutta. She really was a mother figure in her own special way.”   Zanele shared, “One of my favourites is little Kizito, the youngest of the Uganda martyrs. He was only 14 and absolutely on fire with love for Jesus when he was burnt to death as part of a group of 22 young men. Whose loss or whose gain were they all I wonder!”  

In every generation wisdom passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God and prophets, for God loves nothing so much as the man who lives with wisdom.  Wisdom 7:22 – 8:1 Pope Francis: The great men and women of God were great intercessors.   We can say that God’s heart is touched by our intercession, yet in reality he is always there first.  What our intercession achieves is that his power, his love and his faithfulness are shown ever more clearly in the midst of the people. EG 283.  Reflect, share, act and pray