Thomas Jacobi – How Saints Die by Fr. Antonio Maria Sicari on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor
How Saints Die: 100 Stories of Hope is more about how to live than how to die. With Ignatius Press editor, Thomas Jacobi, we discuss life and death, and the challenges of living a life which strives for holiness. We discuss how the saints are great beacons of hope for the world and our essential companions for the spiritual journey.
As Thomas Jacobi will says in our conversation:
“Each Saint is a unique revelation actually of the personality of God, in Christ. Each Saint is so different and each saint reveals something new that we didn’t or couldn’t see before about Christ, about God. And that’s why it’s so important to get to know the saints. They reveal to us who God is in a fresh and exciting way. So I would encourage people to pick up this book for that reason.”
We would agree with Thomas!
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
* How does viewing death as “the moment when death itself dies” transform your understanding of eternal life in Christ?
* In what ways do the saints’ final moments reveal the depth of their love and trust in God?
* How can reflecting on the deaths of the saints help you confront your own fears about mortality?
* What does it mean for death to be “the supreme act of one’s life,” as described in the conversation?
* How might you unite your daily sufferings to Christ’s Passion, as the saints did?
* Which saint’s story from this discussion most inspires you to live with greater hope and surrender?
* How does Madeleine Delbrêl’s acceptance of her fear of death challenge your own expectations of faith?
* In what ways can humility, like that shown by St. Dominic and St. Josemaría Escrivá, deepen your spiritual growth?
* How can meditating on the lives and deaths of saints renew your sense of purpose and mission today?
* What does this episode teach you about finding joy—even within suffering—as a sign of union with Christ?
You can find the book
here
From the book description:
“Italian Carmelite Antonio Maria Sicari’s vibrant biographies of saints—from Augustine to Catherine of Siena to Faustina Kowalska—have been read across Europe for decades. In How Saints Die, Sicari turns to the most difficult challenge in the life of a Christian: the hour of death.
What he uncovers in this darkest moment, however, is not desolation, but inexplicable joy. “I have recounted the death of many saints,” he writes, “but all of them have confirmed for me the truth of this ancient Christian intuition: in the death of a saint, it is death that dies!”
With in-depth research and a flair for storytelling, Sicari brings before our eyes the gracious last hours of one hundred men and women—lovers and martyrs, thinkers and workers, ancients and moderns, old men and teens. Included are Kateri Tekakwitha, Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa, Thomas Aquinas, Josephine Bakhita, Jérôme Lejeune, Clare of Assisi, and many more. In each, a new shade of the divine light shines through.
Those seeking insight into the mystery of death and suffering will find in this book not only wisdom, but rich and realistic consolation.“
