Inside stories

Some may have noticed that I like to post short stories about saints, following the liturgical calendar.

Some may have also noticed that I like to present these stories somewhat in the style of radio commentator Paul Harvey's famous “The Rest of the Story” segments.

My intent (as I’m sure it has been for Mr. Harvey) is to present the stories of these people’s lives in ways that seem more fresh, immediate, and relevant to our own lives.

Saints and other historical figures often seem too far off and irrelevant to the challenges we face here and now. For many, they are just two-dimensional figures, devoid of life and humanity.

Yet we have much to learn from history, from the life experience of those who have gone before us, and most especially from the saints, whose imitations of Christ give us an ever-richer understanding of the same Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we too seek to imitate.

(Besides, some of these are just great stories – despite my own shortcomings as a storyteller. The literary parallels go far beyond Paul Harvey. The story of St. Vincent de Paul being captured by pirates recalls Robert Louis Stevenson [although I avoided the word “pirate,” which too often evokes cartoonish images of Long John Silver]. The story of Wenceslaus’ murderous royal family could have been told by Shakespeare. The story of Lorenzo Ruiz, an innocent man being caught up in intrigues of murder and horror, recalls the movies of Alfred Hitchcock and the books of Steven King. If I had more time, discipline, and skill, I might have consciously crafted these stories to reflect those literary genres, but alas I do not.)