Saints like Chesterton?

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Elijah_Baley

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In discerning a vocation, I’m stuck trying to figure out whether or not I should have a name of religion. (I’m pretty far along on the process, so far as it goes, with the application process already started.)

Unfortunately, Chesterton is not a saint. Is there any canonized saint whose personality was somewhat like Chesterton? (Nearest I get is Nicholas, who punched Arius and apologized afterwards, and also is noted for generosity.)
 
Actually, we don’t know if Chesterton is a saint. It is certainly plausible he is in heaven, which makes him a Saint. He has just never been declared a Saint by the Catholic Church.

I know of many Catholics who use Chesterton in apologetics. I use him constantly in my own life and with the youth of our Church. I have also found Chesteton’s reasoning to be extremely useful when discussing the faith with those that are not Catholic.

I’m sorry that I cannot answer your direct question of a declared Saint that is like Chesterton, but I do want to say that he is a great example for us in many ways.

You may want to look into St. Augustine…especially read his auto-biography, Confessions of St. Augustine. You will find he was a deep thinker who originally denied the faith. But, eventually logic and reasoning (as well as the endless prayers of his mother) led him to realize that the Catholic Church was the only Church.

I hope this helps!
 
By your preferences for St. Nicholas and Chesterton, I presume you’re looking for a bold, uncompromising, perhaps soldier-like Saint? There are so many! Here are some that come to mind off the top of my head…

St. Germanus led the Britons into an “Alleluia charge” againts the Picts in battle. Their cry of “Alleluia” was so shaking that the Picts dropped all they had and ran away naked without a drop of blood being shed.

St. Michael the Archangel of course, by the power of God, cast Satan and his rebelious angels into Hell.

St. John the Baptist, “the voice crying out in the desert”. Was certainly uncompromising and paved the way for Christ. Boldly crying out against the sins of society. “There hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist”.

Sts. Peter and Paul (No explanation needed.) Of course, St. Peter also rather boldly defended Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Sts. James and John were full of evangelical zeal. Christ refers to them as the “Sons of Thunder”.

St. Pope Pius X was a strong voice against error and modernism.

The 25 Saints and martyrs of the Cristero Counter-Revolution very boldly defended, fought for, and died for the church.

God Bless you in the pursuit of your religious vocation! I’ll be sure to pray for you.
 
I believe the story about St. Nicholas punching Arius is apocryphal.

Anyway, I don’t know of any lay-apologist saints with a spirituality distinctly resembling that of Chesterton and Belloc (at least as far as it’s reflected in their writings.)

There are various reasons why a canonization of Chesterton is unlikely, at least in our lifetimes. But I don’t think the lack of an obvious saint is necessarily a black mark on the sort of positive lay spirituality such as is reflected in Chesterton’s writings.

It’s true that in the last few decades there has been a concerted effort to canonize more laypeople as saints in order to emphasize the universal call to holiness. This is fine of course and very much in line with the current pastoral emphasis of the Church, but ultimately it does not change the fact that a lay vocation is simply inferior to a religious or priestly vocation.

This is not an insult against laypeople. I’m a layperson, as are most Catholics. A person called to a lay vocation should not aspire to a higher state of life to which he or she is not called. Better a chaste husband than a licentious priest, as St. Thomas More said (there’s a saint bordering on a Chestertonian spirit, and a married layman). But it should come as no surprise if those Christians who have been recognized as heroes of our faith mostly come from the elite ranks of those called to a higher vocation of extraordinary ministry and the living of all three evangelical councils.

Some people are called to “thank God for Burgundy by not drinking too much of it.” Others are called to give up such worldly pleasures entirely for the sake of the kingdom of God. Those called to the more affirmative, more secular vocation must not disdain it and feel resentful because it is lower than a more ascetical vocation, nor should we pridefully (or condescendingly, in the case of priests and religious) insist on thinking of higher vocations as being on the same plain as lower ones.
 
Uncompromising, yes, but what about cheer also? The slap-on-the-back at a pub, the friend-of-Wells-and-Shaw, the true ecumenist?
 
How about St. Jerome? Its been a very long time since I have read any of his writings, but what I remember is that he did not suffer fools gladly and often tore into his opponents, particularly heretics. He was a fun saint to read. 🙂
 
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