From Good to Better
Almost immediately after Pope Francis announced his intention to canonize Blessed Junipero Serra—the priest who founded a number of missions in modern-day California in the early 18 th century—a veritable firestorm of criticism began. One of the most recent voices to weigh in is Ricardo Lara, a California state senator who wants to remove Serra’s statue from the U.S. Capital’s National Statuary Hall , citing that the Franciscan Friar was "too controversial." The statue of Bl. Junipero Serra in National Statuary Hall. President Obama’s recent comments about the Crusades at the National Prayer Breakfast , the ongoing debate about Serra, and even the celebration of Saints Cyril and Methodius (along with the Saint Valentines... yes, Valentines ) on February 14 have led me to reflect on how we view the saints and what they should and could mean for us. In a recent editorial on this theme in America Magazine , Fr. James Martin, S.J., wrote: Canonization does n...