Response Essay - The Saints of the Church They have lived as hermits in the desert, denied themselves of food and sleep, and battled devils and demons. Others have experienced the stigmata, levitated, or even in one specific case, have flown. Some of these individuals were born into very wealthy families, while others were born into poor and modest homes. They have achieved all of this through the grace of God. So who are these individuals? They are the saints of the Catholic Church. They are the men and women who laid the foundation of stewardship and insight for the church to come.I have learned a great deal about the Saints of the Catholic Church. Coming from a Protestant background, I knew very little about any of these individuals, nor did I ever really care about their missions or what they endured. This class has given me incredible insight to the lives of these astonishing individuals. For example, I learned that St. Anthony never took a bath. St. Francis of Assisi talked to animals and is believed to be the first person to experience the stigmata. St. Joseph of Cupertino is believed to have been able to fly.There were two saints that struck me as being rather odd. The first of these is Simon Stylites. He lived and preached from a 60-foot pillar for 40 years. As a result, his skin was exposed to all types of weather. He developed sores in which flies would lay their eggs and thus he developed maggots. When these maggots would fall out, he would instruct someone to place them back within his sores. He would die on this pillar at the age of 69. Simon Stylites provides inspiration and devotion to my very own life. I will probably never live on a pillar or develop maggots within my sores, but by following his example, I may be taught how to persevere. The second of these saints that stuck me as being rather odd is Catherine of Sienna. She began having visions at age 6 and slept on a board, while using a stone...
