A few years ago I discovered St. Thérèse de Lisieux (The Little Flower) through her book Story of a Soul.  I fell in love with her “little way” and her desire for the vocation of love.  Since then, I notice her showing up in my life in various ways.  Sometimes, it’s very subtle, like noticing a small flower in the grass.  Other times, it’s more obvious that she has been an influence in my life, even before I knew who she was.

I haven’t piloted an aircraft for several years.  When I was actively flying, I did have some close calls.  Suffice it to say that some of those incidents could have had disastrous consequences.  I refuse to call it luck.  I was being watched over.  I sensed it.  Naturally, I thanked God for protecting me (and whoever else was involved).  Only more recently have I had the awareness that, through God, others were also pulling for me.

There were loved ones on Earth and in Heaven who were praying for me.  The book of Hebrews tells of the “great cloud of witnesses” that surrounds us.  The saints that have gone before us reside within the heart and mind of God and intercede for us through the singular mediation of Jesus Christ.  I was being prayed for.  The family of God, the Communion of Saints, was praying for me through Jesus.  Today, one of those prayer warriors was revealed to me.

I was briefly skimming through a book about saints before taking it downstairs to put on the shelf.  I just happened to open it up to the page that lists the patron saints of various professions.  I wasn’t even looking for anything in particular.  If I would have been looking, I would have looked alphabetically under “Pilots.”  Instead, my eyes just happened to fall upon the words “Air Crews.”  One of the patron saints of air crews listed there was Thérèse de Lisieux.  Thank you, Little Flower.