The main appeal however is that it supposedly presents a generous heaping of certified saints, an area that I have formerly explored only haphazardly. This brings to mind a reflection by my old friend Al Schroeder: In days of yore, people studied hagiology, while these days we study criminology. He did not see that as an improvement, and neither do I.
In the introduction are these encouraging words: "If we were more familiar with the saints, we too might become more faithful, more loving, more Christian." Wouldn't that be nice. I assume however that they did not have that effect on everyone who was exposed to them, considering the large proportion of them who were brutally killed.
Still, I like the idea that the Light is somehow becoming... if not amplified, then at least made more accessible, by its passing through certain people. I have experienced this even with the living, but I am still no closer to knowing what qualifies one person to mediate light or grace for a specific other person. Still, it seems worth a look.
