Many of us have family and friends serving in the military.  We often feel helpless because our loved ones are so far away and we fear for their health and safe return. During these times of sadness or frustration we need only to turn to our faith in God.

Because of our faith, we pray to God for our family and friends in the military during these difficult times. We can also invoke the help of the saints in heaven to pray to the Lord our God for our loved ones who are in the service. These great saints, who lived on this earth just as we do now, and suffered the same turmoil we face, were victorious in living their life in accordance with God’s will. Certain Catholic saints that are associated with specific situations in life are referred to as patron saints. These patron saints intercede to God for us. We can take our special needs to them and know they will listen to our prayers, and pray to God with us. Two saints considered to be patron saints of those in the military are St. Michael and St Christopher.

St Michael was the leader of the army of God during the Lucifer uprising. We pray that St Michael will “defend us in battle and be are safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. “

St Christopher, which means Christ bearer, is considered to be the patron saint of travelers. He was a man of great size and strength.

A great gift idea for those in the military- the army, the navy, the marines or the air force,  would be a St Michael or St Christopher medal. Wearing these medals honors and reveres the patron saints and reminds the wearer of the saint’s sacrifices and victories over the temporal world. The medals give courage to those who wear them, and they also give a sense of security and protection that the “church triumphant” is praying for their health and safety.

We ask these two great saints to intercede for us to God the Almighty for the protection of our loved ones in the military.