"Looking at the lives of the saints we see their heroism, extraordinary virtue, profound intimacy with our Lord. They can seem distant, if not in time and place, then certainly in experience and stature. A common misunderstanding is to think of them as the fortunate few, almost as if they won the divine lottery. When we read of St. Paul running his race, we, the spiritual hoi polloi, run the danger of contenting ourselves with observer status in this...