Our Best Friends

What if the saints are not distant figures from another age, but living friends in Christ who still pray for the Church and help lead us to holiness?

In Our Best Friends: The Saints, Their Intercession, and the Christian Life, Rev. Benjamin J. Stern offers a rich and inviting exploration of the communion of saints for readers who want both theological depth and spiritual encouragement. Drawing from Scripture, the life of the early Church, and the broader Christian tradition, this book shows that devotion to the saints is not a distraction from Jesus Christ, but one of the ways the Church learns to live more fully in him. The saints are not worshiped, nor do they replace Christ. They are the fruits of his grace, the witnesses of his kingdom, and loving companions who strengthen us by their example and intercession.

This book explores the biblical foundations of sanctity, the communion of saints, martyrdom, relics, holy memory, the incarnation, and the many different ways the Gospel takes flesh in human lives. It also addresses difficult questions with honesty and care: disputed saints across traditions, canonization, historical uncertainty, and how Christians can honor the saints without superstition or exaggeration. Above all, this is a pastoral book meant not only to inform, but to inspire. It invites readers to see the saints not merely as figures to admire, but as friends who encourage us to follow Christ more faithfully, suffer more hopefully, and become saints ourselves.