We heard these words today: “Jesus Christ...the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth...who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father....”

Yes, we celebrate Christ as our King. But, we also acknowledge that we belong to a priestly and royal people, the Church. We belong to each other. We’re responsible for each other. That’s a great challenge for the pilgrim Church on earth. But, if we think back to the beginning of this month, we also belong to that Church triumphant, the saints in heaven.

That reminds me of an old custom among Catholics—choosing a patron saint for the coming year. (And we’re talking about a Church year that begins on the First Sunday of Advent.) We choose a saint to pray for us and with us as we enter into a new time in our journey to God. Maybe we opt for the saint whose name we were given in baptism or confirmation. Maybe we should check out the patron saint of our occupation or hobby. Or maybe we do something completely random.

Many years ago, we did this as a family. Each of us chose a saint for that year. I don’t remember how I landed on my saint. Did I close my eyes and open up some Lives of the Saints Book? Did I roll dice to get to a year, a week, or a date? Don’t remember. But, I remember the saint: John the Baptist. I dutifully asked his prayers that year. In later years—many later years—he kept popping into my life. My deacon parish in Maryland was St. John the Baptist. My ordination fell on the feast of his Nativity. My mother died on the feast of his martyrdom. As I write these words, I can see his icon on the wall—curiously, with two heads: one on his shoulders, the other on the plate demanded by Herod’s wicked wife.

Maybe it’s time to revive this folk custom in our lives. We have a week to figure it out. Consider choosing a heavenly companion for this year, our link to that priestly kingdom of Jesus Christ our Savior.