Who or What is a Saint?

In the New Testament St. Paul calls every living member of the Body of Christ (i.e. the church) a "saint". Addressing the church at Ephesus he writes: "you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God..." (Ephesians 2:19). Paul called every member of the church a "saint" because each had been consecrated (i.e. made holy) to God by baptism, and sanctified by the presence of the Holy Spirit. But as time when on Paul came to realize that not everyone that was consecrated to Christ through baptism actually lived a holy life. Hence sometimes rather than call all his readers saints, he used a more cautious phrase, "called to be saints" (Romans 1:1, 1 Cor. 1:2).

Gradually, the term "saint" was reserved for those who had actually lived very holy lives on earth and had gone on to eternal glory in heaven. "By and large we do not know for sure who is in heaven, though we do presume that a person who lived a good and holy life on earth is in heaven or safely on the way to heaven through purgatory. Occasionally someone's holiness is so evident that the church will, after careful investigation, 'canonize' a person as a saint. This is in effect an affirmation that the person is surely in heaven, and deserves to be venerated and invoked." (The Catholic Vision, Edward O'Connor C.S.C.).

In Catholic Tradition saints (canonized and uncanonized) are our family heroes and heroines. They are men and women who had a very single minded devotion to God and the things of God. They are people who witnessed in their lives Gospel values to an extraordinary degree.

"Communion of Saints"

In the Apostles Creed we find the words: "We believe...in the communion of saints..." The phrase "the communion of the saints" refers to the bond of unity, which exists between all the members of the Body of Christ, those still alive, those in purgatory and those in heaven. When Catholics profess their faith in "the communion of the saints" they are professing their unity with all the followers of Christ, living and deceased. At the transfiguration Jesus demonstrated to Peter, James and John how the "saints" of the Old Covenant, Moses and Elijah were still alive (Luke 9:28-36). In that event Jesus showed that the "veil" that separates the "saints" on earth from those who have died physically is rather a thin one.

Traditional Catholic theology has called the saints still on earth the "church militant" (the church that is still fighting the good fight of faith), those in purgatory the "Church suffering" (those being purified of sin) and those in heaven the "church triumphant." These are not three distinct churches. Rather they all belong to what we call "the communion of saints" . St. Paul says: "all who belong to Christ, having his Spirit, form one church and cleave together in him" (Ephesians 4:16.) The Vatican II document on The Church states: "the union of the wayfarers with the brothers and sisters who have gone to sleep in Christ is not in the least interrupted" (art. 49). So part of Catholic belief is that a spiritual relationship exists between all the members of the Body of Christ living and dead. The saints in heaven pray for us, we seek their intercession. We pray for each other and for the souls in purgatory (see my article on The Last Things, for Catholic belief about purgatory).

"Patron Saints"

A "patron" saint is one with whom we have a special kinship to because we are named after him/her, and/or because we feel a special attachment to him/her because of the spirituality or ministry they had while they lived on earth. Until the fairly recent past it was customary for Catholics to name their newborn child after the name of some saint. Ministries and careers often have a "patron" saint e.g. St. Vincent de Paul (who had a great love for the poor) is the patron saint of charities. St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus is the patron saint of carpenters. Most Catholic churches have a saint's name. Some cities were named after a saint e.g. St. Augustine, St. Louis, San Francisco. Most, if not all Catholic countries have a patron saint e.g. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Every year on Nov. 1st the church celebrates the Feast of All Saints.

The Canonization Process

The canonization process cannot begin until after a saint has been deceased for 5 years. The process begins in the diocese in which the person lives. Someone or a group of people approaches the local bishop and requests that a process is begun. If he agrees to allow the process to proceed, the evidence about the holiness and virtue of the person is gathered and presented to the authorities in the Vatican who are in charge of this area of the church's life. By this time the church has also appointed a "Promoter of the Faith" popularly called a "Devils Advocate" - someone whose task is to question and challenge the evidence of holiness that is presented.

During all this time some people have started to pray to the potential saint, seeking his/her prayers and intercession. If someone receives a miraculous response to prayer (e.g. healing of some incurable disease) as a result of having sought the intercession of a holy person the church authorities are notified of "the miracle". If it can be shown, without reasonable doubt, that a miraculous response to prayer has been granted then the church "beatifies" the person. He/she is called "Blessed". If someone else receives another miraculous response to prayer as a result of praying to the "Blessed" person, then the pope will most likely "canonize" the person a saint of the church in a special ceremony. The church has canonized thousands of saints but only the feast days of about 140 of them appear in our church's liturgical calendar.

Some Limitations of the System.

Most of the church's canonized saints are clerics and religious women. Is this because clerics and religious men and women have some inside track on holiness? Not really. The reason why the church has mainly canonized religious men and women is because they had the big advantage of belonging to a Religious Order who were familiar with the canonization process and had the people-power to promote "their saint". Things always move faster when you "know the system" and have the manpower and expertise to move your case through the necessary channels. Secondly, the church tends to promote and canonize people who reflect her limited and sometimes narrow view of things. For example, for centuries the church believed and taught that the religious unmarried state was superior to the married state. Keeping such a mindset in mind we shouldn't be surprised that the vast majority of her saints are religious and unmarried.

Today the church needs to seek to canonize saints from all walks of life, married, single, social activists, politicians, etc. We need a wide spectrum of saints that will speak to the life of your average Catholic. In the meantime the faithful will continue to canonize by popular acclaim men and women of outstanding holiness e.g. Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, the Catholic church does not canonize non-Catholics simply because such people do not share her beliefs and understanding of the Gospel.

The Halo

The halo surrounding the head of saints in pictures has a pre-Christian history. The Romans and Greeks used it as a symbol of divinity for their gods and goddesses and in particular for Apollo, the sun god. The halo symbol like other Jewish and pagan symbols was adapted by Christians around the 4th century as a sign of sanctity in images and mosaics.

Veneration And Intercession Of The Saints

Veneration and intercession of the saints was something that developed very spontaneously in the early centuries of Christianity. It was first given to martyrs - the first people to be called "saints". Martyrs were regarded as perfect Christians. They lived heroic lives of virtue and then they died a violent death like Jesus their Master. Most of these people were considered saints while they were still alive (like Mother Teresa). When they died the faithful continued to honor them by visiting their graves and praying there, building churches near their graves and celebrating the anniversary of their martyrdom.

Then the church began to hold up these holy men and women as inspiring models of Christian virtue. They were admired, loved and venerated for their holy lives and for the way they were willing to die a cruel death rather than deny their Master. Gradually the faithful not only venerated and honored their holy martyrs, but also started to seek their prayers and help. Etched on the walls of the catacombs in the early centuries we find words that said: "Vincent you are in Christ. Pray for Phoebe."

But isn't Jesus our one and only mediator?

Non-Catholics think that when we ask the saints to intercede for us that we are being unbiblical since Tim 2:5 states that Christ is the only mediator between God and ourselves. Catholics believe with other Christians that Jesus is our only mediator before God, but Catholics also believe that all the members of the Body of Christ, living and dead, share in the intercessory ministry of Jesus. On earth we do not hesitate to ask our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ to pray for us and for our needs. Why should we hesitate to ask our brothers and sisters who are in heaven, and much closer to God than we are, to pray for us and intercede on our behalf!

When other members of the Body of Christ (here or beyond) pray for us, they do not pray in isolation from Christ. Rather they pray in Christ. In 1 Cor. 12:27 St. Paul tells us: "you then are the Body of Christ. Everyone of you are a member of it." Each and every prayer is made to the Father through the whole Christ - both the head and members. What a consolation to know that we have available to us, not only an earthly family of intercessors, but also a heavenly family of intercessors, all joined to Christ through baptism, pleading our cause before the throne of God. How foolish we would be not to ask these holy ones of God, in heaven to pray for us in and with Christ.

Wording of Prayers, A Potential Problem.

Catholics usually pray to the saints, or to state it more accurately, ask the saints to pray for us. When a non-Catholic reads some of these prayers he/she may have a problem with them because they often imply that the saint (or Mary the Mother of Jesus) is the one who is the source of spiritual blessings and has the power to release or withhold them. Despite the sometimes poor choice of words the intent is never to imply that anyone other than God is the source of all spiritual blessing and that anyone other than Jesus is our sole mediator before God. Prayers created by the church since Vatican Council II in honor of Mary and the saints are much more carefully worded.

Relics, Images, Medals & Statues.

Relics

In Catholic tradition, a relic is something that has been closely associated with a saint during his/her life on earth, e.g. a particle of the bone. From the earliest days of Christianity, Christians expressed great respect and honor for the remains of the martyrs and holy people. This was a very human response. We do it ourselves by retaining keepsakes of loved ones who have died.

In early Christianity there was also a spiritual reason for wanting to keep and have a relic of a saint. Miracles often happened to those who came into contact with the remains of deceased saints. This shouldn't surprise us when we consider the fact that people were healed by touching the outer garments of Jesus (Mk. 5:25-34.) Also in the Acts of the Apostles we read how exorcisms and healings occurred when people touched handkerchiefs or aprons of Paul's body and brought them to the sick (Acts 9:11-12).

One important cautionary note is to realize that relics in and of themselves contain no powers. God and God alone is the source of all healing and blessing. But in his infinite wisdom he can and does sometimes choose to release to us his touch through a person or thing.

Images, Medals & Statues.

Images, medals and statues are all tangible reminders to us of the heroes and heroines of our Catholic family in heaven. Catholic use of such things is similar to a family's use of pictures and other remembrances of a departed loved one. Catholics do not believe that statues, images or medals have any spiritual power in and of themselves. When we kneel in prayer before statues we are not worshiping them. We are merely using a physical reminder of the saint to aid us in our prayer. Catholics wear medals of a saint just like we carry pictures in our wallet of a family member. Also we hope that the prayers of the saint will protect us from harmful and evil ways.

Is Catholic Devotion to the Saints in Decline?

Catholics do not pray as much to the saints today as they did before Vatican Council II. At the Council the bishops of our church called on Catholics to develop a spirituality that is both Christ-centered and biblical. Also since Vatican II the church has placed new emphasis on the humanity of Christ (how he is like us) to balance out the pre-Vatican II emphasis on the divinity of Christ (how he is different from us).

During an era when the divinity of Christ was only stressed, Catholics looked more to Mary and the saints because they seemed more human and like themselves. With the rediscovery of the humanity of Christ, Catholics find it easier to go straight to Jesus rather than going to him through his "inner circle." But of course it is not a question of either going to Jesus or the saints. We can and should go directly to Jesus with our needs and also ask the saints, and of course each other here on earth, to pray for us. It is a question of seeking the help of the Whole Christ, head (Jesus) and members (those here on earth and those who have gone to the other side).

Every Christian is Called to be a Saint.

In the past the church often gave the impression that only clerics and religious and especially those living in monasteries were called to a life of holiness. Today the church stresses that "Jesus, the divine teacher...preached holiness of life to each and every one of his disciples, regardless of their situation in life" (Vatican II, document on The Church, Art. 40).

How do we become holy?

We become holy by prayer, love and fidelity to one's state in life and by developing a single-minded attitude for God and the values of God.

Prayer. Jesus and the saints were all people of prayer. Through a life of regular and honest prayer they allowed their lives to be constantly renewed and transformed by the radiant love of God. Without prayer we can be nice people and good human beings. But we cannot be holy people i.e. people who image the love and presence of Christ in our world. Perhaps the two most important ingredients of an effective prayer life are honesty and perseverance. Honesty in prayer involves talking and listening to God about the real stuff in our lives; e.g., our hurts, anger, finances, sexuality, relationships, fears, etc. Perseverance is the virtue that will help us when we want to quit praying. Most people quit prayer or resort to rote prayer when the well of our prayer life runs dry.

Love. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment he answered, love of God, neighbor and self. The great Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross once said that "in the evening of your life you will be judged on love" i.e. on the care and compassion we have for one another. If prayer is the vertical dimension of Christianity, then loving and caring for others is the horizontal dimension. A prayer life that doesn't lead to a life of love and care for others is a false prayer life. Prayer and love are two sides of the same coin. True prayer helps us to be better lovers and living a life of love gives substance and realness to our prayer. The poet Samuel Coleridge once wrote:

As followers of Christ we must have a special place in our hearts for the sick and the poor because Jesus had a special love for the sick, the outcast and those who lived on the fringe of society.

Fidelity to one's state in life. Thirdly, we become holy when we faithfully and lovingly carry out the duties of our state in life both our vocation (married, single or religious) and career. The married person becomes holy by being a faithful and loving spouse and caring parent and by being an honest and faithful worker inside or outside the home. The single person becomes holy by fulfilling his/her duties and by using well his/her spare time to serve others. The priest and religious (sisters and brothers) become holy by fulfilling faithfully their pastoral duties. We can be sure we are not on the road to holiness, no matter how much praying we do, if we are neglecting the duties of our state in life. Many Christians forget that in carrying out faithfully and lovingly the duties of their state in life - changing nappies, cooking breakfast, doing desk work, politicking, building houses, caring for a loved one - they are doing the very thing that will help them to be a saint.

Singlemindedness

Invariably great athletes achieve their success because of the singleminded devotion they give to their particular sport. Everything else in their lives revolves around their training. Saints are people who are singleminded in their devotion to God and the values of his Kingdom. Everything else takes second place. They hunger and thirst for God and the things of God. They seek to see God in all things and to see all things in God.

Baptized persons realize their potential when they become a saint, canonized or uncanonized. Let us pray that we do not lose heart but persevere in keeping our eyes on Jesus and his values.

©Fr. Eamon Tobin