WHY NOT YOU?

October 29, 2006

The sources of Christianity are found in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, and for that reason there is always a temptation, in seeking to follow him, to slavishly imitate what is of secondary importance while missing the heart of being like him. Those who try to imitate Jesus too rigidly soon become keenly aware of how much like Jesus they are NOT. Then, discouragement often sets in, and the danger arises of abandoning the Christian way altogether, because it seems to require that we become what we are not, repress in an unhealthy way what we are. We can avoid this by seeing the many ways in which others have imitated and followed Jesus through the ages. I'm speaking, of course, of the saints.

The saints were all so different in their personalities and backgrounds, and they all expressed their holiness in very different ways. Some practiced great renunciation of worldly pleasure and disciplined their bodies through severe penances. Others were great teachers and writers or great leaders who revolutionized their times. Some lived in the glow of public attention and prominence; others lived in the shadow of complete obscurity and solitude. Some were already acclaimed as saints in their lifetimes, others were overlooked or ignored until long after their death. Some died a martyr's death for their faith, others seemed to have known only respect and reverence. Some died young, some old. Some were married, many were not. Some turned away from sin in their early years, some did not turn seriously to God until the evening of their life. Some went to the ends of the earth, others found the secret to holiness in their own back yard. Some left remarkable spiritual writings, others left not a word. Some achieved the highest ecclesiastical offices, others lived on the outskirts of the community. Some had many followers, others had none.

What is a saint? Within the Catholic Church, a saint, strictly speaking, is one who is officially recognized as a person who lived a holy life and is now in heaven with God.

The classic tests of a person's saintliness are twofold. First, bring the person must have demonstrated holiness of life and heroic virtue. Second, to this position miracles and wonders resulting through the intercessory prayer to the saint must be established, although these in themselves are not sufficient to determine a person's sanctity. More generally, a saint is anyone who lived a devout life and who therefore may be presumed to have gained eternal life and to be with God. St. Paul, in fact, used the word "saint" to refer to all the Christian faithful (cf. 2 Cor 13:12; Eph 1:1). In this sense, there have been countless more saints in the Church's history than those whose names appear in her calendar.

The process by which someone is declared a saint passes through three stages. First the person is declared venerable. Then he or she is beatified and is called Blessed. Third, the person is formally canonized and declared a saint, meaning definitively declared to be in heaven. Once a person is canonized, a feast day is assigned and churches may be given the saint's name. The saint's relics may be venerated (relics being the saint's bodily remains, or things the saint used or touched during his/her lifetime). Prayers may be offered publicly in the saint's honor. Statues and other images of the saint may be made and placed in churches. The saint may be declared patron of a religious institute, diocese, or country. Mass may be celebrated in the saint's honor.

What is veneration? It is the high form of reverence paid to the saints. Their veneration is a way of expressing one of the Church's doctrines, namely, the communion of saints. The thrust of this doctrine is that communion with God establishes communion also with everyone else who is in communion with him, namely, the other saints including the baptized on earth.

The faithful pray to God through the saints. They ask for the saints' intercession with God on their behalf. Any favors granted in answer to their prayer are understood as having come from God's power, not the saints'. Veneration of the saints amounts to praise to God in thanksgiving for their holiness, since it is a matter of faith that holiness is impossible without the help of God's grace. Holiness, then, is something God accomplishes in us. Our part is to dispose ourselves to allow God to complete his work of salvation and sanctification in us.

The saints, most simply, were people who encountered Jesus Christ and determined to follow him. By their wonderful variety, they show that following Jesus Christ is open to all classes, genders, races, and kinds of people. There are as many ways of following Christ as there are saints. At the same time, by what they have in common, the saints show us the soul and secret of all sanctity: knowledge and love of God, and imitation of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

"If these men and these women could become saints, why not me?" Why not you?

+Bishop Raymundo J. Peña

last updated 05-Jun-2008 9:48 sitemap