Rejoice in the Catholic Faith

Saint

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also, Saint, Saints, the Saints, saint,

abbreviation: "St."

A saint is

  • a “holy one”
  • someone in heaven
  • a model Christian
  • an intercessor

"Sainthood" refers to status as a Saint

Saint overview

  • someone "who leads a life in union with God through the grace of Christ and receives the reward of eternal life” (CCC Glossary)
  • and a "model" Christian and "intercessor" (CCC 828)
    • Saints may intercede to the Lord on our behalf
  • also, members of the Church are "saints" (CCC 823)

Characteristics of Saints

St. Paul's qualifications for sainthood
Criteria Check
Holiness ✓
Model of Christian Life ✓
Teacher of the Church ✓
Intercessor ✓
Miracles ✓
Martyrdom ✓
  • Saints have all or some of the following characteristics or acts:
    • "holiness" (acting like and by the standards of God and under God's Grace)
    • a model or noteworthy Christian life
    • a teacher of the Church
    • conducted (a) miracle(s) in life or through intercession (i.e. after death, interceded on behalf of someone who prayed in their name)
    • intercessor to the Lord
    • martyrdom (dying for God)

Early Christians

  • early Christians considered the martyrs saints, as they were certain to be with God for their allegiance and sacrifice to the Lord:
    • they were known as "saints for sure"
    • and their death dates, burial sites and remains became the focus of worship
    • the closer to the "relic" of a saint the closer to God

Criteria for Sainthood: canonization

  • the title "Saint" is for someone "canonized" by the Church:
    • = declared and holder of the "Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven" by the Pope
      • i.e., Saints are declared to be in Heaven
      • (note: the Church never declares that anyone is in Hell or Purgatory)
“The solemn declaration by the Pope that a deceased member of the faithful may be proposed as a model and intercessor to the Christian faithful and venerated as a saint on the basis of the fact that the person lived a life of heroic virtue or remained faithful to God through martyrdom” (CCC Glossary)

Prayer to the Saints

  • Saints are examples
    • to admire
    • to follow
    • to adopt
  • Saints are intercessors
    • which is why we pray to the Saints to intercede to God on our behalf
    • ex. From the Confiteor (“I confess…”):
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, 
all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God
  • see Intercession entry for more
  • Saints were chosen and sanctified by God
    • so we honor God by honoring the Saints
  • The "Golden Legend", a 13th century book on the saints, originally called Legenda sanctorum ("Reading of the Saints") explained six reasons why we should honor the Saints
  • From Vol 6 entry on "The Feast of all Hallows" ("All Saints")
  1. When we honor ("worship") the Saints, we honor (worship) God who sanctified the Saints:
The first is, for the honour of the divine majesty, for when we do worship the saint or saints, we worship God in his saints, and say that he is marvellous in them. For who that doth honour to saints, he honoureth him specially which hath sanctified them.
  1. To honor the Saints so that they may pray for our health:
The second is to have aid in our infirmity, for by ourselves we may have none health, therefore have we need of the prayers of saints, and therefore we ought to honour them, that we may deserve that they aid and help us.
  1. To increase our "surety" (state of peace, security"):
The third cause is for the augmentation of our surety, that is to say for the glory that is purposed in us; in their solemnity our hope and surety be augmented and increased. And if mortal men and dead might thus be enhanced by their merits, it is truth that the might and puissance shall nothing thereby be minished ne lessed.
  1. As examples to follow, especially to focus on heavenly and not "earthly things":
The fourth for the example of us following. For when the feast is remembered, we be called to ensue and follow them. So that by the example of them we despise all earthly things, and desire celestial things.
  1. To partake of the Heaven they enjoy while we are here on earth:
The fifth is for the debt of interchanging neighbourhood, for the saints make of us feast in heaven. For the angels of God and the holy souls have joy and make feast in heaven of a sinner that doth penance, and therefore it is right when they make of us feast in heaven, that we make feast of them in earth.
  1. To be made worthy of honor by honoring the Saints:
The sixth is for the procuration of our honour, for when we honour the saints we procure our honour, for their solemnity is our dignity, for when we worship our brethren we worship ourselves, for charity maketh all to be common, and our things be celestial, earthly and perdurable. 

quotations from Golden Legend, Vol 6

The "Communion of Saints"

  • in the Creeds we profess "the communion of saints"
    • the "communion of saints" = the Church
      • it also means the Saints in Heaven who
"do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus"(CCC 956)

Celebration of Saints:

  • Feast days are the day of their death, called their "heavenly birthday"
    • sometimes, the date may be changed, depending on other Feasts and liturgical (worship) celebrations
      • ex. Saint Thomas More's feast day is June 22, while he was martyred on July 5 for refusing to take an oath proclaiming the King of England, Henry VIII, head of the Church in England (i.e. breaking with the Catholic Church)
      • he was beheaded on July 6, but his Feast day was set initially for July 9 (?), then moved to June 22 to align with the martyrdom of his fellow champion of the Church, Saint John Fisher, who was martyred on June 22 for the same reasons as St. Thomas More.
  • Saint symbols are related to their charism and/or means of death, such as:
    • St. Roch is depicted with a Pilgrim's staff and/or a wound on his thigh
    • Saint Thomas more was beheaded, so one of his symbols is double-headed axe
  • Saints may be "patrons" or protectors, symbols for, or representative of a cause, profession, illness, body part, etc.
    • St. Roch, patron saint of dogs, the plague, and invalids, (among things)
      • because after curing the sick, he became sick himself and retreated to the woods, where a dog brought him food and healed his wounds by licking them

Icons of Saints

  • Saints are generally represented by certain emblems or symbols, indicating:
    • their particular charism or vocation
      • a profession, a miraculous act
        • such as St. Blaise who cured a child of a deadly throat illness
      • the means or method of martyrdom
        • such as St. Thomas More, who's symbol, a two-headed axe, is how he was killed

Relics of Saints

>> to do

Sources

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