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The Reverend Harold A. Linn, Pastor |
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Part II: Identity of the Saints (cont.) |
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According to the Roman Catholic Church (2) How did the Saints Become Saints? When one surveys Roman Catholic official documents to attempt to answer the question "Who are the saints?" one is at best confused and at worst angered. Given the New Testament evidence that we have just examined, which clearly calls all believers in Christ "saints" one is amazed to find most references to "saints" in the Catholic literature directed only to a select group of "super" Christians in heaven. But let the record speak for itself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) defines a saint as "a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord" (CCC 2156). Of the 83 paragraphs in which the word "saints" occurs, the overwhelming majority speak of "saints" as Christians in heaven. The one place where all Christians are clearly called saints is the section "The Church is Holy," where it says, "The Church . . . is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as 'alone holy,' loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her; he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God."[289] The Church, then, is "the holy People of God,"[290] and her members are called "saints."[291] (CCC 823) However, what the CCC gives in this fine Biblical statement is seemingly taken away in a paragraph that follows in the same section. By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God's grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors.[303] "The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church's history."[304] Indeed, "holiness is the hidden source and infallible measure of her apostolic activity and missionary zeal."[305] (CCC 828). This statement immediately restricts the sense of saints again to a select group of exemplary believers already in heaven. "Saints" in this sense is the typical usage in CCC (e.g., 61, 127, 156, 313, 326, 688, 795, 867, 956, 957, 962, 1014, 1021, 1023, 1090, 1161, 1173, 1187, 1192, 1195, 1352, 1370, 1419, 1434, 1471, 1477, 1478, 1577, 1717, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2030, 2043, 2131, 2146, 2162, 2642). At times, CCC clearly distinguishes "saints" from other groups of believers. For example, in paragraph 1187 we read, "The liturgy is the work of the whole Christ, head and body. Our high priest celebrates it unceasingly in the heavenly liturgy, with the holy Mother of God, the apostles, all the saints, and the multitude of those who have already entered the kingdom." Here a distinction is made between "all the saints" and "the multitude of those who have already entered the kingdom." Paragraph 1023, quoting Pope Benedict XII, says, "According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints . . . and other faithful who died after receiving Christ's holy Baptism (provided they were not in need of purification when they died, . . . or, if they then did need or will need some purification, when they have been purified after death, . . .) . . . have been, are and will be in heaven, in the heavenly Kingdom and celestial paradise with Christ, joined to the company of the holy angels. In this quote, a definite distinction is made between "all the saints" and "other faithful who have died." Paragraph 957 makes a clear distinction between Christians on earth and the saints in heaven: "Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ." On the other hand, the same Catechism often gives the impression that all believers, living and dead, are part of the "communion of saints," a phrase that gets good mileage in the CCC. For example, we find this gem in the section on indulgences, sure to make any student of the Reformation wince: "In the communion of saints, 'a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth" (1475). Similar in sentiment is paragraph 1479: "Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted." These passages state that all believers are part of the "communion of saints those already in heaven, those in purgatory, and those Christians on earth. At the very least this is contradictory and confusing. One is still left wondering, "Who are the saints, according to the Roman Catholic Church?" What of other official Roman Catholic documents? I will cite the Council of Trent (1545-1563) in Part III on the function of the saints in heaven. But let it suffice to say here that in its 25th session, the Council of Trent consistently identified saints as those "who reign together with Christ" and "who enjoy eternal happiness in heaven," in other words, as only certain Christians in heaven. What of the documents of Vatican II (1959-1965), the most recent of Roman Catholic ecumenical councils? Lumen Gentium begins with promise with its repeated emphasis of Christians as the holy "people of God." Indeed, the Council declares that, "The Church, whose mystery is being set forth by this Sacred Synod, is believed to be indefectibly holy" (Lumen Gentium, 5.59). However, the same distinctions we saw in CCC (which drew from Vatican II, of course) come out again in the section on "The Pilgrim Church": In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honoured with great respect the memory of the dead;[6] and, "because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins" (2 Mac. 12:46) she offers her suffrages for them. The Church has always believed that the apostles and Christ's martyrs, who gave the supreme witness of faith and charity by the shedding of their blood, are closely united with us in Christ; she has always venerated them, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy angels, with a special love,[7] and has asked piously for the help of their intercession. Soon there were added to these others who had chosen to imitate more closely the virginity and poverty of Christ,[8] and still others whom the outstanding practice of the Christian virtues[9] and the wonderful graces of God recommended to the pious devotion and imitation of the faithful.[10] (Lumen Gentium 7.50). Though the word "saints" is conspicuous by its absence1, it is obvious that this paragraph has them in view. It is obvious in the paragraph above that the believers being described are the saints, a select group of believers now in heaven. The paragraph also provides an accurate historical summary of how the Roman Church progressively came to honor the saints. At first, the anniversaries of the martyrs were observed,2 then Mary and others (such as confessors) who practiced outstanding piety, bravery or poverty were honored in a special way.3 However, the statement that the "church has always venerated them" is simply not historically verifiable! That Vatican II still thinks of the saints as a small group of heavenly believers comes out even more clearly later in the same paragraph. When, then, we celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice we are most closely united to the worship of the heavenly Church; when in the fellowship of communion we honour and remember the glorious Mary ever virgin, St Joseph, the holy apostles and martyrs and all the saints. This quote explicitly locates "the saints" in the "heavenly Church," that the Roman Church becomes united to through the eucharistic "sacrifice." At the end of it all, the fathers of Vatican II want it understood that they are one with all that the Roman Church has taught about the saints. This sacred council accepts loyally the venerable faith of our ancestors in the living communion which exists between us and our brothers who are in the glory of heaven or who are yet being purified after their death--and it proposes again the decrees of the Second Council of Nicea,[20] of the Council of Florence,[21] and of the Council of Trent[22 ] (Lumen Gentium 7.51). Though they are in earnest about correcting abuses connected with the saints, they enthusiastically assure the reader that communion with the saints in heaven, "in no way diminishes the worship of adoration given to God the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit; on the contrary, it greatly enriches it[24] (7.51). I will return to this statement in the next section. Finally, what of Roman Catholic Canon Law, which officially regulates the cult of the saints? What is its answer to the question, "Who are the saints?" Two canons in particular speak about saints. TITLE IV : THE CULT OF THE SAINTS, OF SACRED IMAGES AND OF RELICS Can. 1186 To foster the sanctification of the people of God, the Church commends to the special and filial veneration of Christ's faithful the Blessed Mary ever-Virgin, the Mother of God, whom Christ constituted the Mother of all. The Church also promotes the true and authentic cult of the other Saints, by whose example the faithful are edified and by whose intercession they are supported. Can. 1187 Only those servants of God may be venerated by public cult who have been numbered by ecclesiastical authority among the Saints or the Blessed (Code of Canon Law - The Laws of the Roman Catholic Church - CIC, 1983). As in all the other Roman Catholic documents surveyed above, normal Christians (called "Christ's faithful") are distinguished from the "Saints." Also, notice in Canon 1187 how the Saints are further distinguished from the "Blessed." The blessed are deceased Christians who have been officially beatified but not canonized. I will address this in the next section. (2) How Did the Saints Become Saints? One might be tempted to answer the question, "How do the Saints Become Saints according to the Roman Catholic Church" with the answer, "By canonizing them!" But this would only be partially true. Technically speaking the process of canonization does not create a saint. Canonization is the official sentence by which the Pope declares that a previously beatified Christian is definitely in heaven and establishes for the new saint a public cult throughout the whole Church. A saint, according to Rome, is a Christian who during his/her life lived a life of exemplary holiness. At first martyrs were singled out as such. From the 4th century on, confessors, those who had refused to deny Christ in the face of death, were also recognized. Finally many others who had lived remarkable lives of holiness were admitted to the cultus. By the 12th Century popular devotion to saints swelled so incredibly that it became difficult to separate fact from fiction. It was Alexander III, who in 1170 first declared that no one should be venerated as a saint apart from the Roman Church. This found its way into canon law. The process of beatification and canonization4 was an attempt to regulate the cult of the saints and to remove the abuses. Beatification Beatification is the act by which the Pope permits the restricted public veneration after death of a Christian who lived an exemplary life of holiness. Normally, the person in question had to have performed one attested miracle. Those beatified receive the title "Blessed." Only those beatified are eligible for Sainthood. Canonization Canonization, as mentioned above, is the definitive declaration by the Pope, that a Christian previously beatified has entered into eternal glory and therefore a public cult is established for the new Saint throughout the whole Church. Prior to this declaration, however, is a long legal process which begins at the diocesan level, proceeds to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints in Rome, and eventually comes before the cardinals and bishops who advise the Pope. Normally one miracle since beatification is required for canonization. How is this possible, you ask, since the Christian up for sainthood is long since dead? There must be a miracle associated with the person's grave or relics, which is said to occur through the intercession of the saint in heaven. Strange but true. Conclusion With the above brief summary in view, we are in position to answer the question, "How does a saint become a saint according to Rome?" A Christian becomes a saint by living an exemplary life of holiness, by performing at least one miracle while living, and by having at least one miracle associated with the Christian's grave or relics occur. Though Roman Catholics would insist that God's grace caused the saint to be and do what he/she was, there is no question that, according to them, only a small, select group of Christians become saints by their own personal holiness. How utterly foreign this is to the Spirit of the New Testament which we reviewed in the previous section! For according to the New Testament a person becomes a Christian AND a saint in precisely the same way: they are washed, they are sanctified, they are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11). According to Rome, a person's sainthood depends on a personal holiness and a miraculous gift that he manifests by his own efforts. According to Scripture, a person's sainthood depends completely on God's grace in Jesus Christ. Because of Christ's all- sufficient atoning death, God imputes the holiness of Jesus to all those who believe in Him. You decide which is correct and which brings more glory to God. An Introduction according to the New Testament Part III: The Function of the Saints in Heaven - What They Do according to the New Testament
1 . In fact, the word "saints" only occurs in several of Vatican II's documents, and even there quite rarely. They appear to be studiously avoiding it. 2 . "The first incontrovertible documentary witness is the `Martyrium Polycarpi' (c. 156), where his followers express their intention of `celebrating the birthday of his martyrdom' in days to come." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Third Edition, ed. E. A. Livingstone (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 1445. 3 . For a good summary of the evolution of the cult of the saints in the Roman Church, see the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 1445. 4 . The classic treatise on the whole subject of beatification and canonization is Benedict IV, De Servorum Dei Beatificatione et Beatorum Canonizatione, 4 vols. (Bologna, 1734-38). |
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