Who's a Saint?

My purpose in this article is to help Catholics defend "Praying to the Saints" to those whom challenge them. How do people know you're Catholic? (thought of the day) It is just simply amazing me as to the questions I receive when I meet ordinary people in ordinary circumstances. So here we go, Praying to the Saints.

The word saint literally means "holy," and, in the New Testament, saint referred to all who believed in Jesus Christ and followed his teachings. Saint Paul often addressed his epistles to "the saints" of a particular city (see, for instance, Ephesians 1:1 and 2 Corinthians 1:1). The assumption was that those who followed Christ had been so transformed, that they were now different from other men and women and, thus, should be considered holy. Read what the Catechism of the Catholic Church states about The Communion if Saints.

* Paragraph 5. The Communion of Saints

946 After confessing "the holy catholic Church," the Apostles' Creed adds "the communion of saints." In a certain sense this article is a further explanation of the preceding: "What is the Church if not the assembly of all the saints?"⁴⁷⁹ The communion of saints is the Church.

947 "Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others. . . . We must therefore believe that there exists a communion of goods in the Church. But the most important member is Christ, since he is the head. . . . Therefore, the riches of Christ are communicated to all the members, through the sacraments."⁴⁸⁰ "As this Church is governed by one and the same Spirit, all the goods she has received necessarily become a common fund."⁴⁸¹

948 The term "communion of saints" therefore has two closely linked meanings: communion in holy things (sancta)" and "among holy persons (sancti)."

Very early on, however, the meaning of the word began to change. As Christianity began to spread, it became clear that some Christians lived lives of extraordinary or heroic virtue. While other Christians struggled to live out the gospel of Christ, these people were eminent examples of the moral virtues, and they easily practiced the  faith, hope, and charity.

The word saint became more narrowly applied to such people, who were venerated after their deaths as saints, usually by the members of their local church or the Christians in the region where they had lived, because they were familiar with their good deeds. Eventually, the Catholic Church created a process, called "canonization," through which such venerable people could be recognized as saints by all Christians everywhere.

The Litany of the saints is one of the oldest Catholic prayers still in use. The Litany of the Saints is often recited or sung  on All Saints Day. It is a moving appeal for help from many of our greatest saints, as well as for divine protection. The Litany of the Saints is also often a special part of both the Easter Vigil (the Mass in which those who have received instruction in our faith are baptized) and Ordination Masses for priests, deacons, and bishops, as well.

Catholics believe that saints are already in Heaven, which is why one of the requirements for the canonization process is proof of miracles performed by the possible saint after his death. Canonized saints can be venerated anywhere, and prayed to publicly, and their lives are held up to Christians still struggling here on earth as examples.

Catholics pray to the saints and ask them to mediate on their behalf, because the saints are in heaven and close to God. The saints are in God’s presence now, but they still remain connected to us as one community of faith. In the same way that we may ask a living person to pray for us, we can ask the same of the saints. We are not praying to the saints as if they have the power to grant our prayers, but rather we are asking them to pray with and for us – we are praying through them. "We believe the saints are true intercessors for us, because they were so close to God on earth, as models of holiness, and now they are even closer to God, as witnesses in heaven. Invocation (asking saints to pray for us) and intercession (knowing that saints pray for us, even without asking) is a form of reverence for God."

As pointed out by St. Thomas, we invoke the angels and saints in a quite different language from that addressed to God. We ask Him to have mercy upon us, and Himself to grant us whatever we require; whereas we ask the saints to pray for us.