The Catholic saint is something that most are familiar with. And the designation of saint is something recognized by Christianity but varies based on the denomination. You may see a Lutheran church designated as St. Timothy or St. Luke and wonder why. Or you may see a Catholic Church like St. Anne or St. Peter. But how did these people get elevated to the designation of Saint.
The most simple answer to this question is that a Saint is anyone known to be in Heaven. So in the case of the Lutheran church is it is safe to assume the authors of the Gospels and the writers of the epistles are in heaven, after all those are the people the church selected to include in the Gospel. You will also the see the 12 Apostles, again a safe assumption they too are in heaven.
Then there is over 10,000 other people with this designation and this is where the Catholic Church comes in. The Catholic Church has a set of criteria it uses to determine what ‘normal’ person has made it to heaven. One of the most obvious is martyrdom. Being a martyr for the faith puts one immediately on the path to sainthood and is considered an heroic virtue. The other most obvious requirement is being dead, were that is the only way you can be in heaven.
Examining the martyr closer they are a person who died for being Christian or for their belief in God, Jesus. Although we don’t think of martyrs in our present times because of the protections provided by the United States Constitution, there are many dying for their faith in China Africa, the Philippines, South America . There have been headlines were nuns shot in the head and thrown in a shallow grave in South America. There is a movement to canonize Oscar Arnulfo Romero who was shot while saying mass in 1980 in El Salvador. And, most recently Iraq. In Iraq Catholic Priests have been in the news for being Catholic. So although we think martyrs and think of the 17th century there are many to this day who still killed or die because of their faith in Jesus.
The major consideration for non-martyrs is a heroic virtue. They are faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice and fortitude. When you look at the lives of each of the saints you will find these elements. Many have all of them, some have just a few. It is these virtues that often dictate what they are the patron saint of, things that they have made an impact on.
As we pick the life of any Saint it is easy to find their Heroic virtue that put them on the path to sainthood. Lets examine the life of St. Catherine and the Miraculous Medal. She was approached by the Blessed Mother to craft the Miraculous Medal. She was most faithful and when asked to change her path, she said yes and did so. Never once did she argue. She took the Blessed Mother at her word that God would provide the graces needed to execute getting this medal out there. St. Catherine was part of the Daughters of Charity which was founded by St. Vincent DePaul. So her life was already on the path of charity before it switched the focused. |
