The Catholic Church teaches that a
saint is anyone who is in heaven.
Whether by becoming one on earth or in purgatory, everyone must be a
saint before entering heaven. Typically
though, saints today are seen as the ones acknowledged by the Roman Catholic
Church.
“…the
Church recognized 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” (Catechism 828). In the
Catholic Church, saints are seen as individuals who can pray and intercede for
people still on earth.
Usually a
person must be dead for at least five years before the road to sainthood is
even begun. The first step consists of
the local bishops studying the candidate’s life and writings. If there is enough evidence of heroic virtue,
this information is then sent to the Vatican.
The Congregation for the Causes
of Saints (a panel of theologians and cardinals at the Vatican) then takes
a careful look at the candidate’s life and, if approved, the pope will then
proclaim the candidate venerable, which means that they are a role model of the
virtues exemplified by the Church. Then,
to be beatified, it must be proved that a candidate is responsible for a
posthumous miracle. Martyrs for the Faith can be beatified without a miracle.
The last step, canonization, occurs with a papal decree that the
candidate was holy and is in heaven, interceding for us with God (this step
must include another posthumous miracle attributed to the candidate in
question).
So, in all honesty,
saints are humans. They are people who
have dealt with trials, temptations, doubts, and fear. The main difference between saints and
“regular people” is just in the way that they responded.
“Life holds only one tragedy, ultimately: not to have been a saint.”
~Charles
Peguy
Click on the link to browse the list of saints: http://saints.catholic.org/saints/
References:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question619.htm
References:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question619.htm
I really liked this post. You explained sainthood very well. It's so interesting to think of the Saints as having been real people in our world! Nice job!
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