Coming from an Episcopal background, our faithful tradition venerates the Saints and Angels with feast days and lectionary readings, as well as teaching their life stories as lessons as a guiding hand in our own faith journey. However since the Protestant Reformation, the Anglican Church no longer recognizes the values of praying directly to saints for intercessory prayer. In fact many Protestant churches, including the Presbyterian parish I attended growing up completely called the practice of veneration in the pattern of Catholic faith an act of heresy. To discuss the span of the issues and origins of the various arguments for the Saints and their place in the various denominations of Protestantism and the Catholic Church would take an entire college level curriculum to analyze and the complex doctrinal issues on the branches of faith.
As a blogger searching to share my own faith journey as a beacon, I will keep this simple. My purpose of this entry is not to stir a debate as much as to light a candle in the case for our need of the Saints in the Church and in our lives.
By Saints I refer to a tree of sorts rooted in the love of Christ and his mission, life, death and resurrection. A saint by definition is a follower of Christ in principle - a saint in vernacular and in Catholic veneration is a faithful person who is so empowered by the Spirit of Christ that they are a beacon - a light, similar to John the Baptist - leading others to the heart of Christ. Saints I argue also can be those among us, particularly those who find resilent hope in suffering and still pour out mercy in the world. i think of mothers walking miles to find water for their children. I think of school teachers giving extra hours to tutor a child, or a friend showing compassion. Often times the greatest 'miracles' of saints is not the healing of the impossible - it is the simple grace of love that pumps life in the world. We are all called to be saints.
A saint is a soul lit afire with the Holy Spirit. We are called to be a light for others, we must be willing even in the brokenness of our sin to give up ourselves for Christ...breaking bread with a stranger, listening to a friend in need...we are all sinners - and yet by the grace of Christ's life, death and resurrection we are living temples of the Holy Spirit - and conduits of the kingdom of Christ - and the sacred oil I think of Christ and all the saints is love - and forgiveness, hope in desperation and chastising without condemning, a call for reconciliation and peace.
The canonical Saints lead us closer to Christ - the veneration of a saint is not a worshiping of the saint, but viewing the saint as a living example of how the grace of Christ in action can transform sinners - healing and restoring.
Saints help give us an example of how to follow Christ, how to draw closer to His mercy. We don't need Saints to approach Christ, Jesus's death on the cross allows us to draw close to His heart directly - and Christ does hear us and heal us directly. The purpose of veneration of the Saints is to learn and grow in the faith and to draw closer to Christ.
Protestants in studying St. Paul, are looking to a Saint to lead them closer to Christ.
It took me years to realize the important in my own faith journey of the Saints as a guidepost to Christ. The show is not about the saints, it is about Christ, but they help light the dark path of the world so we can make sure not to stumble - think of the prophets of the Old Testament - the prophet was not to be worshiped - rather they were conduits of the WORD and the Word is God
Intercessory prayer with the Saints is something I turn to often to in my prayer life. It is something I did not come to through my upbringing. In fact I chastised my Catholic friends for 'praying to the Saints' until I was out of college. I began to discern through prayer to the Holy Spirit that praying for intercession to the saints is not worshiping the person - but is simply asking the saint to pray for you to God, the Saints pray with you, in praying to the saint - you are praying to Christ - but while contemplating the life of the faithful and how their life can draw you closer to God. The saints each have unique talents and skills and God uses their gifts of intercession to serve us as friends - it is heavenly support and a trust in the fact that Christ death ensures resurrection for the faithful.
I came to my reliance on praying novenas to Christ through the intercession of the saints in a time of trial and God answered my prayers. Studying how the Saint(s) I prayed with endured their tests and continually sought Christ helped my own faith journey and has drawn me closer not to the Saint - but to the one GREATER - Christ our Risen Lord. I find these doctrine of praying with the saints in the doctrine of Jesus promising that when two or more are gathered together in prayer that He is with us. I know the entire choir of heaven serves God even on the other side of the veil...All prayers are directed and answered directly by Christ.
In praying to Saints - in the Catholic tradition - you must use great discernment. Each canonical saint has undergone extensive research and had miracles attributed to the Saint through Christ's will. Christ is the wonder wonder - saints are merely extensions of his light leading the way to HIS kingdom and helping us build it on earth and in heaven.
For those who continue to wrestle with or argue the case of praying with the Saints...I ask that you do not harden your hearts to exploring their life biographies and studying their commentary - a great method of Bible study and inspiration for enduring tests and trials.
How can you actively be a 'saint' in this world - how can we all act under the banner of Christ without fear of failure, fear of ridicule and shame - how can we abandon the world's constraints in unbridled faith in Christ?
I will continue to feature stories of the Saints and how we too can be modern day saints - working as Cross Healers - healing through small acts of mercy in ordinary ways - yielding the extraordinary hope only love rooted in the light of Christ can ignite.
In Catholicism The Blessed Virgin Mary is a great advocate and inspiration - she was filled with grace and love and faith - Mary reminds us of true service to Christ and also dependence on HIM.
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