THE SAINTS
June Palmer answers some of your questions about the saints.
Q– Why do we choose a Saint’s name when we are Confirmed?
A– Our Confirmation Saints are our friends for life! They are great role models for us to copy and our very own personal prayer partners who will intercede for us to the Lord. We should be asking them to pray for us every day. Choosing a Saint is a good opportunity to find out more about their lives and we also learn something about ourselves and the sort of people who inspire us. In the New Testament, when people were given a mission, they were often given a new name. So Jesus changed the name of Simon to Peter and Saul became Paul after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Our Saint’s name signifies that we have been given a mission by the Church at Confirmation to go out and spread the Gospel.
Q– Why do we ask the Saints to pray for us?
A- In order for someone to be recognised as a Saint by the Church, there must be some proof that miracles have been granted through their prayers. So we know that their prayers work! The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the Saints in Heaven contemplate God, praise Him and constantly care for those that they have left on earth. It says that their intercession is all part of God's Divine plan and that we can and should ask them to pray for us and for the whole world. (Para. 2683) St Therese of Lisieux famously said, “I’m happy to die, because I shall be much more useful than I am now to the souls who are dear to me.” Pope John Paul II, who has already been declared a Saint, in a message for young people written in 2004, said, “Dear young people, the Church needs genuine witnesses for the new evangelisation: men and women whose lives have been transformed by meeting with Jesus, men and women who are capable of communicating this experience to others. The Church needs saints. All are called to holiness, and holy people alone can renew humanity. Many have gone before us along this path of Gospel heroism, and I urge you to turn often to them to pray for their intercession.”
Q– Is Mary, the mother of Jesus, a Saint?
A- She is a Saint but she is much more than that. From the early days of the Church Mary’s Assumption into Heaven was celebrated. She was conceived without sin, a perfect vessel and full of grace to carry and nurture the Son of God in her womb. At the end of her life she was taken up into Heaven, body and soul, to share in the glory of her Son’s Resurrection. Mary was praying with the Apostles in the Upper Room at Pentecost for the descent of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. Now she is in heaven with the Saints praying for us, her beloved children.
Q– In the Creed we say that we believe in the Communion of Saints – what is this?
A– The Communion of Saints refers to the Church, the people of God. But it is not just those who are alive at this present moment, it includes all people who are united across time and space by their love of God. It is made up of three distinct groups of people.The first group are all the holy people who have died and have gone to heaven. We call this group the ‘Church Triumphant’ because they have succeeded in reaching their desired goal; that is eternal life with God. The second group is called the ‘Church Suffering’ and this includes all the souls who are in Purgatory. These are the people who have died in union with God's teachings, but are not yet holy enough to enter into Heaven. We belong to the third group, called the ‘Church Militant’, which consists of all those living who strive to follow God's will. The Catechism says that, "When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is.” (Para 954)
