“Now let us praise illustrious men, our ancestors in their successive generations… some of them left a name behind so that their praises are still sung” (Sir. 44: 1-8).
This extract from the beautiful eulogy of the sacred orator, Ben Sira, reminds me of the lives of the saints, the college of the blessed and the lives of the righteous in heaven. But who these saints are and where they come from is worth considering. This article, therefore, aims at examining the lives of the saints. Who are saints and how saints are made in the church will be considered in this article.
WHO ARE THE SAINTS?
The word saint is derived from the Latin word: ‘Sanctus’, which means ‘holy’ and it signifies one who is holy. The word saint can be used in a wide (as it is used in the scriptures) and in a strict (as used officially in the church) senses.
In the scriptures, the term is used to designate the chosen people of God in general. This is because holiness is primarily and intrinsically an attribute of God for He alone is Holy (cf. Is. 12:6), and it is He who calls his chosen people to share in His holiness. Thus, having called the Israelites and made a covenant with them, God communicates Himself to them and exhorts them to holiness of life because He is holy (cf. Lev. 19:2), through their worship of God, they were rightly called the holy people of God.
In the covenant of the New Law inaugurated by Christ, the Church, which is the mystical body of Christ, became the chosen people of God. Through faith in Jesus Christ, the ritual of baptism and the practice of the virtues proper to religion, believers in Christ are now “a chosen race, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a people to be a personal possession…” (1Pet. 2:9) and are such ‘saints’ (cf. 1Cor. 1:2). Thus, through a sincere practice of the theological virtues and a faithful adherence to the teachings of Christ, Christians are exhorted to remain holy in soul and body after the example of Christ, the holy One of God.
However, the term saint is used as a title for selected few renowned members of the church for their outstanding holiness of life. Thus, as used officially by the church, the term saint can be defined as a “title properly given to those human members of Christ recognized by the church, either traditionally or by formal canonization, as being in heaven and thus worthy of honor.” (C. O’Neil, ‘Saints’ in New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 12, edited by William J. McDonald, 1967 edition, pp. 852-853). This do not mean that the church makes saints, no, only God makes saints for He alone is ‘Holy’ and He alone bestows grace. The church, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit (and papal infallibility) from time to time identifies few of these and solemnly declares them as saints for emulation. And one of these multitudes of holy men and women is St. Francis of Assisi.
FRIAR CORNELIUS LIVINGSTONE IGHOFOSE OFMCap
