NO Its interesting to read how quick we are trying to destroy the life of saints. I guess we don't really understand the concept. In a nut shell...a saint, declared by the Catholic Church, is only a person who has lived a virtuous life and the church believes he/she is in heaven. The church also believes this saint is a good example on how to follow Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The mistake is to believe they are perfect and they make no mistakes. The saints are the same as you and me...with the exception they have tried to give up EVERYTHING to God. That is the difference. Not only that...even if they gradually become FILLED with grace...it doesn't give them magical powers. They are still human and they still have potential to sin. They might have some gifts but they don't work when they want...only when God wants. So, most of the time great saints are no different then you and me. They make mistakes but in their mind they are always trying to do Gods' will. If you say a Saint is perfect... you are insulting the Saint and God. It is an embarrassment, we would argue the life work of a saint... on 10 or 15 actions of his/her life. With that mentality... no one would be a saint and no one will go to heaven. We have this belief that Saints are Superhuman. They are, in reality, just human who have given up everything to follow Jesus. Lets not be like the Evil one... trying to destroy the saint after his/her death. The created one did this during the Saints life...and at the saints death, the evil one was there to accuse him/her during judgement. Please remember saints lives are a gift from God. Don't be like the accuser. Brother al
St Bernard of Clairvaux a Doctor of the Church was probably the premier saint mystic of his age. Popes , Caridnals, Kings and Queens the elite of Europe came to him fror advice. He preached across Europe that the Third Crusade would be a total sucess. It was a total disaster.
St Catherine of Siena, a Doctor of the Church was probably the premier saint mystic of hers age. Popes , Caridnals, Kings and Queens the elite of Europe came to him fror advice. She claimed to have a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in which she told her specifically that she was NOT the Immaculate Conception. This anouncement probably held up the promulagtion of the Doctirne by centuries.
St Ignatious of Loyola recounts that not long after his conversion he met up with an Islamic Merchant who profaned by his words the Blessed Virgin. The saint at once decided to kill the guy, but, on reflection decided that God should guide his mule. if it rode after the Muslim he would kill him; if not not. The mule had more sense than the saint and the Muslim got to live.
In Acts we have recounted a horrendous mistake by the First Pope St Peter, which St Paul corrects him for: Galatians 2:11 Paul Confronts Cephas 10They only asked us to be mindful of the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. 11When Cephas came to Antioch, however, I opposed him to his face, because he stood to be condemned. 12For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.…
In the Life of St Alphonsus Ligouri, again a Doctor of the Church is recorded an incident involving a lay brother St Gerard Majella. St Gerard was accused by a lay woman if his taking advantage of her. When St Alphonsus called Gerard in the young saint refused to answer the accusations. On this account St Alphonsus adjudged him accordinglyas guilty. However after some time the woman accusing St Gerard withdrew the claims. St Alphonsus asked St Gerard why he had not defended himself? TO which Gerard replied that according to the Rleigious rules Alphonsus himself had drawn up Religious were never to defend themselves when accused. St Alphonsus, much chastened, from then on, treated St Gerard as the saint he was.
It may be pedantic but I think it important to note that Saints qua Saints are perfect and have no potential to sin. The life of a person subsequently declared a Saint will evidently be filled with challenges but in the end victory is theirs here on earth before death.
Pretry sure a declared Saint is one whom at death passes go collects 200 and is straight into heaven. ..no jail time whatsoever
St Claude De Colombiere was a Jesuit saint, Priest and Confessor to St Margaret Mary Aloque. After his death St Margaret Mary saw him detained in purgatory for a brief while before going on to heaven. The Church Declares folks to be saints not for being perfect or never commtting sins or culpable faults but for exercising, 'Heroic Virtue.' Psalm 24:3 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?
I think the whole point is that at the moment of death there is no sin nor attachment to sin. This is not to say there never has been sin or propensity to sin in that persons life before death.
It is really in God's Hands. That is why we are told not to Judge. Like so many things it is a mystery.
A former Parish Priest of mine (RIP) was a great 'fan' of Blessed Nicholas Postgate (an English martyr-priest hung, drawn and quartered at the age of 82) but said that he would probably never be canonised because he told his captors and executioners exactly what he thought of them! The priest said that he would have done the same (me too). If you lose your temper a lot, he might be the man to call on for help (or maybe not!)
Are you sure of that? That's a genuine question. Perhaps for martyrs or someone who gives up his life for another (like Maximilian Kolbe) but for other saints it could take years before there's a miracle confirming they're in Heaven and they could have done a stint in purgatory beforehand. Also I'm not sure that purgatory is measured in our understanding of time as in days, months, years. This is an interesting topic.
I must admit it is a topic I have not given any real thought or study. The question of time is really interesting and extremely relevant. How many funerals have you been to and the presumption seems to be that the person is through the pearly gates hanging out with St Michael and the boys. My initial thinking is that purgatory as a state and "place" is bound up with our dimension and sequence of time. There is that rather mysterious and unnerving remark by the Mother of God to the children at fatima that a certain friend of theirs would be in purgatory till the end of the world...
A Saint is a sinner who never gives up trying quite simple when you think about it Oh Sweet Jesus when I fall like you did at calvary May the Holy saints lift me and help me to carry on
At the Rosary tonight, while praying the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, it was as if I could see Jesus carrying His cross, and He asked me "do you love Me?" And I realized at that moment that my answer would have to be "no". Compared to how much I love everything else, I barely think of Him. That is a terrible thought. We are called to love more. I think a Saint is One who never stops trying to love Jesus more and more, no matter what. It is hard to be a Saint. Everything else pulls you.
