Pope Francis leads canonization of Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II at Vatican
A Response to Objections Raised against the Power of the Church to Canonize Saints
On the eve to the canonization of two modern day popes namely, Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II an article was posted raising questions and objections against the exercise of this power by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. The content of the article is preceded by obj. then this is followed by my answers and comments to the arguments presented by the writer.
Obj. Can man declare another man “in heaven” or holy, after death?
Reply: No man on his own power can do this. However, the Bible is full of examples of men endowed by God with the special grace and privilege to know those things which are ordinarily known only to God. A significant example to this is the Prophet Daniel who was able to know the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:19-45). No man on his own power will be able to know another man’s dream unless the dreamer discloses it to him or, as in the case of the Prophet Daniel, he is given divine assistance. Now Catholics never believe that when the Pope canonizes someone he is doing so on his own human power but that he is assisted by the Holy Spirit who searches even the deepest secrets of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). But this does not mean that the Pope can just canonize anyone from the top of his head. Before he does the formal canonization he makes use of the available help accorded to him by the Holy Spirit such as consulting the bishops, commissioning a meticulous study on the life of the saintly person and in most cases the Church requires a sign from heaven of divine approval of the life of such a person by authenticated miracles through his intercession. In the last analysis, the guarantee is in the words of Jesus himself who promised that his Church can never be led astray into believing and professing something which is false (Matthew 16:18).
Obj. We see lot of people gathering together and celebrating the official declaration of some dead people as saints, or saved or in heaven. These human agencies declare dead people holy or saint or saved or in heaven. They may be good, which only God knows. We thought this was the work of God, who knows even inner thoughts of human beings. We thought this judgment was done on the judgment day.
Reply: It is quite true that the Church has a human dimension in that it is composed of visible human beings who are in themselves capable of sinning and committing error. But to think of the Church only as a mere human institution is to miss the clear teaching of the Bible and to misunderstand the work of the Redeemer. Our Lord did not only assume a true human body but he also fashioned for himself a mystical body, his Church (Colossians 1:18). This mystical body is composed not only of those who are still alive here on earth but also those who are already in heaven and the holy souls in purgatory united in the common bond of charity. For the Church militant who is still striving here on earth, Jesus placed the apostles and their successors to teach, to rule, and to sanctify the people of God until his glorious return. Yes, God uses human agencies to carry out his purpose and this includes declaring a saintly person to be already in heaven. God is not threatened by the power and authority that he generously shares to his creatures.
Obj. Can a human agency proclaim another man “in heaven”? Can a church judge and proclaim the ultimate destiny of a man? We see some churches declaring dead people as saints who have reached heaven. Is this biblical? Can man attribute such a level of holiness to another man?
Reply: That the Church possessed the authority from God to declare a saintly person to be already in heaven would mystify and fill the mind of the believer with a sense of awe and wonder which would move him to give glory to God for giving such tremendous gift to his Church. On the other hand, this will serve as a stumbling block and is considered as foolishness by unbelievers and scoffers of the true religion. The Church is able to declare a soul to be already in heaven because she knows what holiness is all about. She knows from the words of her divine founder that a soul who has led such a life of virtue to the heroic degree and inflaming millions of souls to the love of God cannot possibly be anywhere else but be in heaven.
Obj. Is it not the work of God to judge people? Only God know even the inner thoughts of human beings. He know even the secret deeds of man, the real motive behind it and whether he has sincerely repented for sins? (Ps 139:1-3; Luke 16:15; Acts 15:8; Rom. 8:27).
Reply: It is quite true that God is the ultimate judge of all for only he is able to search the hearts of men (1 Kings 8:39). However, God also appoints certain men as his agents in carrying out his judgment and proclaiming it to others so that they may give glory to God’s just judgment. In this sense did Jesus promised to his apostles: “And Jesus said to them: Amen I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). In canonizing a saintly person, the Pope is not acting as a judge to that persons eternal destiny for this prerogative belongs only to God, but is in fact simply declaring that the soul of the person in now in heaven. The act of canonization is the not cause of the soul’s entry into heaven but it is because in reality the soul in already in heaven that the person is canonized. My announcing that a friend who was once in jail is now free does not in anyway impinge upon the court judge’s decision to give him amnesty.
Obj. There is another very relevant point. Bible says that this judgment will occur on the judgment day. (Matt. 12:36; Rev. 20:11-15; Rom. 14:10). Bible specifically says “do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes” (1 Cor. 4:5).
Reply: The judgment which will happen on the last day is referred to as the last judgment, the final judgment, or the general judgment. This is what the verses cited above is referring to. However, the Bible also teaches us that there is another kind of judgment which will take place right at the moment of death (Hebrews 9:27, Sirach 11:28). The proof of this is that there are already souls in heaven (Revelation 6:9-10). The act of canonization has nothing to do with judging whether the soul of the person will go to heaven but has everything to do with proclaiming that a particular soul is already in heaven. This is done firstly, in order to give honor to God for it is by his grace that the saints enter the joys of heaven and secondly, to also honor God’s faithful servant and thirdly to present him to the people as worthy of emulation in the practice of virtue.
Obj. In the Bible the title “saints” is applied to the ordinary believers in Jesus Christ. The word “saint” means set apart. They were living people. (Acts 9:13; Rom. 1:7; Acts 9:32; 1Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2). There is no separate “sainthood” applied to any special class in the body of believers.
Reply: While it is true that the Bible uses the word “saints” ordinarily to refer to the body of believers who are visibly united to the body of Christ, which is the Church (Colossians 1:18) but we should not limit the reality of Christ’s kingdom to include only those who are here on earth. The Church teaches that the body of Christ includes those who are still striving here on earth which she refers to as the Church militant, those who are still under the final state of purification in purgatory (1 Corinthians 3:13-15) which is referred to as the Church suffering and those who are already reigning with Christ in heaven (Revelation 6:9-10, 14:12-13, Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 1:23) which is called the Church triumphant. Evidently those who are already in heaven is in a far better state for they are already confirmed in grace and behold the divine essence directly (1 John 3:2, 1 Corinthians 13:12).
Obj. Is it possible that churches can play the role of God and declare that certain dead people are saved or holy? Did God give such authority to them when Jesus said “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18).
Reply: The Church grew in her understanding and consciousness of the full import of the words which our Lord said to Peter in giving him the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:18) and the power of binding and loosing which he gave collectively to the apostles united with Peter as their head (Matthew 18:18). As time progresses, it became apparent that the Church understand this as including the power to canonize saintly person to the dignity of the altar. The act of canonization falls within the sphere of papal infallibility which has very strong support from both Scriptures and Tradition.
Obj. If somebody claims this prerogative of God to judge, claiming that he is the vicar of God, is it true? We do not see any incident in the early apostolic church, when the apostles of Christ were alive, declaring dead good people as “in heaven”. This was one of the surest times in church history when there were plenty of martyrs, who were saved.
Reply: On the contrary the practice of venerating the saints can be traced back to antiquity although in those times the permission for public veneration was granted by the local bishops and only within his jurisdiction. Only the pope could decree the universal veneration of a martyr or confessor. Later, the power to declare a person to be worthy of public veneration was reserved to the pope alone in order to curve abuses which crept into this discipline due to indiscretions of popular piety and carelessness of some bishops in examining the lives of those presented for public honor. The ancient liturgies include formulas invoking the intercession of the martyrs and confessors and this provides a proof of the antiquity of this practice within the early church.
Obj. One question which arises to our mind is that, if judgment can be pronounced like this by human agency in advance, then where is the need of a judgment day?
Reply: The Church’s practice of canonizing saintly persons for public veneration does not in anyway conflict or do away with the necessity of the final judgment any more than the particular judgment do away with the final judgment. In the particular judgment it is only between God and the individual soul and only the soul faces the judgment of Christ. In the final judgment, God’s justice will be manifested to all so that the saints will be glorified before everyone and the damned will be publicly put to shame. Also, in the final judgment the entire man, body and soul, will receive his just reward or punishment. Even for the canonized person we are not able to fully appraise his merits before God and the manner of the triumph of grace over sin in that person’s life. Thus during the final judgment, God will reveal all the trials and sacrifices which the person has to endure in order to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).
Obj. Declaring a host of saints from dead people looks suspicious. We can see a hidden satanic agenda in creating such a plethora of mediators in heaven, to belittle the importance of Jesus Christ who is our only mediator, between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). This effort of creating myriads of mediating saints in heaven and encouraging ordinary people to pray through these saints can be seen as a consorted effort to distance these ordinary people from their only mediator, Christ.
Reply: There is indeed only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5, Acts 4:12). However, Jesus’ mediatorship is in his being our common redeemer “Who gave himself a redemption for all” (1 Timothy 2:6). On the other hand, the intercessory power of those who are united with Christ is a thing which is pleasing to God as St Paul himself teaches in the preceding verses: “I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all men: For kings and for all that are in high station: that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all piety and chastity. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3). Thus, as the Catholic Church teaches, the intercessory power of the saints is subordinate to the supreme mediatorship of Christ and does not diminish its power but makes it more effective. The satanic agenda here is to deny God’s friends of the honor which is due to them since this will ultimately redound to magnifying the triumph of God’s grace over sin, temptation, and the devil. The early Christians celebrated the day of death of the martyrs in order to recall them who fought in the glorious combat and to instruct, inspire and strengthen by their example those who come after them.
Obj. Then you may ask how these dead saints hear people’s prayers and perform miracles. Who is acting in their behalf?
Reply: Only the body of a person dies but his soul continues to live (Ecclesiates 12:7) and Scriptures teaches that it is foolish to talk of a dead saint (Wisdom 3:1-4). The saints who are in heaven are vey much alive with God. They can hear our prayers because they are united with God and they behold the divine essence (1 John 3:2, 1 Corinthians 13:12, Revelations 8:3). They are already beyond the ordinary limitations of space and time to which we here on earth are still subjected to. It is a distortion of Catholic belief to think that the saints perform miracles on their own power. It is actually God who performs the miracle through them or through their intercession. If holy persons, such as Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and the Apostles, were able to perform miracles while they were still on earth there is no reason that they cannot do this now that they are in heaven (2 Kings 13:23, Sirach 48:14-15).
Obj. The basis for declaring somebody as having an exceptional degree of holiness or “in heaven”, is miracles, usually miraculous healing in reply to prayers offered through this dead “saint”.
Reply: In the case of martyrs the Church does not normally require a miracle. The only requirement is indisputable proof that the person was martyred for his faith in Christ. In other cases, the Church requires at least two authenticated miracles as a sign of divine approval for that person’s life. The requirement of a miracle is the last step in the process of canonization but may be dispensed with depending on the judgment of the Magisterium. The other criteria which the Church requires include the practice of virtue to a heroic degree, the impact of the person’s life on the life of the community and the life of the Church, and the public devotion given the faithful which persists and even spreads worldwide.
Obj. We should remember that even Satan can do miracles or perform supernatural healing in behalf of this dead person. Don’t forget that Pharaoh’s priests imitated the supernatural act of turning staff into snake which Aaron did (Exodus 7:11).
Reply: I think the entire context of the event narrated in the verse above proves the Catholic position. After the wise men and magicians of Pharaoh turned their rods into serpents the Aaron’s rod devoured all their rods. What lesson can we learn from this? Simply this: that while Satan can also work miraculous signs yet the miracles performed by God‘s servants are far greater than those of the servants of darkness. It is easily verifiable that while there are instances of miracles outside the Catholic Church yet the miracles done by the saints of the Catholic religion are far greater. Also, while the so-called miracles outside the Catholic Church are usually not proven by scientific rigor, those miracles which are attributed to the intercession of the saints are intentionally placed under scientific scrutiny to validate their authenticity. Thus Satan cannot possibly be the source of the miracles attributed to the saints.
Obj. Bible says how Satan works “He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie” (2 Thess. 2:9). Jesus talks about it, “show great signs and wonders to deceive” (Matt. 24:24). Therefore signs and wonders are not a sure sign of God’s activity.
Reply: I would agree that signs and wonders are not a sure sign of God’s activity and regarding attaining the certitude that a miracle really comes from God the Catholic is in a far better position. While non-Catholics would base their judgment on the authenticity of miracles on their own private judgment the Catholic bases his acceptance on the authority of the Church founded by Christ whom he promised the protection of infallibility in matters of faith and morals. Thus those who rely on their own private judgment are more likely to be deceived by Satan not only in doctrinal matters by falling into heresy but also in believing the miraculous works of the Evil One.
Obj. Whether something is from God or not is based on the Word of God. Those people who don’t base their belief purely on the Bible will be deceived (2 Thess. 2:11-12). Toward end time the beast from the earth will “…perform great signs… in the sight of men. And … deceive those who dwell on the earth by those signs…” (Rev. 13:13-14).
Reply: Those who subscribe to the Bible alone theory are really not basing their judgment on the Bible but on their own peculiar interpretation of a given Biblical passage and so are easily deceived. There is nothing in the Bible which says that we are to rely on the Bible alone for divine truth and in fact the Bible itself condemns private interpretation by the individual (2 Peter 1:20). The Bible teaches us to hear the Church (Luke 10:16, Matthew 18:17) which is the pillar and bulwark of truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
Obj. Declaring some people as saints, as a special separate class in the body of believers is a pagan custom. This is seen in various pagan religions. These special people will be called saints even when they are alive. After they are dead they are venerated and approached for divine mediation. This pagan tradition crept into Christianity, during the apostasy of the Christian church through the dark ages.
Reply: This statement shows how people are easily deceived by the Evil One through the lies and slander against the Catholic religion. The people who holds this view are either ignorant or prejudiced against the Catholic Church so that their eyes cannot see the truth. A cursory comparison of the pagan practice with the Catholic practice will easily disclose that the latter cannot be derived from the former. Among the pagans, deification was awarded mostly to members of the imperial family. There is no regard for virtue and are usually done in order to appease the hatred of the people. On the other hand, canonizations in the Catholic Church are granted to those persons who have practiced virtue to a heroic degree and by a meticulous process of examining the life of the person. Also, in canonizing saints the Church does not make them gods as pagans do but merely present them as friends of God who are worthy of honor and emulation on the part of the faithful. Lastly, sainthood in the Catholic Church is not given only to a certain group of elite individuals but is open to all: popes, bishops, priests, nuns, kings, farmers, businessman, nurses, engineers, soldiers and people from all walks of life.