The Path to Sainthood

Becoming a saint was easy during the earliest days of Christianity when the New Testament was written. All one had to do was come to faith in God through his Son Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. That's all it took. Become a Christian. Attend church and then you might get a letter from the Apostle Paul like the letter to the Ephesians which is written "to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Jesus Christ."

The word "Saint" means "Holy One" and all Christians were viewed as "Holy Ones," not through their own merits but because they were justified before God by their faith in Jesus. They were becoming holy (being "sanctified") over time as they came to live more Christ-like lives. But even before they were acting Christ-like, they were already called saints. This is proven by Paul's letters to "saints" with whom he then finds much to correct as he admonishes them.

The above is about recognizing God's action in making us imperfect people holy. The church's action in recognizing some people as saints is a different process, which has been in the news of late as the Roman Catholic Church considers two high profile prospects widely viewed by many as contemporary saints—Mother Theresa of Calcutta and Pope John Paul II. The Washington Post article Charting a Path to Sainthood and the New York Times articles Trials of the Saints and Miracles and the Fast Track to Sainthood detail more about this process in the Roman Catholic Church.

For Catholics, becoming recognized as a saint requires not only a saintly life free of unorthodox teaching, but also one post death miracle before beatification and another before full canonization. These miracles must be scientifically verifiable. Both John Paul II, who has a beatification website set up in his honor and Mother Theresa have detractors as well as strong supporters. Both are viewed as highly likely to be recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as saints.

Tomorrow we'll see what the process toward sainthood is like in The Episcopal Church. Tonight in our worship, we will remember The Martyrs of Uganda.