CONSCIOUS of our sinfulness, we blush when someone calls us a saintly person. Yet, we are all called to be a saint. Each of us is invited to lead a holy life.
As Matthew 5:48 says: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Even before we were conceived, we are already in God’s heart. Called to sainthood, He has paved a road of holiness that will complement our individual circumstances in life. His love for us never waned.
We don’t have to be martyred to be a saint. Saint Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei, emphasized that everyone can bring God to one’s place of work, where God is proclaimed through ones words and actions. Through this, Jesus’ teachings on love and service are then exemplified.
There are different roads to heaven. To be holy, then, in our own secular work and job can be a way to paradise to sainthood. Saint Escriva said: “Sanctify your daily life, and sanctify yourself in and through that daily life.”
To Saint Pope John Paul II, he said: “Above all, what we need are saints. Looking at the state the world finds itself in today, may I remind you that what nations need most today is sainthood. We need saints, above everything else.”
Historical beginnings
The word “saint” is derived from the word sanctus, which means holy. In the early days of Christianity, martyrs were honored in places where they were tortured and killed.
With the increase of martyrs who died during the Diocletian persecution during the 4th century, a common grave for all were designated by bishops. In Antioch, martyrs were honored on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Saint John and Saint John Chrysostom of Constantinople also paid homage to them on this day in a Byzantine rite.
Evidences also showed that in the 5th century, the martyrs were honored on May 13. Saint Ephrem of Syria noted it was held on this day in Edessa. A poet and orator, the saint composed a hymn for the feast day.
Others cite May 13 as the Feast of Lemuria, when restless spirits of the dead appeared in pagan rites. On May 13, 609 or 610, Pope Boniface IV consecrated a pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all martyrs of the Catholic Church.
Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel at Saint Peter Church to honor all the saints of the Catholic Church on November 1. Since then, All Saints’ Day is celebrated on November 1.
Varieties of holiness
Saints are in perfect and eternal communion with God. Enjoying “beatific vision,” they see God face to face since “God’s name is written on their foreheads,” according to Revelation 22.5.
Many saints are recognized by the church, but more are known only to God. All sought holiness in their lifetime, grew in love for God and others in everything they did.
They attained holiness, not solely on their own merits, but because “God has freely shown His exceptional generosity” to them.
God has bestowed on them great traits, plus the desire and humility to attain sainthood.
The Antiphon of Mary in Evening Prayer 1 in the Liturgy of the Hours for All Saints’ Day categorized the saints as “the glorious company of the apostles, the fellowship of the prophets, and the army of martyrs and saints.”
God, however, destined the Blessed Virgin Mary, the epitome of sanctity, to be the Mother of Christ, so she was fashioned with exceptional holiness. She found “favor with God,” Luke 1:30 says, which she acknowledged with total humility.
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord,” Luke 1:38 says. “The Mighty One has done great things for me and holy is his name,” according to Luke 1:49.
A perfect example of one who cooperated in the sacrifices of Christ, Mary is the Queen of all angels and saints. Christians who were martyred during the Roman persecutions were considered saints. By popular acclaim with the approval of the local bishop, the person who did not give up his faith even in death was considered a saint.
Pope Boniface IV collected the bones of hundreds of martyrs from catacombs and deposited them beneath the Roman Pantheon to honor them for their martyrdom.
Only in 993 during the reign of Pope John XV did the papal canonization of saints start.
Before a person is honored as a saint, investigations are made to prove that the candidate lived a life of heroic virtues. Considered venerable, a miracle is required to prove that he has the power to intercede with God, and he is called blessed. A second miracle is expected before his canonization and declared a saint.
During the infancy of the church, the followers of Christ were considered saints. Saint Paul, in his letters, addressed the faithful members of the early church “to the holy ones who are in Ephesus, faithful in Christ Jesus, (Ephesus 1:1), to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the holy ones throughout Achaia” (2 Corinthian 1:1).
Called saints by Saint Peter, who was assigned by Jesus to make himself available as leader of God’s kingdom on earth, the early Christians led holy lives and were not afraid of martyrdom. One in belief that the way to perfection is through a lifetime of sacrifice and striving, would-be saints lived like brothers and sisters.
“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me,” according to Matthew 16:24, was a dictum everyone professed.
Santiago is a former regional director of the Department of Education National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris College in Calauan, Laguna.