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To: dangus
<> But how do you KNOW who they are? How can you be sure? You are not judge.
161 posted on 03/19/2004 1:40:49 PM PST by kailbo
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To: kailbo
No, we are not the judge. That is why no-one is called a Saint (with a capital S!) when they are alive, because we cannot know whether they will fall into perdition. (case in point: the ECUSA proclaimed Brittney Spears a saint!) There are some recent reworkings of this, but traditionally, the Church in Rome hears the arguments of the Devil's Advocate, who suggests reasons to doubt the sanctity of a person nominated to sainthood. Meanwhile, the Church looks to God to confirm the sanctity of the person by Him answering prayers prayed with the Saints. If no fault is found (unpurged while the person lived, anyway... saints are ALL reformed sinners), AND God has allowed miracles to be performed when the saint joins our prayers to theirs, it is decided that God has demostrated the sanctity of that person.

Not convinced? Fine, find another Saint to pray with. It is quite normal for people to prefer one Saint or another.

By the way, this is not to suggest that people who are sanctified in THIS life are NOT saints. The bible calls them saints, and the Church follows the bible. The trick is that we can only suspect they are saints, we cannot know. Nonetheless, it is quite profitable to pray with earthly people struggling down the path with you.

A little quirky? No Catholic is obliged to assert the saintliness of any post-biblical person.
204 posted on 03/19/2004 3:06:08 PM PST by dangus
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