What may appear to be a life of heroic virtue in men's eyes, may be anything but in the sight of God.
Miracles give proof of saints' intercession with God, and therefore their heroic virtue in the sight of God.
Remove this proof, and how will we know with certainty of their sainthood?
What if we raise prayers, devotions and altars to one called saint, thought by men to be holy, but known by God to be evil?
Moreover, even a pagan may live a life of heroic virtue. Can a pagan be a canonized saint, if heroic virtue is all that sainthood is a recognition of?
Pagans cannot live a life of heroic virtue, since they lack the supernatural virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity.
* Um, because we are Catholics and we have Faith?
1 Timothy 3
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
Matt 16
18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.
John 14
26 But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you. Matthew 18
And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.
18 Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven
Luke 10
16 He that heareth you heareth me: and he that despiseth you despiseth me: and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
John 16
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will teach you all truth. For he shall not speak of himself: but what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak. And the things that are to come, he shall shew you.
Matthew 28
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world
* I see a lot of fear and panic in FR. I don't see a lot of Faith or those who possess the Peace of Christ.
58 And they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 59 And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not his sin to their charge: And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death.
* Stephen a Saint? What miracles are atrributed to him? How do we know the Bible isn't a pious fraud in this instance?