This may be a stupid question... but why is it that certain modern minded Catholics prefer to not address Saints with the Title of St. N.
St. Thomas Aquinas is either Thomas Aquinas or simply Aquinas.
Sts. Peter and Paul...Peter and Paul
Well, you get the idea...the casualness annoys me...and says something about the person's world view. It definitely projects a horizontal understanding of the heavenly, just as all the excuses given to condemn your not receiving Communion are based on horizontally minded answers. No one, save one person, was even suggesting that Our Lord was not present in the Eucharist at that Mass, but there is the vertical dimension which they fail to understand. As always, the decision rests with the individual and stuff like this is good to discuss with one's spiritual advisor.
For example, when I went on Ignatian Retreats, everyone was required to abstain from Communion until we made our General Confession. Abstaining from Communion can be a good in itself to reawaken our need to receive Him more worthily even if we already in the State of Grace.
St. Thomas Aquinas is either Thomas Aquinas or simply Aquinas. Sts. Peter and Paul...Peter and Paul...
It definitely projects a horizontal understanding of the heavenly...
I see what you mean, and I certainly have a very deep appreciation and respect for the saints. The lives of the saints were my bedtime stories as a child and have continued to be of great importance to me as an adult. However, I sometimes refer to saints for whom I have a special devotion by their first name. St. Augustine comes to mind. I have been heard to refer to him as the Great Augustine or even as my friend and hero Augustine! But this is not out of disrespect. It's because (and this may sound corny or presumptuous) he is so important to me that he's become family. In fact, I was reading "Salt of the Earth" the other day and came across a passage where our new Pope referred to St. Augustine as "my great master Augustine" (master as in "teacher", of course).