Nevertheless, God does choose to point, by wonders, to some of His creatures whose blessedness in heaven is assured. For instance, the incident where a dead man was brought back to life upon making contact with the bones of the prophet Elisha 2_Kings/13-21 (Link) That is the sort of miracle that leads to canonization in the Catholic Church. It requires some manifestation of God's approal.
I think the customs for canonization were intended, paradoxically, both to promote one sort of popular acclaim, and to curb another sort. What I mean is, there is always the danger that popular zeal with "canonize" people who are really quite unsaintly. One thinks of the Soviet dictator Lenin's body pseudo-sanctified in its mausoleum, or Elvis Presley with his endless portraits on black velvet, or any rich guy you want to mention, named in countless memorial auditoriums, memorial libraries, even memorial highways.
To curb this sort of thing ---- canonization for power, fame, or wealth --- the Church developed a custom which sought both to gather testimony of a person's heroic virtue, and to collect documentation of actual miracles. The later are usually quite rigorously supported by evidence.
It's a good thing. It causes people to admire what is truly admirable, to honor the honorable, to love the lovable. To this we are called, ScubieNuc. "Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints!"
Excellent summary, Mrs. Don-o. Help yourself to a pangolin.
An additional meaning of “holy” is “set apart for a sacred purpose,” which is a very meaningful concept for Christians. We are “set apart” by our Baptism, and our sins, of themselves, do not eliminate that status.