WHOA!!
I thought 'saints' are in Heaven already??
Saints are in heaven but they have not assumed their bodies yet, excepting Mary the Mother of God. The resurrection of the body occurs at the Second Coming of Christ.
Characteristics of the risen bodyAll shall rise from the dead in their own, in their entire, and in immortal bodies; but the good shall rise to the resurrection of life, the wicked to the resurrection of Judgment. It would destroy the very idea of resurrection, if the dead were to rise in bodies not their own. Again, the resurrection, like the creation, is to be numbered amongst the principal works of God; hence, as at the creation all things are perfect from the hand of God, so at the resurrection all things must be perfectly restored by the same omnipotent hand. But there is a difference between the earthly and the risen body; for the risen bodies of both saints and sinners shall be invested with immortality. This admirable restoration of nature is the result of the glorious triumph of Christ over death as described in several texts of Sacred Scripture: Isaiah 25:8; Osee, xiii, 14; 1 Corinthians 15:26; Apocalypse 2:4. But while the just shall enjoy an endless felicity in the entirety of their restored members, the wicked "shall seek death, and shall not find it, shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them" (Revelation 9:6).
These three characteristics, identity, entirety, and immortality, will be common to the risen bodies of the just and the wicked. But the bodies of the saints shall be distinguished by four transcendent endowments, often called qualities.
- The first is "impassibility", which shall place them beyond the reach of pain and inconvenience. "It is sown", says the Apostle, "in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption" (1 Corinthians 15:42). The Schoolmen call this quality impassibility', not incorruption, so as to mark it as a peculiarity of the glorified body; the bodies of the damned will be incorruptible indeed, but not impassible; they shall be subject to heat and cold, and all manner of pain.
- The next quality is "brightness", or "glory", by which the bodies of the saints shall shine like the sun. "It is sown in dishonour," says the Apostle, "it shall rise in glory" (1 Corinthians 15:43; cf. Matthew 13:43; 17:2; Philippians 3:21). All the bodies of the saints shall be equally impassible, but they shall be endowed with different degrees of glory. According to St. Paul: "One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, another the glory of the stars. For star differeth from star in glory"'(1 Corinthians 15:41-42).
- The third quality is that of "agility", by which the body shall be freed from its slowness of motion, and endowed with the capability of moving with the utmost facility and quickness wherever the soul pleases. The Apostle says: "It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power" (1 Corinthians 15:43).
- The fourth quality is "subtility", by which the body becomes subject to the absolute dominion of the soul. This is inferred from the words of the Apostle: "It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:44). The body participates in the soul's more perfect and spiritual life to such an extent that it becomes itself like a spirit. We see this quality exemplified in the fact that Christ passed through material objects.
Catholic Encyclopedia, General Resurrection
WHOA!!
I thought 'saints' are in Heaven already??
But making images of these entities prayed to, such as "saints" and/or "Mary", since they are as one with Christ (I do hope they are or will be, that would be wonderful) still is not praying to anyone but God (or so the best of the 'story' for the practices go) because they are at one with Him in communion (again, as best modern-day 'explanation' goes) leaving things to be, that when facing towards images or icon depicting particular persons believed to now be in heaven, naming those particular entities while addressing prayer towards them even by name, is still not making an image of anything that is in heaven (even while it is hoped or believed that those are in heaven) and bowing down to worship those earthly images while prayers are said to them (for they are only being asked to "pray for us", sometimes...when not beseeched for more direct assitance) while they yet be otherwise also said to be one with God --- so regardless, our God is bigger than yours and we can by our own "faith" contradict in practice, admonitions given the Hebrews by God *quite directly* against similar in appearance practices common enough among pagan and 'ancestor' worship cults all over the world, found in the most primitive of cultures, because "our" (or should I say The?) Church ecclesiastical body which we bow obeisance towards as central component to our "faith" (we even recite creed that we "believe in" it along with believing in God) not only tell us that it OK to do as we do, but often enough highly recommend that we do so.
Or in other words; "We ain't breakin' no commandments -- we just be 'veneratin' "