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The Role of Saints in the Church

By Robyn Broyles, October 18, 2009 07:00



A common misconception among non-Catholics of many stripes is that Catholics worship saints.  This is incorrect; Catholics merely offer veneration to saints, in the same sense that any person might venerate, for instance, an ancestor who was a combat veteran, or a figure who played a prominent role in history.  Americans venerate George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Junior by making their birthdays into national holidays.  We do not worship these people, but rather honor them because of the ideals they represent.

Saints as Role Models

Saints have a couple roles in Catholic spirituality. First, they are role models, which is why they are honored (but not worshiped, as they are only humans just like us). For example, a parish named after (for example) St. Maximilian Kolbe, through its name, calls attention to the life of St. Maximilian, who lived and died for God.

 

The Communion of Saints

Second, Catholics believe that all the dead who are in heaven are aware and active beings, and great friends of God. We have a concept called the Communion of Saints, which is the group of all baptized Christians who have ever lived (dead and alive) with the exception of those in Hell. Just as I have "communion" or friendship with, say, a fellow Christian, I also have friendship with Christ's friends in heave, the saints. "Praying" to saints is really just talking to them, as I might talk to a person on earth. We believe that in a sense God "relays" these conversations to the saints we are addressing, as saints themselves have no such powers, being humans. When we ask favors of saints, we are asking for their intercession. In other words, we are asking them to pray for us, just as we might ask other Christians on Earth to pray for us. If I have a special intention, I pray directly to God, and I ask other Christians (friends on earth and saints both) to pray for it, as well. That's it. That's all it is, even with the Virgin Mary: we ask her to pray for us. Our main prayer to her, the Hail Mary, asks, "Holy Mary ... pray for us sinners..."

Latria, Dulia, and Hyperdulia

The Latin terms latria, dulia, and hyperdulia were defined at least as far back as the 8th century. Latria means worship or adoration, and it is reserved for God alone. Dulia is veneration or honor, and it is afforded to the saints. They never receive latria. The Virgin Mary is our greatest saint because she was given special privileges by God. She receives the highest degree of veneration, hyperdulia, but still never latria.

Do you have any questions about the saints in Catholic life or belief?

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Tags: saints, catechism, theology, mariology, prayer, communion of saints

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