The Pope, we are told, is
capable of canonizing saints after people have died and gone to be in the
presence of God.
If you accept that when
people die, they cease to exist, then for you, this idea is preposterous and
demonstrates that only clowns in gowns believe such nonsense. Alternatively, if
they do not believe it, they deceive those who do what they are told, claiming
that they have the power to turn dead men and women into saints.
If you believe that
people do not cease to exist after they have died and left behind their rotting
carcasses (a phenomenon avoided by cremation), then you may not be open to
accepting that the Pope has the ability to create saints by performing some
magical ritual and announcing that a certain deceased individual is now capable
of performing miracles—something that the Pope himself cannot do, even though
he has empowered the deceased person to do so.
If you believe that what the Pope does in canonizing saints is really nonsense and has nothing to do with what is written in the Bible, then you have probably noted that certain people are called saints even while they are still alive.
In the Old Testament, we learn that saints existed long before the Pope became the head of the Roman Catholic Church, which was some time after Emperor Gratian in 376 C.E. refused the title of Pontifex Maximus (Supreme Priest).
Evidently, Emperor Theodosius's edict De fide catholica of 27 February, 380 C.E. established Catholic Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, calling the bishop of Rome the Pontifex of Rome. [1]
- Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let thy saints shout for joy. (Psalm 132:9)
- Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts. (Psalm 85:8)
- The Lord loves those who hate evil; he preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 97:10)
- But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, for ever and ever.’ (Daniel 7:18)
The astute reader learns that when Jesus was raised from the
dead, saints who had been declared dead rose from the tombs in which they were
buried and appeared to many people, probably telling them that life after death
is real and showing them that they had no blood but were flesh and bone.
- The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:52-53)
In the New Testament, there is much evidence that the Apostles considered everyone who had received the Holy Spirit to be saints. Of course, there are impostor saints, as well as those who are faithful and do not break the commandments of God, because in humility they call upon the name of Lord Jesus Christ.
- Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:1)
- To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. (1 Corinthians 1:2)
- Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. (Romans 12:13)
- Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. (Romans 16:15)
- But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, rise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and lifted her up. Then calling the saints and widows he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. (Acts 9:40-42)
Even though Peter and Paul were apostles (messengers of the
gospel) chosen by the Lord Jesus, they did not go around claiming that the dead
could be turned into saints by some ritual. They recognized that everyone who
called upon the name of Lord Jesus Christ and was faithful in keeping the
commandments of God (1 Corinthians 7:19) was worthy to be called saints.
Whether a Catholic mystic is considered a saint depends on whether the person believes in Lord Jesus Christ, has received the Holy Spirit, and is faithful in keeping the commandments of God. in Bear mind that the Apostle to the Gentiles said we are not to go beyond what is written in the Old Testament (1 Corinthians 4:6)—which especially refers to what was written by the Finger of God.
And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. (Ephesians 4:11-14)
In all probability, since only those who are members of the Body of Christ are saints, unless a Catholic mystic is a member of the Body of Christ, it is doubtful that he or she is a saint. You can be sure that anyone claiming that they can make saints out of people in Heaven is being crafty and is probably worthy of the title.: The Magician.
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