Fetalvero: 'Only God makes saints'

BARANGAY folks celebrate the feast of their patron saints although the celebration is more centered on the festive mood at the dining table, at the basketball courts and on the disco dancing that last until wee hours of the morning. The question that comes to mind is how much do these residents know about the life of their patron saint? Or what is sainthood?

Probably the most common knowledge we have about saints is that they have intercessory power. They can act as link to God should we have any problem. We can of course pray to God directly but it would be good to have an ally.

Monsignor Robert Samo, an official of Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints expressed that it is impossible to say the exact number of saints. Although the latest edition of the Lives of Saints presented 2,566 saints. I gathered this information from the book, Making Saints, authored by Kenneth L. Woodward.

Woodward wrote: “A saint is always someone whom we catch a glimpse of what God is like—and of what we are called to be. Only God makes saints. The church merely identifies from time to time a few of these for emulation.”

In his book, Saint of the Day, editor Leonard Folly OFM says this of saints, “Saints surrender to God’s love was so generous an approach to the total surrender of Jesus that the church recognizes them as heroes and heroines worthy to be held up for our inspiration.”

Wikipedia.com defines saint as one who has been recognized for having an exceptional degree of holiness, sanctity and virtue.

Recently canonized was our second Filipino saint, San Pedro Calungsod who was recognized for his huge offering for the love of God as he tried to save the life of his pastor. I hope our young will get to know more about the life of the newly canonized saint.

Kate Pickert who wrote a brief history on sainthood revealed that Pope John Paul II named more saints over his 27 year tenure than all his predecessors combined, beatifying more than 1,300 people and canonizing nearly 500. “He fast-tracked Mother Teresa’s canonization,” she added.