Fr. Goffine: Veneration of the Saints, 1880

What is the doctrine of the Catholic Church concerning the veneration and invocation of saints?

FROM the earliest ages of the Christian religion it has been the accepted and praise-worthy custom to commemorate the saints in heaven on festival days dedicated to them, and to honor their pictures and relics; that the saints who reign with Christ, (Apoc. xx. 4. 6.) may intercede for man. It is therefore useful and good, that we humbly invoke them and have recourse to their assistance and intercession. (Cone. Trid. Sess. 25.)

Why are the saints to be venerated?

Because they are friends of Christ, and reign with Him in eternal happiness, (ii Tim. ii. 12.) having faithfully followed Him on earth, and with St. Paul fought the good fight; (ii Tim. iv. 7.) because they are living members of the Church, through the bond of charity (Col. iii. 14.) are united with us as friends and brothers, heartily love us, and take great interest in our welfare, (Luke xv. 7.) and therefore pray to God for us. (ii Mach. xv. 14.)

But does not the veneration of saints diminish the honor due to God?

Not in the least, since all the honor shown to the saints is referred to God alone, whose friends and servants they are, and who has wonderfully revealed Himself in them. (Ps. lxvii. 36.) This veneration, therefore, cannot diminish the honor due to God, but is rather a confirmation of it.

How should the saints be honored?

As servants and friends of God, joint-heirs with Christ, and glorified members of His body, who dearly love us and aid us by their intercession, but not as God, nor as if they could aid us by their own power; we are, therefore, not permitted to adore them, or show them divine honors.

What difference is there between veneration and worship?

Worship is the greatest of all honor, due only to God, by which we acknowledge Him as the supreme Being, and as creatures submit to Him with deepest reverence. Besides this, the word worship, in Scripture as well as in ancient profane writings, dignities an external reverence, a low bow, &c. (Gen.xxVw. 7.. xxvii. 29., xxxvii. 7.: ii Kings xviii. 21.; iii Kings i. 16.) Thus, when we read that David
bowing himself down to the ground, (before Saul) worshipped, we must understand by all means that it was not the worship due to God alone, but merely a rendering of external honor. In this sense the Church uses the word worship in regard to the cross of Christ. Veneration is nothing more than an outward sign of the esteem which we have for the dignity and merits of others. If we bow before the pictures of Christ and the saints, before their relics, or bend the knee to them, these external honors refer to those who are represented by the pictures, or whose relics are present. Princes and their portraits are venerated in the same manner in our days, without being worshipped.

How do we best show our veneration for the saints?

By rejoicing and wishing them happiness because of the great honor and glory they have acquired by a faithful cooperation with God's grace, by continual practice of virtue, and performance of good works, thanking and praising God for the graces bestowed on them. When we do not seek to imitate them, ••then," says St. Augustine, "the saints are not gladdened by our veneration, but are pleased only, when we imitate their virtuous examples. To venerate without imitating them, is simply to flatter them falsely."

We also venerate them by devoutly and reverently observing their festivals, but we must not understand that merely resting from work means keeping* the festivals devoutly and reverently. If questioned concerning the observance of their festivals by many Christians the saints would perhaps answer as God did the Jews: "My soul hateth your new moons, and your solemnities: they are become troublesome to me, I am weary of bearing them; (Isai. i. 14.) for with all your seeming devotion, your hands are empty of good works, and filled with iniquity; dissolve the bonds of sin and learn to do good — then your devotion will be pleasing to us. 7 ' Finally, we venerate them when with proper confidence we turn to them in our cares and seek their intercession.

Are we to invoke the saints?

Assuredly, for the intercession of saints is taught by the holy Scripture. When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead, I offered thy prayers to the Lord, said the Angel Raphael to Tobias; (Tob.-xii. 12.) St. Paul asked the intercession of his living brethren, (ii Thess. iii. 1.) and God Himself advised it to the friends of the pious Job. If the doctrine of the holy Scripture permits us to ask intercession of the living why should not we be allowed to ask the intercession of the saints who stand before the throne of God, and gaze upon His countenance? The Church has always taught that it is useful and good to invoke the intercession of the saints, and has at all times practiced it. Unbelievers who abuse this holy practice, seek the intercession of the living without regarding it as a circuitous path to God; why should not as much be granted to the saints, who are the glorified members of the body of Christ?

But since the saints are not omniscient, can they hear our prayers?

They need not be omniscient to know for what we pray. Cannot God make known to them our cares? The angels know the conversion of a sinner and rejoice over it, (Luke xv. 10.) they hear the prayers and know the good works of the pious, (Tod. xii. 12.) they bring them as an agreeable gift in the sight of God. (Apoc. viii. 3.) Cannot the same be said of the saints, since they are like the angels and possess the same glory? {Matt. xxii. 30.) Did not Onias and Jeremias receive, after their death, knowledge of the afflictions of the Jewish people, and pray to God for them? (ii Mach. xv. 12.) We need not be anxious with regard to the manner in which the saints become cognizant of our prayers, since God has a thousand ways by which to make our needs known to them.

On what do we base our faith that the saints pray for us?

On the doctrine of the communion of saints, according to which the most intimate spiritual communion exists between all the members of the Church, as members of the body of Christ, so that in the spiritual possessions of the one the others have part, and it is the anxious desire of each that others should share in that which he possesses, for which reason they pray for each other constantly; (James v. 16.; Apoc. v. 8.) it is also based on the great charity of the saints which was theirs while here, and by which they were enabled to sacrifice everything, often even their lives, for the welfare of their fellow creatures. This love does not cease after death, for love never dies, (i Cor. xiii. 8.) and they have carried it with them to heaven, where they now love us more than ever, and certainly show their love by praying for us; for they know from their own experience to what dangers our welfare is exposed, and how much we are in need of God's assistance.

In what sense do we seek the intercession of the saints?

Not in the sense as if we could not, and dare not, turn directly to God, but because we consider ourselves as sinners, unworthy to appear in the sight of God whom we have offended by sin, and so hope to obtain mercy and compassion through the prayers of the saints, which avail much with God. (John in. 31.; James v. 16.) We therefore, think it useful and good to seek help from the prayers of the saints, so that we may receive grace from God through His Son, our Lord, who alone is our Redeemer and Saviour. (Cone. Trid. Sess. 25.) Thus the invocation of the saints is not opposed to the invocation of God, for we invoke Him as the Giver of grace and the Author of all good, (James i. 17.) and this invocation of Him is an act of adoration; but when we invoke the saints, we invoke them as mediators who will request with us and for us from God through Jesus Christ that which we require. For this reason all the prayers of the Church end with the words: Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

But does not the intercession of saints diminish the mediators of Christ as the heretics maintain?

Not in the least. According to the faith of the Catholic Church, Christ, through His work of redemption, is the only mediator between God and man, asking for the sake of His own merits, mercy and compassion for us from God. But the saints are our intercessors and mediators in this sense, that they may pray for us that God be merciful to us, because of the merits of Christ ; and their intercession is only heard on account of Christ.

Is not Christ's intercession superabundant?

It is superabundant, and yet St. Paul asks the intercession of the faithful: Watching with all instance and supplication for all the saints: and for me. (Ephes.Vi. 1 8. 19.; Heb. xiii. 18, 19.) Are we wiser than this holy apostle?

Can the saints through their own power give us that for which we pray?

The Roman Catechism says: "We do not invoke the saints in the same manner that we do God; we pray to God, that He Himself may give us the good, but we pray to the saints that they, since they are pleasing to God, may be our intercessors, and obtain from Him that which we need." For this reason we say in the litanies of God: Have mercy on us, hear us! and in the litanies of the saints: Pray for us!

What qualities must the veneration have to correspond with the sense of the Church and be agreeable to God and the saints?

It must be directed above all to the honor of God and for the salvation of our souls, as St. Jerome says: "We honor the servants so that their honor may redound to the honor of God." It could not possibly please the saints if the honor of God would suffer in the least by the veneration given them; for they regard His honor far more than their own. Consequently, the first and most important quality of the veneration of the saints is, that we are encouraged thereby to adore and glorify God, through whose grace the saints attained so high a degree of sanctity and happiness. This devotion must also make us virtuous and saintly; that is, if we seek to venerate the saints, we must emulate their example; we must conform ourselves to the will of God, in that which we desire from the saints, be they spiritual or corporal favors, and not ask anything unjust, unreasonable, or injurious to our salvation; and, lastly, we must seek to make ourselves worthy of this grace by a pious life.

What distinction does the Catholic Church make in the veneration of different saints?

The feasts of some saints are celebrated with much more solemnity than others. The reason of this is, that according to the faith of the Catholic Church, there are certain degrees among the saints in accordance with their dignity and sanctity. Christ did not say without meaning: In my Father's house there are many mansions, Johnxiv. 2.) nor did St. Paul: One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars. For star differeth from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. (i. Cor. xv. 41, 42.) In this manner the Church permits certain saints to be especially venerated and invoked as patrons or protectors of different countries and churches, as patron-saints over each and every station of life, so that in dangers of body and soul we may acquire aid and comfort through their intercession, and that we may fervently imitate their virtues.

Why is more honor shown to Mary, the beloved Mother of the Son of God, than to other saints?

Because she is the Mother of the Son of God our Redeemer, and is therefore the Queen of Saints. Why should she not be honored and praised who is full of grace above all saints. Is not the Lord with her, and is she not blessed among women! has she not said of herself in the spirit of a prophet: From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Concerning her a woman among the people cried out: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck! (Luke xi. 27.) For similar reasons St. Joseph deserves after Mary a special veneration because he, on account of his sanctity, was chosen, from among all men, to be the foster-father of Christ.

The angels, who are sent notwithstanding their greatness, to serve those who wish to be saved. (Heb. i. 14.) They guard our souls and bodies, and are therefore called guardian angels; the patriarchs, who according to nature were the forefathers of Christ, and because of their virtues are types of Him; the prophets, who as instruments of the Holy Ghost, taught the people the will of God, strengthened them in the true religion, and prepared them for the coming of the Saviour of the world, whom they foretold; the apostles, who as witnesses of the divinity of Jesus Christ, as messengers of peace, (hence their name apostle, that is, messenger) are regarded as the fathers and pastors of all the faithful, as the pillars and corner-stones of the Church; the evangelists, who have written down the doctrines of Jesus which they heard, and the history of His deeds which they saw; the martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for virtue and the Christian religion, and fertilized God's Church with martyr's blood, so that it brought forth an immense number of Christians; the bishops and priests, who as good shepherds fed their flocks with the blessed sacraments, with the doctrines of the gospel, and guarded them from wolves, and by offering the holy Sacrifice of the Mass placed themselves somewhat as mediators between God and man; the monks and hermits, who laid aside all earthly honors, joys and wealth, retired into solitude or into monasteries and, so to speak, buried themselves there; the confessors, who through all the mockery and persecution of the world, would not permit themselves to be led from the profession of and adherence to the evangelical laws; the virgins, that is, those who preferred virginal purity to all the pleasures, riches and honors of the world, and never stained it, so that they now follow the Lamb in heaven singing a new canticle which none other can sing; the widows, who have sanctified their difficult position in life by humility, patience, industry, proper training of their children, and by resignation to the will of God; the penitents, who having been wrecked in faith, or having lost their innocence, have grasped the plank of penance, rendered satisfaction for their sins, and passed on through the narrow way to heaven.

How should we venerate the patrons of persons, countries, and churches?

If the Church designates certain patrons for the faithful, she wishes that they should be our models and examples as well as our protectors and intercessors. We must, therefore, solicit not only the intercession and protection of our patron-saints, but try especially to make ourselves worthy of them by emulating their virtues.

Is it allowed to venerate the relics of the saints, that is, their bones or other parts of them?

Undoubtedly; for it was the pious custom even in the very earliest times of the Church, and God Himself has, at all times, confirmed this veneration by great miracles. Moses, filled with reverence, took the bones of the Patriarch Joseph and carried them with him on his journey to the Promised Land, where they were finally preserved. (Exodus xiii. ig; Ecclus. xlix. 18.) Eliseus divided the waters of the Jordan with the mantle of Elias, (iv Kings ii. 14.) by touching Eliseus' bones a man came to life, (iv Kings xiii. 21.) Jesus did not rebuke the woman troubled with the issue of blood, who in faith touched the hem of His garment and was healed; (Matt. ix. 20) all kinds of diseases were cured by St. Peter's shadow and by St. Paul's handkerchief. (Acts v. 15; xix. 12.) The veneration of the relics of Saints, thus approved by the Holy Scriptures, is also sanctioned by the continual practice of the Church. Even the first Christians visited regularly the graves of the martyrs, there to pray and make offerings. The bones of St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch and pupil of St. John, were gathered up with the greatest care by the faithful, and as the most precious of treasures were carried in a triumphal procession on the shoulders of the Christians of the towns on the road to Antioch. This took place in the year 107 after Christ. In like manner the faithful of Smyrna preserved the bones of St. Polycarp, bishop, who was martyred by fire in the year 166. They preserved them, as something more valuable than gold or precious stones, in a sacred place, where every year his martyrdom was commemorated. In a sermon on the Saints Juventius and Maximus, St. Chrysostom says: "Let us visit them often, let us touch the little case, (in which these bones are kept) and approach their relics with the greatest confidence, so that we may receive blessings through them." An immense number of testimonies could still be quoted concerning the veneration of saints' relics, and of the miracles that have occurred through them, by which is clearly shown that this pious custom has always been practiced in the Church.

Why should we honor the relics of the saints?

The answer to this is finely given by the Council of Trent: “Because they are the precious remains of bodies that were, in life, members of Christ and temples of the Holy Ghost, and will one day rise and be glorified; God gives us a great many favors through them, and they, therefore, deserve to be held in honor by us." (Sess. 25.)

Are we permitted to venerate in the same manner the pictures of the saints, the holy Cross, &c.?

Yes, for the honor we show to the picture, is given to the one whom it represents. Everybody would consider it an insult to a king if his picture be abused and dishonored. The Council of Trent declares distinctly: "that we must have the pictures of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and the saints, especially in the temples, retain them there and show them due honor, not as if we believed there is divinity or power in them to which we must pay honor, not as if we demanded aught from them, or as if we put our trust in the pictures, as in olden times did the heathens who put their trust in idols: but we venerate pictures because the honor shown them refers to the original which they represent, so that through the picture which we kiss and before which we uncover our head and prostrate ourselves, we adore Christ and venerate the saints." (Sess. 25.)



But is not the veneration of pictures forbidden by the prohibition to make a graven image?

No; for God only forbade the adoration of graven images, not their veneration. When God forbade the Jews to make graven images, He wished to prevent them from falling into the superstitions of the neighboring heathens, who really worshipped the images of the sun, stars, men, and animals; but where there was no danger of idolatry, God did not forbid the making of images. Moses himself by God's command placed the image of two Cherubs on the ark of the convenant, (Exod. xxv. 18.) facing each other; he also erected a brazen serpent by the same command which for many centuries was reverently preserved, {Num. xxi. 8.) until the time of Ezechias who destroyed it because abuses had crept in. (iv Kings xviii. 4.) The walls and doors of Solomon's temple were decorated with many figures and carvings, and God Himself solemnly consecrated this temple, (iii Kings vi. 29.) Consequently, God did not forbid absolutely the use of images or pictures, and we find them in the earliest times of the Church. Tertullian, (about the year 160 A. D.) makes mention of the picture of the Good Shepherd on the chalice. (De pudicit. c. 10.) The pictures of the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God, of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul from the second century are still in good state of preservation in the great cemetery of the first Christians at Rome.

But what is the use of pictures?

St. Gregory says: "They are for the unlearned a book in which they can study the mysteries and graces of God; that they may take to heart the things which Christ has done for us, and the Saints have done for heaven, and may thus be incited to gratitude, to love of God, and to the imitation of the saints. It is most important that all improper and scandalous pictures, by which innocence is often led astray be removed from every Christian dwelling, and sacred and edifying ones put in their place."

What is to be said of the so-called miraculous pictures and pilgrim shrines of the Mother of God, and other saints?

Miraculous pictures and places of pilgrimages of the Mother of God or the saints are those through which God has deigned in a wonderful manner to assist (on account of the intercession of the saints) the faithful who in their different needs and troubles have visited these places and venerated these pictures. It is to be understood that the Church permits the faithful to venerate as miraculous, only those pictures the truth of whose miracles has been proved beyond all doubt by strict examination. The Catholic Church does not believe these pictures to have any power of themselves which produces these miracles, but that God of His own pleasure works His miracles through them; the Church teaches that we should not pray to these pictures for anything r put our trust in them. We invoke Christ Himself or the saints; Christ as God, the saints as friends of God; not their pictures, for in God alone we place all our hope.

Are we allowed to build Churches, to say Mass, to bring offerings, to make vows, &c. to the pictures and relies of saints?

No; acts of this kind are acts of veneration which belongs exclusively to God who is Lord over life and death. If such things are performed, it can only be on account of God and His honor, as a thanksgiving for the graces which He has shown to the saints, by which we can keep in view the remembrance and the honor of the saints in whom God has so marvellously manifested Himself, and whom He has so highly honored and does honor. Thus St. Augustine says: "To no martyr, but to God Himself, the Lord of all martyrs, do we build altars and temples, though built on the graves of martyrs. Not one of our ministers has ever said at the altar: We offer unto thee, O Peter, or Paul! Whatever is offered, is offered to God who crowns the martyrs." (Lib. xx. cont. Faust, e. 21.) Thus on certain festivals of saints the Church sings in the Introit: Let us rejoice in the Lord, and celebrate this festival in honor of X. X., over whom the angels rejoice and praise and honor the Son of God. Glory be to the Father, etc.

Can we, in devotion to the saints, show too much honor to their pictures and relics, and be led astray ourselves?

Undoubtedly; this occurs if we honor them more than God; if, so to speak, we put God aside and address our prayers and devotions to the saints only, placing in them a presumptuous confidence, as if they could and must of themselves assist us; if we promise ourselves from the saints a happy death and heaven, on account of certain prayers and pious exercises, without taking care to lead a pious life; if we ask nothing but temporal goods, money, and riches, &c. from them, and perhaps use to obtain our requests some suspicious and superstitious prayers and devotions, not introduced by the Church, but by the devil and impious men, even calling upon the saints to aid in some vicious deed; and when we represent the saints improperly, or in scandalous pictures; if we expose for veneration relics that are doubtful and have not been declared authentic by the bishops, or when we traffic with them.

Do the unbelievers do right, when they abuse and condemn the veneration of the saints and of their pictures, &c?

If they knew the doctrine of the Church, or would investigate it for themselves, they would not do this, but they usually abuse that which they do not know and do not wish to know. The Catholic Church does not command any of her faithful to venerate the saints, their pictures or relics, but she teaches that this veneration is good and profitable. The Catholic does not honor the saints as he does God; he does not believe and is not allowed to believe that there is any power or divinity in the pictures or relics; he does not ask anything from them, but only from Christ and the saints, whom these pictures represent, he puts no confidence in pictures, as do the heathens, but in God only, by whom the saints, on account of the merits of Christ, will he heard in our behalf.

Is it not false to say the pope makes men saints?

It is; for it is an insulting calumny, invented to slander the Catholic Church. God only makes men saints; a Catholic can become a saint only through His grace and through faithful co-operation with the same. The pope, as head of the Church, simply declares that this or that Catholic whom God Himself has pronounced righteous by the miracles He has wrought through him, can be invoked and venerated as a saint. But before the pope publishes any such declaration, a long and strict examination is made of the life of the one who is proposed for canonization.

What is the manner of proceeding in the canonization of a saint?

When a person has died having the reputation of sanctity, and the report is circulated that God works miracles through him, the bishop of the diocese prepares a statement from the oaths of trustworthy witnesses, which confirms the fame of the person's sanctity and the authenticity of true faith; these usually contain false doctrines. Therefore you should carry all such papers and tracts to your pastor, asking his advice whether you should use them or not. This statement is sent to the Congregation of Rites at Rome.

The congregation carefully examines it; if it is found to be correct, it is communicated to the pope, who then appoints one of the cardinals of the Congregation commissioner, to procure all the necessary witnesses and explanations for the examination which is now to be instituted into the life of the proposed saint; at the same time some are appointed to oppose the canonization. When this is done, a real jury is composed, that is, cardinals are chosen who solemnly swear that they will carefully try and judge the person's life; and all witnesses for and against that person. Advocates are summoned to this trial of whom one or more undertake, under oath, the saint's defence, others the accusation; they must bring up every circumstance, even the most trivial, which could cast an unfavorable light on the life of the saint, so that the truth may be more clearly shown. Physicians, surgeons, and naturalists are called, who must examine the alleged miracles to discover if they are really miracles or only natural occurrences. As soon as this court is impanelled and the trial commenced, the saint receives the title of "Venerable" which is equivalent to saying, he is worthy of beatification. As a general occurrence, she beatification takes place fifty years after death.

During all this time the trial continues; all his works, conduct and actions are investigated, and the least thing found therein that is contrary to good morals, causes the canonization to fall to the ground. When the examination of the miracles has been completed, the trial is discontinued for ten years, in order to bring more witnesses in regard to his character. After ten years the virtues of the saint, his faith, hope, charity, his observance of the
four cardinal virtues: fortitude, prudence, temperance and justice which he must have exercised in the highest degree, are subjected to a strict and searching investigation. For this purpose the pope appoints by a synodal bull, which is called Letter of Grace, commissioners who must inquire in the places where the person lived, how he practiced these virtues. After the examination is concluded, the sacred Congregation studies the commissioners' reports, the testimony of the witnesses, &c. and then the trial with all the documents concerning it, has to be submitted to the conscientious inspection and examination of the Consistory, which is composed of all the cardinals, archbishops and bishops of the Roman court.

A number of meetings are held, at many of which the pope is present, partly to make personal examination, partly to receive counsel from the bishops. After the pope has done this, always imploring God to enlighten him and also ordering public prayers for the necessary light from heaven, he publishes the bull by which he permits the ceremonies of beatification to take place. As the day approaches, on which the solemn beatification is to be made, St. Peter's church at Rome, the largest and most beautiful in the world, is decorated with all possible splendor; thousands of candles glimmer on all sides of the church, the walls and pillars are draped from top to bottom with the costliest crimson velvet, the high-altar is brilliant with gold and precious stones, and over the altar hangs the veiled picture of the saint whose beatification is about to be commenced. The pope, surrounded by the cardinals and bishops, appears, attended by all his court, kneels down and once more prays for light. Then the cardinal who is to celebrate High-Mass, comes forward in a golden cope and wearing a mitre, reads in a loud voice the pope's brief, in which it is declared, that the venerable servant of God whose trial is now at an end, can be venerated and invoked in certain countries and by certain religious orders as one of the saints of God. The Te Deum is then intoned, the veil falls from the picture, and amid the roar of cannon the pope, and the people fall upon their knees, venerating the saint and praising God who has so glorified Himself in His servant.

This is the solemn act of beatification; the canonization is not yet finished, that is, the declaration that the saint can be venerated by the whole Catholic world. Before this is done, it must be shown, that since the beatification God has worked new miracles through the saint; so there is a new trial and a new examination, and after the performance of new miracles has been clearly proved, the canonization occurs with the same solemnities that were held at the beatification.

From all this it is seen, that no trial could be held with more conscientiousness, more care and severity than the process of beatification and canonization, and the final judgment is only given when God Himself by the miracles He works through the saint, decides the question, so that not the pope, therefore, but God only makes saints; He simply glorifies His servants who during their lives sought only His honor and pleasure.