Article - Could I be a Saint?

The passing away of Pope John Paul II has caused quite a stirring of emotions for thousands of people the world over. There has been virtually non-stop coverage of the events in Vatican City for over a week. People all across the airwaves, both on television and on the radio have been chiming in to offer their commentary on the life, death, funeral, and future of this man. I heard a blurb on a talk radio program a few days ago that spoke of the possible future for the Pope. A caller raised the question of whether John Paul II was being considered for sainthood. Whoever it was that fielded the question decided not to speculate; rather, he decided to explain the process of being deemed a saint by the Catholic church.

According to the radio host I heard, any person can be considered for sainthood, but it is highly unusual for someone other than a Pope to ever have such consideration. The crux of the matter is the issue of someone's body being found to be incorruptible. If, for instance, John Paul II is to ever be considered for sainthood, his body would have to be disinterred after a certain amount of time (not specified by the radio host), and be examined. If the body shows no visible signs of decay, the assumption would be made that it is a sign from God that this man was indeed a saint, and should be termed so. It was also mentioned on the radio program that embalming would not be used on John Paul II's body. The process would make it impossible to know whether or not the body sustained any decay in the normal course of time.

While the bible does not speak of one person being elevated to sainthood based on the mortal body being found to be incorruptible after death, God's word is not devoid of ìsaintlyî references. The word often translated "saint" means ìholy peopleî or ìthose who have been called out of the world.î By answering the call of God to become separate from the world, we essentially become saints. It is in the context of ìnew birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead î that we all can be known as saints. Notice how God's holy people are referred to in scripture.

Biblical sainthood is nothing mystical or supernatural. But it is nonetheless important for all of us to recognize that, as God's people, we are all saints. We do not have to die a physical death, be physically buried, disinterred, and examined for signs of decay in order to be considered saints. Dieing to self, being buried in the watery grave of baptism, and being disinterred from our spiritual graves in order to live decay-proof lives as God's holy people../this is the path to sainthood.

Could I be a Saint?

"Biblical sainthood is nothing mystical or supernatural."