Until most recently, a declaration of Sainthood (canonization) in the Catholic Church required either martyrdom, living a life of heroic values or having a clear saintly reputation.
Now, Pope Francis has decreed that people who have lived a good Catholic life and who freely accepted a certain and premature death for the good of others may be canonized as well.
Under the new category, a miracle must be attributed to the candidate's intercession prior to beatification, the first step toward canonization as a Saint. Martyrdom, which stipulates being killed out of hatred for the faith, does not require a miracle.
All of which leads to a question of the role the veneration of Saints plays in the life of the Church.
According to classical Roman Catholic and Orthodox theology, veneration is a type of honor distinct from the adoration due to God alone.
St. Thomas Aquinas explains. Adoration, which is known as latria in classical theology, is the worship and homage that is rightly offered to God alone. It is the manifestation of submission, and acknowledgment of dependence, appropriately shown towards the excellence of an uncreated divine person and to his absolute Lordship. It is the worship of the Creator that God alone deserves.
Veneration, on the other hand, known as dulia in classical theology, is the honor and reverence appropriately due to the excellence of a created person. Excellence exhibited by created beings deserves recognition and honor.
In secular life, a general example would be the veneration in events like the awarding of academic awards for excellence in school, or the awarding of Olympic medals for excellence in sports. There is nothing contrary to the proper adoration of God when we offer the appropriate honor and recognition that created persons deserve based on achievement in excellence.
And so, Church theologians have long adopted the terms latria for the type of worship due to God alone, and dulia for the veneration given to angels, saints, relics and icons. Catholic and Orthodox theologies also include the term hyperdulia for the type of veneration specifically paid to Mary, mother of Jesus.
The new category of excellence of life which Pope Francis has prescribed for consideration of Sainthood is very broad and open to all sorts of interpretations and applications.
Under this new consideration, I wonder, will soldiers who die in battle be considered for Sainthood on account of their acts of valor which resulted in their deaths? Police officers? Firefighters? Emergency personnel of all kinds?
Future petitions for consideration of Sainthood for such individuals will make Pope Francis' new classification clearer.
The Pope personally has great regard for the Saints. It seems that hardly a month goes by that the Holy Father has not canonized yet another Servant of God.
Just how the Francis' personal admiration of the Saints filters down to the folks in the pews is another consideration altogether.
In a world that has become so materialistic and anxious for immediate gratification of any and all appetites and desires, it would seem that the veneration of the Saints is low on the list of personal pursuits among the vast majority of the laity.
During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington often wrote to the First Continental Congress besieging them for additional personnel, arms and resources to fight the battles. His dispatches were often unanswered, which led him to write: "Is anybody there? Does anybody care?"
Do ordinary Catholic folks really pay all that much attention to what Saint's feast day is being celebrating at any given moment? Does the veneration of Saints really have any significant place in the life of Catholics today?
I seriously doubt it.
It's clear that the Holy Father believes so, however.
There is an adage which may apply here: we all need heroes!
The Saints are the heroes of our Faith. We should honor them for their example and be inspired by their love of God and neighbor to live our lives with integrity and generosity.
The reward of that kind of life is the blessing of Eternity in the Divine Presence.
And that reward, whether publicly acknowledged and venerated or not, should be sufficient for us all.
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