I'm not, I assure you! But please pray that I might become one.

+Bishop

Devil's job is to tempt the luke warm and the solidly faithful into doubting. Knowledge of our Faith and the prcatices of our religion and Our God is what will defeat those doubts.

pope john paul II and pop john XXIII are being canonized as saints tomorrow

The Catholic Church believes that anyone who is in heaven is a saint. Canonized saints are the ones that have been recognized as holy by the Church, but there are many other saints praying for us in heaven. You're right that part of the mission of the church is to seek the lost and encourage one another, but aren't we doing those things in order to help others become saints with us?

Dear Jesse - I understand what you are saying. Here is the issue, though. Judas was an Apostle, was sent out to heal and cast out daemons, have seen all the important miracles, had his feat washed by Jesus, participated in the Last Supper, received the Eucharist.... If you call Judas a saint then when you say a 'saint' and when the Church is calling a 'Saint', we talk about different things. When we say that we believe in God, we do not say that we believe that God exists - that is self evident, and there is nothing special in us by stating it, and there is nothing pulling us to do anything. Then what we say by 'I believe in God'? That we believe in His Love, and that He wants only good for us, and that all His promises are True. If we, however, say 'yes I believe, but' then we show an evidence that we do not believe in His Love, and we want our way, not His. Our fruit will be the biggest proof. By a Saint then we understand someone who said 'yes' to God, and through his 'yes' God had been glorified through proven miracles - miracles during the Saint's life, and after His death. Miracles that can be done only by God, and not by any other creature (human, angel, daemon,) and thus an undeniable proof that God wants us to check if we could walk that Saint's sure path, and end up in Our Father's Arms. Saints glorify God. We, saints through God's calling very often glorify ourselves, and reject God. May we all die before we die, and start living - in Him, through Him, and with Him. Amen.

assistantseamstress The New Testament is clear that no Christians who have physically died already are in heaven. They are currently asleep, and waiting for the judgement day. They will meet the father along with other Christians who are still alive when Jesus comes. This happens, then the judgement, then heaven. It will be a great day! Obviously our example of encouraging one another and seeking the lost will help others realize they also need to become Christians in order to please God.

gsnowakowski Technically, there were no Christians before the Day of Pentecost. When the Day of Pentecost arrived, Judas had already hung himself. There is no evidence that any of Jesus' Apostles performed miracles before the Day of Pentecost. (Note that when Peter walked on water for a few steps, it was Jesus directing that power.) Only after the Day of Pentecost, did his Apostles receive power to perform miracles, just as Jesus told them earlier. James 2 discusses that we must show our works by our actions. Obviously there is nothing any human can do to earn their own salvation, but God still requires us to show our faith by our works.

How do you know this is true, Jesse? It is not an empty question. I would like to know how do you know if what you say is true, and not just an other interpretation? Don't you believe in Communion of Saints stated in the Apostles' Creed? Is not Saint Dismus (Luke 23:43) with Jesus in Paradise now as Jesus promised him on the Cross? Or is he asleep? Why do you think that God needs to pleased? God Loves us not because we are good, but because He is Good. Jesus died for all of us, not only those Adopted through Baptism, because God loves us all, and wants salvation of all of us. It is us, who in the myster of our freedom reject Him. Baptism is an undeserved invitation to know and love Him, who loved us first, so through serving Him we can come to know Him as He is. To undersand that "He Is", and "we are not". That our freedom comes down to either say 'yes' to Him, or say 'no' to Him, and He invites us to say 'yes'. Mary's 'yes' is the ultimate human 'yes' which brings Word made Flesh. We are not to know about God - we are to know Him - to love Him with all our Hearts, Minds, Strength and Will, for the life is only in Him. Anything else is vanity. Love Him with all your life, Jesse, for He it is right and just. May God helps us, and grants us even bigger desire to know and love Him.

Gracious Blessing Those saints are "US"!. Anyone who is in Christ (more specifically -- one is remaining in Christ) is moving continually towards "sainthood" in some respect. The Church simply recognizes those particular saints who are outstanding in the history of the church whose lives reflect the light and love of Christ, and through him God has chosen to affect miracles. It is meant to be an encouragement to spur us on towards greater holiness and Christ-likeness ourselves. Read Hebrews 10:24, and 11-12. It is Christ's pure prerogative and pleasure to include "the saints" in the participation in his kingdom work. The Church (and especially the Saints, the apostles, etc.) is supposed to be Christ's visible hands and feet to the world (see John 20:23). Christ is fully capable of doing the work on his own -- but he lets us in on it. See also 2 Timothy 2:12

Dan Carollo Saints are "US" who believe Jesus as the son of God and redeemer which is according to the Bible. The saints according to the Church teaching (Roman Catholic) is not the same.

Gracious Blessing But the Church rightly recognizes and honors particular saints. It's not a zero-sum game. Here's another way to look at it: Just as in some sense we are ALL "ministers of Christ" or the common "priesthood of all believers" -- there are ALSO those who we are specially, called and ordained to the vocation of the ministry and priesthood. BOTH are acknowledged by the Church. BTW: This is not only a Catholic thing, Saints (big S) are also recognized in the Orthodox Church, some Anglican, and other traditions. The idea that there is simply one, FLAT church hierarchy of individual believers -- ALL with equal authority -- is a very recent invention in Church history following the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, especially in the American form of Protestantism. In contrast, the ancient church (which includes both Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy) understands the Church and the participation of the Saints (especially those remarkable individuals) in a very different, rich and multi-layered way. The intercession of Saints has been part of the living, apostolic tradition from day one -- which, by the way, predates the N.T. Canon of Scripture

Gracious Blessing It is also interesting to see what the early Church Fathers had to say -- those who lived within one to two generations of the first Apostles... It's important to read scripture within the living tradition that goes back to earliest centuries -- not simply from the point of view of modern, Protestantism. When you see the Christian tradition from the vantage point of those who were nearest to the apostles, it all begins to come together in a whole new way. When trying to sort between conflicting views among Christians today, consulting the early church fathers is a very helpful remedy. Hermas “[The Shepherd said:] ‘But those who are weak and slothful in prayer, hesitate to ask anything from the Lord; but the Lord is full of compassion, and gives without fail to all who ask him. But you, [Hermas,] having been strengthened by the holy angel [you saw], and having obtained from him such intercession, and not being slothful, why do not you ask of the Lord understanding, and receive it from him?’” (The Shepherd 3:5:4 [A.D. 80]). Clement of Alexandria “In this way is he [the true Christian] always pure for prayer. He also prays in the society of angels, as being already of angelic rank, and he is never out of their holy keeping; and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him [in prayer]” (Miscellanies 7:12 [A.D. 208]). Origen “But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep” (Prayer 11 [A.D. 233]). Cyprian of Carthage “Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides [of death] always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father’s mercy” (Letters 56[60]:5 [A.D. 253]).

***** As long as you are a human being, you will commit sins.It is human nature. You cannot get away with it. The Church recognized people as saints after they died. If the church coffer them sainthood while they are alive, I believe they will reject the offer to be a saint because they are not perfect. You may have come across Matthew 5:28. On the Cross Jesus paid off for our sin which we inherited from Adam (the first human being). I have not heard from protestant preachers who encourage to go sins. Your sins are forgiven when you accept that He is the saviour. Luke 23:39-43 the criminal and Jesus' conversation. No matter what church you are in if you do not believe Jesus is the saviour, God's glorious kingdom is not for you. Dr. Scott Han talked about how Mary, the mother of Jesus, is important comparing to kings in the Bible whose mothers' played important role in their kingship. Their mothers were crucial while they were alive.

So the Pope is not Catholic?

Francis Bergoglio is not a true pope but an anti pope he denies Catholic Dogma. He believes Jews, Muslims, Buddhists who deny Christ and Portestants can be saved. It is a Catholic Dogma that there is absolutely no salvation outside the Catholic Church. He cannot even say the Apostle Creed which says I believe in the Holy Ghost the Holy Catholic Church etc. because he believes all outside the Catholic Church are saved and to deny Catholic Dogma is Heresy and makes him Ipso facto outside of the Catholic Church. Also for more information please visit Vatican Catholic.com.

111205dng You're so funny! Because J23 and JP2 increased transparency of our faith and religion.... They are anti-popes? Wow. Thanks for the laughs.