Saint Abraham!

  • Thread starter Thread starter AndyF
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

AndyF

Guest
The question of who qualifies for sainthood has our mind covering expanses of time that begin with the founding of our Church till present. It is curious this is a limitation as Jesus never limited his ministry to this time span. As he said in the temple “Today, in your presents scripture is fullfilled”. He also said he didn’t come to negate any word mentioned in the Old Testament. His ministry is full of references to OT and praise to the early prophets.

So my question is, why aren’t the old prophets who were clearly close to God not made saints in the new Church.? Now I admit I could be wrong, but I don’t recall Catholic sanctioned prayers to Moses or Abraham or beatification or canonization of these people.

Who would qualify?

We go to the Church for an answer, and nowhere can I find references disqualifying Old World prophets. Remember the OT is intrinsically tied to Jesus’s new ministery in many ways, most importantly because of his place in the Trinity.

The Church sees it this way:
Code: 
  The Catholic Church canonizes or beatifies only those whose lives have been marked by the exercise of **heroic virtue**, and only after this has been proved by common repute for sanctity and by conclusive arguments. The chief difference, however, lies in the meaning of the term canonization, the Church **seeing in the saints nothing more than friends and servants of God whose holy lives have made them worthy of His special love.**

Here clearly King David comes to mind for heroism and bravery, and the Church believes his santification with God.
The decision as to the martyr having died for his faith in Christ,…
Code: 
The old world prophets played a part in the introduction and table clearing for the event of their Saviour in the Trinity.

 And now we have the final qualifying statement:
Formal canonization occurs when the cultus is prescribed as an explicit and definitive decision, after due judicial process and the ceremonies usual in such cases. Equivalent canonization occurs when the pope, omitting the judicial process and the ceremonies, orders some servant of God to be venerated in the Universal Church; this happens when such a saint has been from a** remote period** the object of veneration, when his heroic virtues (or martyrdom) and**miracles are related by reliable historians, and the fame of his miraculous intercession is uninterrupted.
Code: 
  **So unless I've missed it in my research, I can't find reference for or against these people being saints. I'm open for correction.

   (quotes courtesy New Advent)

  Andy
 
They are venerated as saints by the Eastern Church. Why in the East and not in the West is something I don’t understand. But the Catholic Church definitely considers them to be saints (which I guess means that it considers Constantine and Justinian to be saints as well, which is a huge problem for me, especially Justinian).

Edwin
 
40.png
Contarini:
They are venerated as saints by the Eastern Church. Why in the East and not in the West is something I don’t understand. But the Catholic Church definitely considers them to be saints (which I guess means that it considers Constantine and Justinian to be saints as well, which is a huge problem for me, especially Justinian).

Edwin
Click to expand...
Code: 
  Thanks Edwin,  (my late father is also Edwin).

   That's interesting. Are "Eastern Churches" what they are called? Do they go by another name? I'm familiar with Greek Orthodox,etc.

 Thanks for the post.

  Andy
 
it was always my understanding that any soul who makes it to heaven is considered a saint. Now some are more popular than others like St Theresa, St Peter, St Augustin ect, but anyone who makes to heaven is a saint. Now correct me if I am wrong but this was what I was taught.
 
40.png
AndyF:
Thanks Edwin, (my late father is also Edwin).

That’s interesting. Are “Eastern Churches” what they are called? Do they go by another name? I’m familiar with Greek Orthodox,etc.

Thanks for the post.

Andy
Click to expand...
There are the Orthodox and the Eastern Catholics. They both are pretty similar to each other except the Eastern Catholics are in communion with the Pope.
 
The Old Testament figures have been venerated as Saints. In my diocese we have a church dedicated to St. Daniel, the Old Testament prophet. Our Cathdral has many stained glass windows depicting the Old Testament Saints. Abraham is up there along with Aaron, Moses, Daniel, Ezechiel, Gideon, and many others.
 
40.png
BibleReader:
Go to the Roman Martyrology, October 9, Entry 3, and there you will see Abraham celebrated as a Roman Catholic saint.

web2.airmail.net/~carlsch/MaterDei/Martyrol/oct-09.htm

Interestingly, Buddha is also apparently a Roman Catholic saint, the “St. Josaphat” whose feast day is November 27.
Click to expand...
Thanks BibleReader and all.

Buddha???. Interesting, what is his assigned patronage as well has Abraham’s?

Thanks
 
Is that just a mistake yet to be corrected or are we really required to acknowledge Buddha as a saint?

And Abraham is Saint Abraham in the littany to all saints, along with Saint Moses and Saint Elijah.

If the OT people weren’t valid saints and patrons, we wouldn’t be getting named after them.
 
40.png
chevalier:
Is that just a mistake yet to be corrected or are we really required to acknowledge Buddha as a saint?

And Abraham is Saint Abraham in the littany to all saints, along with Saint Moses and Saint Elijah.

If the OT people weren’t valid saints and patrons, we wouldn’t be getting named after them.
Click to expand...
Well, the Josaphat and Barlaam story had Josaphat being converted to Christianity by Barlaam. Since the Buddha himself never did that, I doubt that the Vatican would require Catholics to consider the Buddha himself as a saint. I also believe that the Josaphat story will soon be taken off the official “saint” list, if it hasn’t already.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top