Who is the greatest Saint?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jam070406
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jam070406

Guest
After Mary and the Apostles, who do you think is the greatest Catholic Saint and why?
šŸ™‚
 
I think Thomas Kempis spoke well about this in The Imitation of Christ. These are issues that we should not discuss, simply because we do not know, and we should not presume to try to do so.
 
Biedrik said:
I think Thomas Kempis spoke well about this in The Imitation of Christ. These are issues that we should not discuss, simply because we do not know, and we should not presume to try to do so.
Click to expand...
šŸ‘
 
Biedrik said:
I think Thomas Kempis spoke well about this in The Imitation of Christ. These are issues that we should not discuss, simply because we do not know, and we should not presume to try to do so.
Click to expand...
Chapter 58:

ā€œā€¦do not inquire or dispute about the merits of the saints, as to which is more holy, or which shall be greater in the kingdom of heaven. Such things often breed strife and useless contentions. They nourish pride and vainglory, whence arise envy and quarrels, when one proudly tries to exalt one saint and the other another. A desire to know and pry into such matters brings forth no fruit. On the contrary, it displeases the saints, because I am the God, not of dissension, but of peaceā€”of that peace which consists in true humility rather than in self-exaltation.ā€

Friend, each of the saints is the greatest saint in Godā€™s own eyes. Each one has come by his own will (in congruity with Godā€™s will), and in his own certain way and character. There is no comparison among the humblest ministers of Christ!
 
I think we can agree that Thomas a Kempis is the greatest Christian not to be canonized as a saint!
 
GloriousOrder said:
Chapter 58:

ā€œā€¦do not inquire or dispute about the merits of the saints, as to which is more holy, or which shall be greater in the kingdom of heaven. Such things often breed strife and useless contentions. They nourish pride and vainglory, whence arise envy and quarrels, when one proudly tries to exalt one saint and the other another. A desire to know and pry into such matters brings forth no fruit. On the contrary, it displeases the saints, because I am the God, not of dissension, but of peaceā€”of that peace which consists in true humility rather than in self-exaltation.ā€

Friend, each of the saints is the greatest saint in Godā€™s own eyes. Each one has come by his own will (in congruity with Godā€™s will), and in his own certain way and character. There is no comparison among the humblest ministers of Christ!
Click to expand...
amen šŸ‘
 
We really are sorry to deflate your thread, jam, šŸ™‚ but things like this can get out of hand.

By the way itā€™s Aquinas. šŸ˜ƒ
 
Maybe I shouldā€™ve gone with ā€œWho is your favorite Saintā€?? šŸ¤· :o
 
jam070406 said:
Maybe I shouldā€™ve gone with ā€œWho is your favorite Saintā€?? šŸ¤· :o
Click to expand...
Thatā€™s kind of what I figured you meant. šŸ˜‰

Mineā€™s Edith Stein. Brilliant mind, great thinker and philosopher, published several books, letters and essays, her entire life was nothing short of a quest for truth. Born into a Jewish family, she went from being an atheist to becoming a Catholic convert, then entered Carmel. She was gassed at Auschwitz in 1942 at age 51. Her entire life was marked by an unquencheable thirst for knowledge, and she followed her heart, her vocation and her love for God right to the very end, convinced that with God, it was all or nothing.

I guess I admire her because she is a contemporary of sorts, and I see a bit of myself in her. Like Edith, Iā€™m an intellectual. All my life I have sought answers to the meaning of existence. Iā€™m a thinker. I question, I seek, I write, I ponder. Any insights I have had about my relationship with God, I attribute solely to Him. And like Edith, I know in my heart of hearts that God doesnā€™t do half-measures. With Him, itā€™s all or nothing. Always. In all things.

Edith was a person of unshakeable faith, resolve and love - the kind of faith that I can only dream of having. My faith is weak, but I know I can look to Edith Stein and remind myself that God gives to those who ask. Every day I pray and ask God to make my faith grow a little more. Itā€™s hard work, but every bit worth the effort. šŸ‘
 
Biedrik said:
I think Thomas Kempis spoke well about this in The Imitation of Christ. These are issues that we should not discuss, simply because we do not know, and we should not presume to try to do so.
Click to expand...
I apologize. I wasnā€™t really thinking in terms of Holiness or which was greatest in Heaven. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of which Saints had a great impact on the world, by bringing people to the Church.
Whether it be by their actions, miracles or writings.

Again, sorry, I guess I didnā€™t formulate my thoughts very well. :o
 
St. Ignatius of Loyola! šŸ˜ƒ

His Spiritual Exercises changed my life!! :getholy:
 
This has always been a rather tender area in the Catholic Church. While Kempis does say that one must never make these comparisons, the Church does give attributes to saints. Here is where one must be very careful. The Church does tell us that one cannot compare saints, because that would be an affront to the Holy Spirit. At the same time, the saints themselves looked to other saints. Like everyone else, they had their heroes.

All this being said, there is only one saint about whom the Church has gone out on a limb to speak specifically about his sanctity. This is Francis of Assisi. While in the case of other saints the Church makes references to their work, such as St. Thomas Aquinas who is the Angelic Doctor, in St. Francisā€™ case popes have gone down on record with very specific terms. They did not express these as private individuals, because private individuals do not write encyclicals, teach in public or lead the bishops. The Church has spoken about St. Francis in very formal statements embedded in formal documents and teachings.

There are three labels, for lack of a better term, that the Church gives to Francis of Assisi:
  • The Mirror of Perfection
  • The Perfect Christian
  • The Icon of Christ
The Mirror of Perfection was first used by Pope Gregory IX when he obstinately refused to hear out the cardinals and bishops who opposed the canonization of St. Francis without a study, a beatification or even approved miracles. He told them that he had known him personally, this had been his friend and he knew him to be The Mirror of Perfection. He wrote this in his official letter to the Minister General, Brother Elias, announcing to Brother that he was going to canonize Francis.

Pope Leo XII or XIII, I have to look it up. One of them wrote an encyclical on St. Francis and called him The Perfect Christian. And a year or two ago, Pope Benedict XVI was giving a teaching to the Italian Episcopal Conference. During his teaching he called the bishops to imitate the absolute and unequivocal obedience of the Icon of Christ, Francis of Assisi.

This has to be appreciated as it is meant to be understood. The Church does not pit one saint against another. What sheā€™s done in these situations is to recognize the sanctity of Francis of Assisi and recognize that of all the saints, this one most closely resembles Christ. This is not an affront to the other saints. Saints are very honest and holy people. Thatā€™s what makes them saints. They are the first to admit the holiness of another saint. They would be the first to acknowledge that all the saints have lived heroic Christian lives and have done the best they could to live the Gospel. However, there is one among them, who mostly closely reflects the literal image of Christ, not just because of his stigmata, but because of his daily life.

Sometimes, people donā€™t like hearing Francis referred to as The Mirror of Perfection or some other such label, because they believe that it is arrogant or that it is pitting saints or comparing saints. In reality, this is not the intent of the Church. What she is doing is comparing the saint to the person of Christ, not to other saints.

These days, weā€™re seeing Mother Teresa being quoted by the Holy Father, bishops, clergy, religious, laity and theologians alike. I would not be surprised if someday soon, after her canonization, she too is honored with a similar label or title as St. Francis. I canā€™t think of another saint who studied him and followed him to Christ as closely as she did. I always say that she was his Number 2 fan, Clare was his Number 1 fan. Even Clare does not imitate him as does Mother Teresa. Clare was certainly a holy and a great woman in her own right. Sheā€™s the mother of Catholic Feminism, not to be confuse with the Feminist Movement.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF šŸ™‚
 
JReducation said:
There are three labels, for lack of a better term, that the Church gives to Francis of Assisi:
  • The Mirror of Perfection
  • The Perfect Christian
  • The Icon of Christ
Click to expand...
In the Byzantine Rite, certain saints are referred to as ā€œEqual to the Apostles,ā€ to denote their great contribution to the faith, at par to the Apostles themselves.
 
ConstantineTG said:
In the Byzantine Rite, certain saints are referred to as ā€œEqual to the Apostles,ā€ to denote their great contribution to the faith, at par to the Apostles themselves.
Click to expand...
I have heard that, but I donā€™t know which ones and I didnā€™t want to mess it up. LOL

The Eastern Catholics measure their saints against the ruler of the Apostles.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF šŸ™‚
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top