Victor R. Claveau, MJ
The following article was a Facebook response to an anti-Catholic who criticized the Church.
Dear Mr. Anti-Catholic
Prejudice is a great time saver; one doesn’t have to worry about the facts.
I am not trying to be sarcastic when I say that your posts demonstrate very limited knowledge about the Catholic Church and her beliefs. You have made judgements without understanding the reason or facts behind the belief in the theology of the Communion of Saints; especially in the issue of Pope John Paul II being declared a Saint.
If you will allow me to enlighten you on this subject, I will explain how and why Pope John Paul II was declared to be a Saint in heaven.
A bit of background is necessary.
Point 1: The bottom line here is that we Catholics believe that the Saints are alive in heaven and that they can and do intercede for us before the throne of God. This belief goes far back into Jewish antiquity and is not an “invention” of the Church.
On the Day of Atonement pious Jews would go to the resting place of family, friends, and those considered most righteous to ask them, who were believed to be before the Throne of God, to intercede for them. They were to ask God to apply the merit of these righteous forefathers to those living and under judgment. The theology of Merit is another subject altogether. The point is that the belief in the Communion of Saints is thousands of years old.
Point 2: St. Paul refers to Christians as saints. While we are on earth, we are imperfect saints striving for perfection. Heaven is the domain of perfected Saints.
Jesus said, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Can we be perfect? Most would say no. But, why would Christ set a goal for us that is unreachable? We must understand the definition of perfection as Jesus explained it in St. Luke’s Gospel: “And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live” (10:25-28).
The Book of Revelation teaches, “But nothing unclean shall enter it [heaven]” 21:27).
Catholics believe that what happens to our soul at the moment of death depends solely upon the state of the soul at that moment. If we die in a state of grace and our love of God and neighbor meets the definition of perfection required by God, the soul goes to heaven for all eternity. Should the soul be in enmity with God the soul would be consigned to Gehenna forever.
When we sin, it is because we chose to love ourselves more than we love God. Purgatory is the state or place where the saved soul dies of this self-love that caused the sin. When the soul is fully cleansed or perfected it will enter heaven. (This belief in Purgatory also has its origins in Judaism.)
Most Christians, Catholic and Protestants alike believe that a person could have lived a terribly sinful life and still be saved at the last moment if they repent of their sins and ask God for His mercy.
Saint John Paul II was admittedly a sinful man. We know this because he availed himself of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) at least weekly, and on occasion even more often. The Church believes that at the moment of his death, he was fully in a state of Christian perfection and merited eternal life. Scripture tells us that love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), Perfect love wipes out all sin.
The process of canonization (declaring a person a Saint) in the Catholic Church requires two miracles. The first miracle for John Paul’s canonization was the healing of Sister Marie Pierre from Parkinson’s disease through his intercession. The second miracle leading to the canonization of John Paul II concerned a 50-year-old woman from Santiago, Costa Rica, Floribeth Mora Diaz. Mrs. Diaz had suffered a brain aneurysm. Doctors told her that her condition was inoperable and terminal and that she would have only one month to live. Both these cures were considered scientifically inexplicable.
In both cases the petitioners prayed for the intercession of Pope John Paul II. After a lengthy and thorough investigation, the Church declared these healings to be miraculous and declared Pope John Paul II to be a Saint. Catholics, all over the world pray for the Saint’s intercession.
I respectfully suggest that, in the future, you do a little homework from Catholic sources. If you study the teaching of the Catholic Church with an open heart and open mind, you, as countless others have, will come home to the Catholic Church.