Veneration of Saints

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.  These two men, our brothers in faith, brought the faith of Jesus Christ to the Jews and Gentiles in the first century of Christianity.  They are the twin pillars upon which the fledgling faith was built.  The honor of Saints is part of who we are as a Christian people, but many non-Catholic Christians accuse us of worshipping saints.

So, do Catholics worship saints?  NO! 

Adoration is the worship and homage that is due to God alone. The Saints are human like you and me.  They are not divine. Adoration of the saints has never been nor will ever be part of Catholic teaching or prayer. We venerate the saints. 

Veneration is the honor due to the excellence or achievement of a created person. 

The Olympics give us an example of veneration.  An Olympic gold medal for excellence in athletics is a form of veneration.  Honor given for the achievement of an athlete takes nothing away from the glory of God. We pay many honors to Olympic Champions; like putting their picture on a box of Wheaties and giving them many apparel endorsements. We are not scandalized by this because no one thinks we worship them as a god.

We venerate the Saints in heaven because of the excellence they attained in living a life in imitation of Christ.  The Saints are like God's champion athletes.  It is pleasing to God and gives Him glory when we honor those who excelled in love for Him.

It is necessary to remember that the love and honor we give to God's Saints does not end with the Saints themselves but rather it reaches ultimately to God through the Saints. In honoring a beautiful work of art we are truly honoring the artist. It is only by God's grace that the Saints reached the heights of holiness. In a very real sense they are His works of art. Therefore, nothing is taken away from the glory and honor of God through veneration of the Saints, in fact we truly honor God when we venerate those who excelled in love for Him.

But, don’t we pray to the Saints?  No.  We pray through them.  As we celebrate the faith of Saints Peter and Paul, we ask them to pray for us to the Lord our God.