Religion and Theology

A saint is an individual deemed to be exceptionally holy or who once excelled in virtue. Saints are deceased persons who in their time possessed faith, hope, love, demonstrated wisdom and justice, as well as exercised moderation and determination (Mulder-Bakker 2002, 3). Mulder-Bakker further explains that only those who took true delight in upholding virtue and persevered throughout their entire life with a cheerful heart can make claim into sainthood. Most of the religions have a concept of sainthood but this article will focus on sainthood in Christianity, specifically in Catholicism.

In the early centuries after the birth of Jesus Christ, the Roman authority of the time began mass persecution of the early believers (Pickert 2008). The first Catholics honored these martyrs as saints almost instantaneously after their deaths. Over the next few centuries, with less persecution, sainthood was extended to those who had led devoted lives and defended the faith. This led to a proliferation in the number of saints in the 6th and 7th centuries. In around 1200, Pope Alexander III decreed that only the pope would have the power to identify a saint. Prior to this, bishops were in charge of identifying saints. The Vatican standards of sainthood became formalized in the 17th century. Under these standards, a non-martyr would need to perform four spontaneous posthumous miracles. However, these were later reduced to two. The standards included two major steps in the making of a saint beatification and canonization (Pickert 2008). Beatification refers to the popes recognition of a person to be considered for sainthood while canonization is the formal recognition of the saint by the pope.

The complex process leading to the canonization of saints is supervised by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (Congregatio de Causis Sanctorum) of the Roman Curia. The Congregation prepares a case which is then presented to the pope to decide whether the process proceeds or not (The Roman Curia).

This article will follow the outline of the Positio of the making of Saint Josemara Escriv de Balaguer. Born Jos Mara Mariano Escrivy Albs in January 9, 1902 he was declared a saint in October 6, 2002 after his death in 26 June, 1975 (The Holy See) making him the most recently deceased saint.

At the age of 26, Josemara founded the Opus Dei (Work of God) to be used by Catholics for their consecration through secular work. He founded the organization while in pursuit of his greater purpose as a Servant of God. He worked with the organization among the poor and the sick in slums and hospitals in Madrid. In 1950, the Opus Dei was approved as an institution of pontifical right. He expanded the organization throughout the world through charity and hope. The organization was able to improve the human welfare and promoted vocations to priesthood and religious life. Throughout his life, Josemara was devoted to the Opus Dei and its objectives. As Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict xvi) noted, Josemara did not consider himself as the founder of his own work but rather, the Lord was merely using him as an instrument for His (Gods) action (2002).

Valero (2010) quotes Frank as describing Josemara as a spiritual atomic bomb and a man with refreshing serenity and an amazing capacity for getting into contact with the person he was speaking with. He further describes him as a man who lived and opened completely to the present moment. Josemara taught that material things are not bad, but people should strive not to get too attached to them and instead concentrate on serving God. He lived a life free of material wants and after his death it took less than 10 minutes to gather all his belongings (The Holy See).

Cardinal Felici (1990) wrote that during the Spanish civil war, Josemara experienced in a personal level, the fury of anti-religious persecution and public attacks that he weathered with abundance of prayers and penance after which Cardinal Felici notes it did not take long for him to be recognized as a saint by the people. After the war, Cardinal Felici explains that many bishops invited him to preach in their regions which contributed to the renewal of Christianity in Spain.

In 1943, he founded the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross which facilitated the priestly ordination of the lay members from Opus Dei and their induction into the work of God (The Holy See). Cardinal Felici (1990) put it that through the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, Josemaras zeal in priestly formation clear exemplified. He goes on to write that Josemara had fulfilled the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity to both God and man as well as the cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, resilience, and justice to a heroic degree.

After his death, Josemara fulfilled the posthumous miracles. This was through the miraculous healing of Sister Concepcin Boulln Rubio of the lipomatosis disease in 1976. The family of the sister had prayed to Josemara to help her. In November 1992, Dr. Manuel Nevado Rey proclaimed that he was cured from a third stage chronic cancerous radiodermatitis brought about by the direct intervention of Josemara. The healing of Dr. Manuel was a miracle that was rapid, complete, and permanent and did not have any scientific explanations (The Holy See).

Throughout his life, Josemara Escriv de Balaguer lived a humble life and was able to fulfill the requirements of heroic virtues of the Servant of God. In his personal time and choice he was able to form two organizations that propelled Christianity and have continued to have positive impacts in the life of the people. Not only did he go out of his way to help the poor and the sick in the society, he also strived to help people into entering into the service of the Lord through his Priestly Society of the Holy Cross organization.

Just like it has been taught, faithful Christians on earth and the saints in heaven are all members of the church. As the Colombia Encyclopedia (2009) describes, the living members of the church seek prayers of others and share in the blessings of others and so the living members ask the members in heaven for their prayers and share in their merits. Through the faithful, the saints in heaven are commemorated and their intercession sought on special days. Saints are also adopted as patron saints either from baptism or after confirmation or after both occasions. The adopted patron saints are then expected to have a mutual relation of affection with their earthly charges.

According to the Holy See, such a Positio would go through a process before one is admitted into sainthood. The Positio accompanied by testimonies, critical study of the life and the heroic virtues would be then submitted for examination by the Congregational for the Causes of Saints. The Positio would go through the Meeting of Theologian Consultants and the Ordinary Congregation of Cardinals and Bishops and if they voted on the affirmative, it would be forwarded to the pope for beatification and canonization which would result in the recognition of the person as a saint.