What is a Beatification?
Beatification
is an official
declaration by the Pope that a person (called a Servant of God)
practiced the Christian virtues to a heroic degree during his or her
sojourn on earth. Before the Servant of God under consideration is
beatified, a thorough examination of his or her life, virtues, and
reputation for holiness is conducted. If the Servant of God did not
die a martyr’s death, there must also be one confirmed miracle
attributed to his or her intercession. Beatified persons are
called Blesseds. They may receive the veneration of
the faithful within certain limits set by the Church, but may not be
venerated in an organized public manner throughout the whole
Church.
From Blessed to Saint
A Blessed may be canonized after the occurrence
of one more miracle attributed to his or her intercession. Mother
Teresa will always remain Mother for those who knew her, hence many
people call her “Blessed Mother Teresa,” but officially she is now
known as “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta” and later, God willing, as
“Saint Teresa of Calcutta.”
What is a Canonization?
The canonization of a saint is a solemn act by which the Pope,
the supreme authority in the Catholic Church, declares that a person
practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace, is
with God in heaven, and is to be venerated throughout the whole
Church. The Pope enrols the person on the list of Saints. Another
word for list is
canon,
hence the
term
canonization. The expression raised to the altars, often used as an equivalent of canonization, means that the person is assigned a feast day in
the yearly schedule of the Church’s liturgical celebrations. This
assigning of a feast day is done at the time of beatification.
The Purpose of Canonization
By honouring its children who lived as heroes of
faith and love, the Church recognizes the power of the Holy Spirit
within her. Saints give us joy; their example sustains our hope; and
their friendship increases our love and union with God and with each
other. A canonization is a way of giving thanks to God as we honour
the person who has been so faithful to God’s plan in his or her
life.
What is a Miracle?
A miracle is an extraordinary event, which is
scientifically inexplicable and, in a cause for canonization, is
directly attributable to the intercession of the Servant of God. An
event proposed as a miracle is subjected to a thorough scientific
investigation by experts. In the causes of saints, the miracles
investigated are usually cures, because they are relatively easier
to document.
Miracles and graces or favours, granted
after prayers to the Servant of God, serve as evidence that God
Himself is the origin of that person’s reputation of holiness. A
miracle is a sign of divine approval. Miracles confirm that it is
God who has aroused in the faithful the opinion that a particular
Servant of God is worthy of canonization.
What is Veneration?
Veneration is
respect, honour, and devotion paid to the saintly deceased members
of the Body of Christ, distinct from the respect, honour, and
adoration which is given to God alone – that which is
called worship.
“…Our communion with
these in heaven, provided that it is understood in the full light of
faith, in no way diminishes the worship of adoration given to God
the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit; on the contrary, it
greatly enriches it. For if we continue to love one another and to
join in praising the Most Holy Trinity – all of us who are sons of
God and form one family in Christ (cf. Heb. 3:6) – we will be
faithful to the deepest vocation of the Church and will share in a
foretaste of the liturgy of perfect glory.” (Lumen
Gentium #51)
“In
full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of
Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very
earliest days of the Christian religion, has honoured with great
respect the memory of the dead …”
(Lumen Gentium
#50)
“…[The saints] contemplate God, praise him and
constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they
entered into the joy of their Master, they were ‘put in charge of
many things.’ Their intercession is their most exalted service to
God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for
the whole world.”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church #2683)
“It
is most fitting, therefore, that we love those friends and co-heirs
of Jesus Christ who are also our brothers and outstanding
benefactors, and that we give due thanks to God for them, humbly
invoking them, and having recourse to their prayers, their aid and
help in obtaining from God through his Son, Jesus Christ, … the
benefits we need.” (Lumen Gentium
#50)
What is the Difference Between Veneration given
to a Blessed and to a Saint?
Beatification is a step in the process of
canonization. By it the Pope allows public veneration of the person
in a particular local Church, within the religious congregation with
which he or she was associated (if this be the case), and in other
places by those who receive such permission. Note the difference: a
Saint should be
honoured in liturgical celebrations by the universal, that is, the
whole Church, whereas a “Blessed” may be so honoured in certain
places.
