The members of the Kingdom of God on earth and in the other world sanctified by the redeeming grace of Christ are united in a common supernatural life with the Head of the Church and with one another.
By intercessory prayer the Faithful on earth can procure gifts from God for one another.
It is permissible and profitable to venerate the Saints in Heaven, and to invoke their intercession.
It is permissible and profitable to venerate the relics of the Saints.
It is permissible and profitable to venerate images of the Saints.
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Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we become one body in Christ and we continue sharing that common life forever, beyond death.
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We are aware of this connectedness with one another
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every time we say in the creed:
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"I believe in the communion of saints."
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In Holy Scripture, we find that St. Paul's letters clarify how the Apostolic Church under the direction of the Holy Spirit spoke of believers as "saints,"
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whether living or dead.
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St. Paul asked the saints to pray for him and to imitate him.
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Paul's letters are addressed to various local communities under the title of "saints" (Rom 1:7; 1Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2). It was also applied to those whom Christians served. Paul took up a collection in Corinth for the relief of the saints in Jerusalem (1Cor 16:1).
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Faithful people in the Post-Apostolic Church in the Apostles Creed professed their faith in their creed:
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"We believe in the communion of saints."
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Through Baptism we pass "from death to life; death no longer has dominion over us." Christians must believe that there is no real distinction between the believer in human life and after human life.
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Saints, living or dead, are indistinguishable before God.
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In time the word "saint" was used to designate those "who had fallen asleep," and were now enjoying their reward.
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"Saints" were not only of this world, but also of the world to come.
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A bond existed between them and the living community.
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St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Thessalonians:
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"We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep" (2 Thessalonians 4:13-15).
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If we can pray for and with saints in this life,
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we can pray for and with those saints after human life.
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And as St. Paul asked saints to imitate him as he imitates Christ,
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the Church encourages us to imitate the holiness of the saints
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as they imitated the holiness of Christ and the Father.
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As a hem of a garment, the shadows of saints, and clothes of the saints were used devotionally in the Apostolic Church, so relics and images of the saints are devotionally encouraged by the Church today.
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If you would like to learn more about a particular Saint and have their life featured here, please contact the management.
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