Wednesday, November 1, 2023

It is the 1st of November 2023. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org, I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

My kids get the 1st of November off- and while some cry foul- how can a public school recognize All Saints Day? We remember that as yesterday was All Hallow’s Eve- today is All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day, and thus your favorite daily Christian Almanac has rounded up all things “saintly” in the history of the church.  

First, who are the saints? They are the “hagioi” those called to faith, baptized, and given the gift of the Holy Spirit. All who are, in what the church has been called, members of the “Church Triumphant”- that is, “in heaven” are sainted. And the Apostle Paul called Christians not yet triumphant saints. So… the number of saints equals the number of Christians.

But, we know that the church- relatively united for 1,000 years and then splintered twice, once in 1054 and again in 1517ish, has had different ways of counting saints. Let’s look at the tradition- the Latin West or Roman Catholic Church that has done the most to streamline and codify the process of beatification and canonization of official saints.

And yes, I am a relatively low-church Protestant, but I believe in the Communion of Saints and that the book of Revelation gives us a picture of saints praying for us (see chapter 5). And holding up certain Christians for their godly example for praise and imitation isn’t just a “Catholic” thing.

In the early church it was the martyrs that were acclaimed as Saints worthy of imitation. This process for sainthood was done at their funerals, and the list is lengthy (and unwritten, as there was no central office for collecting names). By the 7th century, the process was streamlined after Pope Boniface re-dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to Mary and the Martyrs.

While Bishops now needed to submit a saint for veneration and canonization, some would be called by popular acclaim or by localities. After the East/West schism, the Pope, in the decretals of 1234, claimed sole authority to officially recognize saints. In the Roman Catholic church, this lasted until 1917, when a uniform code of Canon law was put in place to call for a process whereby five years had to pass before a candidate was submitted. This would then go through a tribunal of Bishops, then to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints. At first, four verified miracles were required while the proposed saint would be given the title of “Venerable” if they lived a virtuous life and “Blessed” if they had been martyred. At this point, they would be eligible for local and restricted veneration in the place where they performed their ministry.

The process would verify and send the person to official Canonization as a Saint, wherein they would confirmed and be given a feast day. For my fellow Protestants, a concern here is that this is the only absolute certainty a Christian can have in this system for being in heaven, and Protestants have been uncomfortable with the “pray to” and “pray for” distinction, especially with the departed. But these can be good ecumenical conversations to have across the divide.

In 1983, Pope John Paul decreed his “Divine Teacher and Model of Perfection,” which substantially lessened the burden of canon law on sainthood and gave Bishops and the Pope leeway in deciding who could be “sainted.” This resulted in PJII creating 483 saints in his 27 years- a massive number on account of what he claimed were stalled bids due to bureaucracy. Pope Francis has created over 900 saints in his term, X over 800 of them the martyrs of Otranto- Italians killed by Ottoman forces in 1480 for refusing to convert to Islam.

Not counting such “mass sainting” events- which country has the most individual saints? Italy with at least 250. How many American saints are there according to the Roman Catholic Tradition? 11. I believe we have told the story of 6 of them and should get to the other 5- as remembering the faithful and praising God for their story and example is not the domain of any single Christian tradition. Happy All Saints Day- and especially to those who have lost someone in the faith in this past year- may you take comfort in the faithfulness of God in upholding all his saints.

 

The last word for today is from a hymn- a tradition here on the Almanac- you will get a stanza or two of the great All Saints hymn on November 1st- this from William Washam How.

For all the saints who from their labors rest,

who Thee by faith before the world confessed;

Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.

 

O blest communion, fellowship divine!

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;

yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine

 

From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,

through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,

in praise of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 1st of November 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite saint is the Welsh St. Lawdog (who he pictures looking like McGruff the Crime Dog) Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man whose favorite Saint is Drew Brees, the 2019 version whose interception in overtime helped the Rams to the Superbowl- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be OK.