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Mary & the SaintsOur Role Models in Faith by: Duccio di Buoninsegna (ca 1255-1319)
Sienna Cathedral
Catholics worship the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.
They honor the Virgin Mary and the Saints. As the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary has a unique position among the saints, indeed, among all creatures. She is exalted, yet still one of us. The Church honors her as the Mother of God, looks to her as a model of perfect discipleship and asks for her prayers to God on our behalf. Mary embraces God's will and freely chooses to cooperate with God's grace, thereby fulfilling a crucial role in God's plan of salvation. Throughout the centuries, the Church has turned to the Blessed Virgin in order to come closer to Christ. There are marvelous devotional practices whereby honor and veneration is paid by Catholics to our Mother Mary and our elder brothers and sisters, the Catholic saints. But the greatest honor we can given them is to study and ultimately imitate their inspiring example. Many of the saints of the Catholic Church have left us writings that can mark out the way to holiness and urge us on as we travel that difficult road. -Popular Devotional Practices, USCCB Mary, the Mother of God
“Behold, your mother,” Jesus tells his disciple from the cross (John 19:27) is a message of Jesus to each member of his Church: Behold your mother, the one who brings God’s life to you.
My Dearest Mother, give me your heart so beautiful, so immaculate, so full of love and humility, that I may receive Jesus as you did and go in haste to give him to others. -Mother Theresa Everything about Mary, everything that makes her and her place in God's plan different from ours, is only because of God's grace to her. Mary is entirely a product of God's tender, loving grace. After all, isn't this what we are saying when we pray the words of the Angel Gabriel in Luke's gospel, "Hail Mary, full of grace"? -Jim Akin The Key to Understanding Mary LEARN MORE about what the Church teaches and believes about Mary, the Mother of God: Learning about Mary Marian Apparitions Prayers to Mary Mary, the Mother of God
The Communion of Saints
Praying with the Saints
As people gather in the Los Angeles Cathedral, they are surrounded by large tapestries of Saints, females and males of all ages, races, occupations and vocations the world over, from the 1st century to the 20th century.
St. Paul teaches that, as Christians, we are one body in Christ. He taught that all members are needed and are to help one another. Belonging to the Body of Christ and the need to help one another does not end at our death. As these passages show, the early Church Fathers clearly recognized the Biblical teaching that those in Heaven can and do intercede for us. "Will you pray for me?" we ask of family and friends. Praying with the Saints is the same. We all pray to Jesus, but with each other. As we pray, we are drawn closer to Jesus and to each other, becoming one in heart and mind.
The incorruptible bodies of the Saints
The incorruptibility of the Saints is a miraculous phenomenon whereby the human body is not subjected to the natural process of decomposition after death, and is suspended from decay either temporarily or permanently through the Divine Will of God. This condition is not dependent upon the manner of burial, the temperature and place of burial or entombment, or any other external influence including embalmment or other preservation methods. There are currently several hundred documented cases of incorruptible persons in the Catholic church, many of which (but certainly not all) are canonized Saints or Blesseds. |
