The term “saint” is used 42 times in the New Testament and each time it is employed in the exact same manner in grammatical fashion. The Greek word used is “hagios” (hag’-ee-os); meaning sacred (physically pure, morally blameless, consecrated). In Romans 15:25 Paul reports, “I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there.” In Philippians 4:22 he says, “All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.” Dictionary.com defines exegesis as: critical explanation or interpretation of a text or a portion of a text, esp. of the Bible. So, after reading through all the uses of the term “saint” in the New Testament, the application of exegesis appears to render the definition of saints as those who have been set aside (consecrated) for the work of a holy nature. In fact, every example of the name of an actual person given in the New Testament was a living person who had yet to suffer physical death: Phylologus, Julia, Nereus, Olympas, Stephanas, Fortunatus, Achaicus, Timothy, etc.
So, what is the meaning of the Roman Catholic definition of “saint” with respect to the transaction currently winnowing its way through the “Congregation for the Causes of Saints” on behalf of Karol Jozef Wojtyla, better known as Pope John Paul II? According to the New Catholic Dictionary the term saint no longer meets the New Testament standard definition. Today “it applies only to those who have distinguished themselves by heroic virtue and who, after the scrutiny of the Church, have been declared saints by a solemn judgment of the pope.” This entitles the faithful to venerate (to solicit the good will of) the person so designated, and to pray to them. Of course, in the case of John Paul II, the testimony of Sister Marie Simon-Pierre to have been cured of Parkinson’s through John Paul’s intercession is a case of his intercession prior to being authorized to intercede or Sister Marie’s request to a man that she had not yet been authorized to pray to. Nevertheless, the definition of “saint” in the Roman Catholic culture has modulated since New Testament times from simply someone devoted to Christ to someone authenticated by the Roman Catholic Church as being dead, in heaven with God, and available for intercession . . . and, oh yes, Roman Catholic. Evidently, there are no non-Roman Catholic saints.
