The Holy Saints

A Church Without Saints Is Not The Church

The Church is the Body of Christ, and it consists of living stones, which are its people. Notice how the Apostle Paul addresses his letters to the saints of the Church: “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:2). He indicates that those in the Church, who are called to be saints, are sanctified. To sanctify means “to make holy.” Those who receive Christ and are in His Church are holy. As long as they continue on the path of salvation, they are saints. The faithful people of God in the Old Testament were also called saints. In Psalms 148:14 we read: “And He has exalted the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints— of the children of Israel, a people near to Him…” In Daniel 7:18 there is a glorious prophecy concerning the saints: “But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.”

The Church of God must have holy people, because God is holy. We are charged by the Apostle Peter: “…but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16). When a person is sanctified by God, he or she becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. When something or someone is holy, they are treated with honor and respect. The Apostle Paul exhorts the church members to greet one another with a holy kiss (2 Corinthians 13:12), as a customary sign of love and honor for those who have God indwelling in them. This remains a custom in the Holy Orthodox Church. In the Greek tradition, there is a kiss on each cheek, whereas in the Slavic tradition, there is a kiss on each cheek followed by a third, in remembrance of the Holy Trinity. We also kiss the Holy Gospel Book, the holy icons, the holy cross, the priest’s right hand of blessing, and the holy chalice. There is deep reverence for the holy things and people of God, just as there was in the Old Testament temple and tabernacle.

The Church recognizes and honors those who have already finished the race before us, leaving us a powerful witness of their faith and love for God. Many of these heroes of the Church were persecuted unto death, finishing the race and winning the prize of Christ. They are now part of the glorious, triumphant Church in heaven. Their icons grace the walls and columns of our church temples, as reminders of how we should live and what we must become. The Church recognizes these giants of the faith with the honorary title of “Saint” in front of their name. They are our intercessors before Christ, offering their prayers before the heavenly throne. In John’s vision of heaven we read: “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” (Revelation 8:3). Just as Christians ask one another for prayers on each other’s behalf, so they ask the same of those who are nearest to God, for the Apostle James tells us: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16). We are reminded of the wedding at Cana, when the Virgin Mary interceded with her Son, on behalf of the bride and groom, and Jesus performed His first public miracle, transforming water into fine wine (John 2:1-11). Among the saints are the heavenly, bodiless powers of heaven, the Virgin Mary, the Holy Apostles, the holy martyrs, many holy fathers and mothers, and countless other righteous ones. The Church through the centuries has witnessed many healings and other miracles wrought by God through the intercessions of His Saints, confirming the efficacy of their prayers to our Lord on our behalf.

During the Roman persecution of the first four centuries, thousands of our Church ancestors suffered a martyr’s death by: crucifixion, beheading, burning, sword, quartering, wild animals, and other savage means. It was customary for the Church to collect the holy remains of these saints, and place them underneath the Church altar as a symbol of their sacrifice to God. The Psalmist declares: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” (Psalms 116:15). It was also customary for the Church that met in the catacombs underneath the streets of Rome to celebrate the Divine Liturgy at a different saint’s tomb, serving as the altar, each Sunday. To this day, every permanently fixed altar of an Orthodox Church is consecrated, and small relics of several early Church martyrs are placed inside. We also commemorate different saints each Sunday, just as the early Church.

The Church on Earth earnestly awaits the return of our Lord with His heavenly saints, whom we hope to unite with in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The Apostle Jude paints a future picture of what is to come: “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 1:14-15)