|
Hi Joe,
The requirements are not requirements for one to be saint;
they are requirements for canonization, for one to be a saint canonized
by the Church.
It is a Church thing: rules the Church can set or dispense
with. One becomes a saint by being baptized. In that, one then belongs
to God and is made holy. One becomes a fulfilled saint
(my term), after a life of lived faith, by going
to Heaven. Some of the deceased saints are
declared saints by the Church. This declaration has certain preconditions.
A declared or
canonized saint is someone the Church declares is in Heaven
and worthy of imitation.
There was never a price for blessings, miracles, or prayers by a anyone in
the Church, though at times bad priests may have extorted them and ignorant
people may have paid for them, as we see even with the priests in the Old Testament.
There is a voluntary nominal offering made, of one's own choosing, a free
will offering, if one can, for the saying of Mass for a special intention.
It is called an alms. It can also be referred to
as a stipend.
Mary was the mother of the Lord, the sole source of the Lord's Human Body,
which was offered for our salvation, and the only one with the right to
offer Him to the Lord in sacrifice. She is shown in Scripture as:
- a model
of faith
- the favored daughter of the Father and spouse of the Spirit (in
Luke)
- as one whom all generations will bless, and
- as one who sees needs
and successfully intercedes with Jesus, sharing in His suffering
(as
was prophesied by Simeon in Scripture), and being part of the home of
the Model Disciple, John.
She was the center of the Apostolic community.
All of this is Scriptural,
and we follow the Scriptures. The Early Church did, too: the earliest Christian
art, in the catacombs, depicts Mary with Jesus.
I hope this helps,
Mary Ann
|
