Fast Track

During my employment in a major computer company, something called ‘fast track’ was used to identify people who had the qualities to become a senior engineer or manager, and were able to leapfrog over others to get into their position faster than usual. The system worked most of the time, but sometimes the candidate messed up, and was dropped from the program. I can understand the need for such a system in business, but in matters of faith?

This week it was announced by Pope Francis that Pope John Paul II was ‘promoted’ to sainthood because there were two miracles attributed to him after his death. According to the 2 miracle rule, he can become a saint. In the same announcement, Pope John XXIII was also canonised to sainthood after being fast tracked into the position, although he had only one miracle attributed to his intervention after death. Is this really what has to be done to become a saint? Really??

I don’t want to offend or upset anyone, but I have a really big problem here. Either the Popes of the Roman Catholic church are right or the Bible is right. Both can’t be right, can they? A quick search found the word saint or saints used almost 100 times in the Bible, but the name was never first given after death. They were saints in life first. In fact, we are all considered saints in the eyes of God when our sins are forgiven as Paul says:

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:2 and what about these other words of Paul when he says: For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5

So to my thinking, there are many saints alive and well in this world going about their ordinary lives, trying to live good, faithful and holy in God’s sight. I have been privileged to know some personally. Can someone show me in Scripture where becoming a saint is linked to miracles, whether one, two, or several? Or for that matter that anyone other than Jesus Christ can make all miracles happen? There is NO ONE standing between us and God, except Jesus Christ. Not a saint, and not an angel, just Jesus! What a great thought, so take heart my friend and know, when you are a child of God, you are already a saint, and that is a better place to be than in a pontiff’s letter of recommendation. After all, saints are not chosen by man, even a good man, but by the will of God. Sadly we have either forgotten all about what the Bible says, or we were never acquainted with it in the first place.