Why Honor the Saints?

“Why do you Catholics give so much attention to the saints? Shouldn’t we just focus on God?”

Indeed, Catholic devotion to the saints is quite puzzling to some Christians. The whole idea of kneeling before a statue of Mary, doing a nine-day novena to St. Therese or asking St. Anthony to help you find your lost keys seems scandalous.  After all, these are just human beings who died a long time ago—they’re not God! 

When Catholics honor the saints, however, we are simply recognizing the great things God has done in their lives and celebrating it. This in no way takes away from the attention and praise we should give to God. In fact, we give God more praise when we acknowledge his achievements in the saints.

Indeed, Catholic devotion to the saints is all about Jesus. The greatest work God accomplishes in the universe is taking weak, fallen human beings and transforming them into holy men and women of God.  God is the divine artist and the saints are his most magnificent masterpieces. So if you want to love God with all your heart and give God more praise, then take time to recognize his masterpieces and honor the saints.

Show Notes

For more on catholic devotion to the saints, including apologetics arguments and Scriptural support for this, see Edward Sri’s book Love Unveiled--The Catholic Faith Explained (Ignatius Press).