Title: What Does It Mean to Be a Saint?
Meta: What does it mean to be a saint?  The Catholics want to pronounce Mother Teresa to be a saint, but is that the reality of what the term saint means? No, rather every true Christian is a saint, which is a person called out of the masses of depraved humanity in order to proclaim the excellencies of Christ. As Paul said in Ephesians 1:1, "to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus."
Tags: mother teresa,catholics,saint,pope,religion

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Brethren, anybody have any idea

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what the Catholic church is doing

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on September 4th of this year?

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According to the Catholic News Service,

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Pope Francis will declare

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Blessed Theresa - that's Mother Theresa

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of Kolkata, formerly Calcutta,

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a saint at the Vatican September 4th.

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What do you think of that?

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I'll tell you this,

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John MacArthur,

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I came across a message of his way back,

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back in the seventies or early eighties,

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MacArthur took his whole family to Calcutta.

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They visited Mother Theresa.

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MacArthur said it was dark.

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Full of idols and darkness.

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And if anybody has read

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Mother Theresa's own memoirs,

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her own autobiographical 
descriptions of herself,

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she says if she's ever sainted,

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she will be the saint of darkness.

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She had no sense of 
God's presence in her life.

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The Catholic church is going to

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canonize this woman September 4th.

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I read a very pathetic 
email online this week.

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A 15 year old Catholic student asking,

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"how can I become a living saint?"

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Do you know what the Catholic church says?

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One, become a Catholic.

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Because everybody they make a saint,

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was a Roman Catholic in these days.

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Two, live an exemplary, virtuous,

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selfless, memorable, pious life.

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Being a priest or a nun 
is a good place to start.

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Perform at least two verifiable miracles.

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Technically, you can do them after you die.

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But if you do them after you die,

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people might not connect them to you.

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Then, you have to die,

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because canonization can't begin

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for at least five years after you die.

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Get a group of people 
to show devotion to you

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and pray to you because of your

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perceived holiness.

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Have your local bishop initiate your cause

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with the Vatican.

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Get investigated by the church.

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Be recognized by the Pope as venerable,

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which means you're heroic in virtue.

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Have your first miracle verified

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and get beatified by the Pope,

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then they can call you "Blessed."

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That's why they call her "Blessed Theresa."

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Because she's already had that done.

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Get your second miracle verified

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and then you get canonized.

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And then you have your own feast day,

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churches can be named after you,

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and people can venerate you.

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In fact, they are supposed to venerate you,

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and they can pray to you.

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And I'll tell you this,

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we need to reject the 
abominable practices.

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And one of the problems is

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that many of us, you know,

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we live in San Antonio.

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Heavily Catholic.

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Maybe you're not exposed so much to it.

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But I know some of you 
have Catholic families,

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you come out of Catholic backgrounds.

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This abominable idea of what a saint is...

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And I was exposed to it,

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I know that.

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I can remember my mother

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went to St. Augustine High School.

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And my grandfather had a little statue

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of St. Andrew that was 
glued to his dashboard.

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What is he?

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Is he like the saint of 
transportation or something?

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Maybe he is. I don't know.

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Why would you have that there?

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We've got to get rid of that idea.

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And I think perhaps 
that's one of the things

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that causes us hestitation.

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Brethren, I think the more we use the term,

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because terms really encapsulate reality.

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Call one another "saints."

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And be saints.

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I mean, live your life like people

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that are set aside for God,

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who are what?

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Who are called out of the rest

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of the masses of depraved humanity

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for the sake of 
proclaiming the excellencies

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of Him who called you 
out of the darkness

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into His glorious light.

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Proclaim His excellencies.

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Remember who you are,

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if you're saints.

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Saints.

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Saints.

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Brethren, to the saints 
who are in Ephesus.

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To the saints...

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Who's he talking to?

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To the people with the 
halos over their heads?

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Listen, brethren.

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When you go through Ephesians,

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he starts out by saying,

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"to the saints,"

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and as you go through, remember this?

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He says, "let the thieves 
no longer steal."

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Who is he talking to?

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Who are the saints?

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People who used to be thieves, 
but have been taken out.

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They used to be Gentiles,

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but they've been taken out.

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They used to be alienated from God,

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but they've been taken out.

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They used to be far off,

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but they've been brought near

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by the blood of Christ.

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Who are they?

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Wives, submit yourselves 
to your own husbands.

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Husbands, love your wives as Christ...

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They're husbands and wives.

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Children,

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you're to honor your parents.

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He's speaking to children.

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He says, slaves...

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slaves need to submit to their masters.

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Masters...

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Who are the saints?

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Do you know what?

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They're the common former thieves,

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husbands, and wives, and children,

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and slaves, and slave owners...

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They're the people that 
made up the church.

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Many of which were slaves.

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You know what?

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They're not people that 
the Roman Catholic Church

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has to recognize.

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God recognizes them.

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He knows them by name.

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All those slaves that 
Paul was talking to there.

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Slaves.

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God knows every one by name.

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And they are with Him.

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And they are beholding Christ 
face to face.

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And the Roman Catholic Church

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with all their abominations,

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need not remember any of them.

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They're saints.

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They're God's.

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They're different.

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That's God's mark: sainthood.