Saints
The word ‘saint’ comes from the Latin word ‘sanctus’ which means ‘holy’ and so, when we talk about the saints, we usually mean those holy people who are now in Heaven, such as St Peter or St Catharine.
The word at one time, however, just meant faithful members of the Church who were trying to become holy, and that is the sense in which St Paul uses the word in the New Testament. Thus he begins his letter to the Church people in the city of Ephesus with the words, “To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus” (NRSV, Ephesians 1:1).
So when we say in the Creed that we believe in the Communion of Saints, we mean the fellowship of all Church people who love Jesus.
The Communion of Saints on earth
One of the things that draws Christians closer together in fellowship is prayer, as when we pray to Jesus for our friends and relations and when they pray for us. Especially this is so with the Holy Communion. When we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, we know that at that time we have fellowship with, Christians in our own country and in other parts of the world who make their Communions. We all receive the same Lord and so are linked together by him.
If you went abroad to a strange country where you did not know anybody, how pleased you would be to find some Christians there, and how gladly you would go to church with them. Even if the only word you both knew was Amen, you would certainly be one of them as you knelt with them and worshipped Our Lord together. It would help you realise far more than you can in England how close the fellowship of members of the Church is and should be.
The Communion of Saints in Purgatory
Not only, however, do we have fellowship with the other members of the Church on earth, but also with those in Purgatory and Heaven. When we die we shall not be fit to live with God in Heaven. We need to be perfect to do that. So, instead, faithful Christians go to Purgatory where they stay until their souls are healed from the effects of their sins, and they are able at last to receive the reward of the pure in heart and to see God (Matthew 5:8). To see God is to be in Heaven. By praying for our departed relations and friends and thereby doing them good as they prepare for Heaven, we have fellowship with them.
The Communion of Saints in Heaven
People who are already in Heaven are, of course, the Saints. You should not think of Heaven as being a long way off – it is simply where God is seen. If you went in a space ship to some far distant planet, you would be no nearer God when you got there and no further from him; and so you would be no nearer to Heaven and no farther from Heaven.
Spiritual distance
The distance between us and Heaven is not a question of miles or kilometres, it is a spiritual distance. Here’s an example. On Good Friday there were two thieves crucified with Jesus, one on either side. One of the thieves died cursing and hating Jesus. The other, who is known as the Good Thief, was sorry for his sins and asked Jesus not to forget him. It is possible that the Good Thief was two or three feet farther away from Jesus than the other one was, but you can see that in a very true sense the Good Thief was much nearer to Jesus than was the bad thief. And at the Cross, as St John waited there, although he had deserted Jesus in Gethsemane, he was nearer to him than was the Good Thief. The nearest of all was Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
So the distance between us and Heaven is also a spiritual distance, and the nearer we are to Jesus the nearer we are to Heaven and to the Saints. We have fellowship with the Saints in Heaven by asking them to pray for us, and they have fellowship with us by doing so. For it is prayer which links us, not only with the souls of the Faithful Departed but also with the Blessed Saints.
Patron Saints
Most churches are named after one or more Saints, such St Mary the Virgin or St Peter and St Paul. These are the church’s patron Saints and on the day when they are remembered and honoured there are special celebrations in the parish to mark the Patronal Festival.
Some of you will have the name of a Saint as your Christian name, such as Mary or John. This is your special patron Saint. If your Christian name is not the name of a Saint, then you can choose a Saint as your patron. When you say your prayers, ask your patron Saint to pray for you, using words such as “Holy Mary, pray for me” or “St Francis, pray for me”. In this way we make the Communion or Fellowship of Saints something real, so that, when we say in the Creed, “I believe in the Communion of Saints”, we are talking about something in which we actually take part. And, of course, we also have fellowship in the Eucharist with the “angels and archangels and with all the company of Heaven”, for then we come with them before God’s Throne.
SUMMARY
1. The Communion of Saints means the fellowship of all members of the Church who love Jesus.
2. We have fellowship with Church people all over the world in prayer and Holy Communion.
3. We have fellowship with the souls in Purgatory by praying for them.
4. We have fellowship with the Saints in Heaven by asking them to pray for us.