The Communion of Saints

Christians believe that, through being baptised, we are made one with Christ, mystically incorporated into his Body. Because Christ passed through death and is alive, so all that die as part of his body also pass through death. Our dead loved ones are mysteriously alive in him, awaiting the Resurrection.

It is a common mistake to think that Christians believe people go to Heaven when they die and live there forever. Christians believe in a physical resurrection, a day in the future when, all human beings will be raised, restored, and regenerated into new, glorious bodies. All the injustices and suffering of the world will end at this point and humans will live in harmony with one another and with God, as they were always meant to. The Kingdom of God will finally come on Earth. We do not know many details about what this new life will be like – the fullness of God coming to dwell amongst us is beyond our current comprehension. Equally, it is hard to understand the current state of those who have died in Christ, except that we are taught that they are alive with him.

Christians have always believed it is possible to pray for one another – indeed we have a duty to do so. It is the most natural thing in the world to ask friends and family for their prayers during a stressful or difficult time. We also believe that we can ask those who have died, and are with Christ now, to pray for us too. All Christians, past, present, and future are bound together with one another as one Church. The ‘faithful departed’ can and do continue to pray with us and for us. We can ask them to pray for us, just as we would any other Christian.

Technically, all Christians are saints – the world simply means ‘holy’, which itself does not mean good or moral but rather something that belongs to God which, through our baptism, we do. We hope and have faith therefore that the ‘saints in heaven’ include many people personally known to us! However, there are also famous Christians, those who have lived extraordinary lives or had extraordinary deaths witnessing to their faith in what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ. These figures, whose names are familiar to many, Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint George, etc. have lived throughout the 20 centuries of Christian history and across the world. They came from different backgrounds and lived to different ages but each, in their own way, provides a model or inspiration as to how we might also follow Christ. They are the Christian ‘heroes’ and it is not unusual for people to each have one with whose story and example they especially connect with or try to emulate.

Throughout the Church Year we remember in turn many of these saints in our readings or preaching and, by doing so, try to learn from them what it means to be a Christian. We ask them to pray for us and our journey of faith also. Most important among all the saints is Jesus’ mother, Mary.