Chateau Lloyd

Yesterday was the Feast of All Saints, a Holy Day of Obligation.  The homily at Mass naturally turned to the various saints and how we are called to imitate them.

Afterwards, I was reminded of an exchange between a Baptist friend of mine in college.  He was explaining how saints were distractions at best, idols at worst, and that was why his faith didn't recognize them.  I was no Catholic, but my grandparents were, so I was somewhat sympathetic to the notion of saints and so I asked:  "What about Mother Theresa?  Surely she is a living saint."

He grudgingly admitted that yes, she had many admirable qualities, but held his ground.

I think the Protestant disdain for saints is unfortunate, because while they seem strange and cultish to outsiders, it's really just people testifying from beyond the grave.  All of the saints experienced suffering of some sort, and that in turn teaches us that we, too, will suffer, but that in the end we will find our reward.

One of the many problems with Calvinism is that you're either saved or not, and this was decided long ago.  If one is suffering, that presumably means you're not with the 'in' crowd.  Conversely, prosperity is a sign of God's grace.  This denies the sacrifice of martyrdom, or of people who find God through affliction.

In thinking this topic over, I tried to think of contemporary Protestant religious figures who had achieved some sort of holiness that could compare to St. Theresa of Calcutta or Saint Padre Pio.  I can't think of any.

The most prominent Protestant figures are generally preachers, like Billy Graham, who may spread the Gospel, but also derive great profit from it.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was certainly a force for goodness, but his personal life was pretty sordid.   

Karl Barth was pretty respected as a theologian, but he also kept a mistress in his household and a lot of his colleagues knew about it.  He reasoned that it was part of God's plan for him, and thus morally acceptable.

Part of it is the self-denial aspect, which is quite rare in Protestantism.  I think some sects are returning to the practice of fasting during Lent, but for most, that was one of their grounds for rebellion.  

Of course, Protestant theology regarding the dead is all over the place, with a large amount of them believing that there is no Purgatory and therefore no need to pray for the dead.  Funerals are "celebrations of life" and the Baptist service I attended, everyone said the deceased was saved because he believed in Jesus.  If that's the standard, why live in poverty?  Why accept suffering at all?

This is yet another one of the bitter fruits of the Reformation.