Cultus

I'm of the "I'll take grace wherever I can get it" camp, but I'll admit that when I heard of the news of Pope Paul VI's canonization a few years ago, I was a little perplexed. It seemed that throughout history, there was a kind of local cult that sprang up when news of a particular person's sanctity spread. In other words, saints were privately venerated from the "bottom up" by way of the cultus, and then vetted canonically and rubber stamped by Rome once sufficient investigation had been carried out. Maybe Paul VI had this at the local level in Italy (or beyond), those 'on the ground' recognizing his personal sanctity and witness to heroic virtue and petitioning that he formally be recognized a saint, and now now now. If he did, I didn't hear much about it. So, the next thing I know he's a canonized saint and I'm like, "where did this come from?" Seemed like it came "from the top down." I don't understand it.

Contrast this with the recent veneration of Sr. Wilhelmina, a nun from a traditional order who died in 2019 and whose body was found to be incorrupt when exhumed four years later. I had two sets of friends text me photos during those first few days (before word was spreading much) of their families praying at the foot of her body. It was quite remarkable, and seemed to develop a cultus of faithful quite organically. As word has spread, the small country convent has become the center of a national fascination with this obscure nun and her order, her history, and her personal sanctity. Heck, I would have set off myself for the 14 hour drive if I would have heard about it a bit earlier!

This seems like the more normal process--God does something in history to speak to us; the sensus fidelium recognize it from the ground, and the cultus forms. Of course the Church has the final authority to determine whether such figures are worthy of public veneration, which comes with time and investigation and verified miracles. But it's from the 'bottom up' versus from the 'top down.' It's not the Church saying "behold your Pope-Saint! Pray away!" It's Her doing Her due diligence to vet those traditionally put forth by the cultus, over time, so that they have the assurance that nothing the would-be saint is opposed to the faith and morals, did indeed exercise heroic virtue, and that the miracles attributed to them have no natural explanation. 

I'm not making a statement here about the process of canonization, the politics of canonization, or to cast shade on anyone who is truly devoted to, say Paul VI, as an intercessor. Just that I thought it was curious that this week we have what seems to be a truly organic process and development of a cultus happening in our lifetime which seems to be genuine and baffling to scientific explanation. The fact that Sr. Whilhemina was previously unknown beyond the walls of the convent and lived a hidden life, is American, is Black/African American, and comes from a traditional order....well, it's all very exciting. 

You have to wonder: God is trying to speak to us in our lifetime and make Himself known with these more frequent Eucharistic miracles, Marian apparitions, and now this. He is not keeping hidden the work of grace that can't always be explained naturally or scientifically. I wonder if we will get to a point in which He is literally pouring out his grace so profusely to prepare us from the final siege that is to come by the forces of Darkness that we almost take them for granted. 

God is raising up great saints and courageous men and women in our lifetime, pouring out to overflowing His great grace to prepare us with what we need to endure. In any case, it is a very exciting time to become Catholic, and to see what God is doing here on the ground.