called to become saints: 28th week saturday 2012 II

Pedro Calungsod is our second saint and all of them are martyrs - St. Lorenzo Ruiz was our proto-martyr or our first martyr who was killed because of his faith in Nagasaki in Japan.  Our second saint is St. Pedro Calunsod who was martyred in Guam in the Marianas Islands in the year 1672.  It is with excitement that we approach the Sunday when he will be canonized by Pope Benedict himself at St. Peter;s Square on Sunday.

It could take several years, even decades to investigate the martyrdom and heroic virtue of Pedro.  He was beatified in the year 2000 at St. Peter’s Basilica by Pope John Paul II.  By beatification a person’s life is recognized as exemplary.  So the experts, priest, bishops and cardinals would investigate if indeed he has lived a heroic virtue.  Then if he is beatified he is given the title Blessed. 

Now Pope Benedict will declare him a saint, he will be canonized.  It is a recognition that he did not only live an exemplary life.  But it is also a recognition of his intercessory powers - that his prayers are valuable, that his prayers to God can move God to make miracles.  This is important in the process of recognizing a saint.  Pedro has to show a miracle which was made through his intercession.  Of course it is only God who can do a miracle, but we attribute to the intercessory prayers of the saint God’s response to our needs.  That is why sometimes it takes so long to make a saint, it takes so long to investigate whether he is qualified to the sainthood.  However there are exemptions.  For example the case of John Paul II, when he died people in St. Peter’s Square, and there are thousands, were shouting santo subito - meaning make him a saint immediately.  This also happened to Blessed Mother Teresa Calcutta.  We pray to San Pedro  Calungsod  that he will help us in our vocation - that we will become.  We are all called to become a saint, we are called to become holy like St. Pedro Calungsod.