It’s a question I’ve heard many times, often from those who are curious or even a little unsure: “Why do Catholics honor the saints? Aren’t we supposed to worship God alone?” It’s a beautiful question, because at its heart is a desire to love God rightly. And that is exactly what honoring the saints is about — loving God through the example of those who loved Him most.
When Catholics honor the saints, we do not worship them. Worship belongs to God alone. What we offer to the saints is veneration—a form of respect and love, the same way we honor those who inspire us in faith. The saints are our elder brothers and sisters in Christ who have already completed the race, as St. Paul says (2 Timothy 4:7), and who now live in the presence of God. When we honor them, we are really glorifying what God has done in them.
The Church teaches that the saints show us what it looks like to live the Gospel fully. Each saint is like a window through which the light of Christ shines in a unique color—St. Francis in his simplicity, St. Thérèse in her childlike trust, St. Teresa of Calcutta in her compassion for the poor. By looking to them, we see how grace can transform an ordinary human life into something radiant with divine love.
Honoring the saints also reminds us of the Communion of Saints—the deep spiritual bond between all believers, living and dead, united in Christ’s Body. When we ask for the saints’ intercession, we’re not replacing our prayer to God, but joining our voices with theirs. It’s like asking a dear friend to pray for us, except these friends now stand before the throne of God in glory.
In daily life, devotion to the saints teaches us hope. They remind us that holiness is not distant or impossible—it is our calling. The same grace that sustained them is offered to us. And as we walk our own journey of faith, their prayers and examples help us to keep our eyes fixed on Christ.
May the saints inspire us not to stop at admiration, but to follow their path of love. For when we honor them, we honor the God who made them holy—and who desires to make us holy, too.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
