The Biblical Truth About Saints And Sainthood
Gerald Tushabe
I originally wrote this article and sent
to the New Vision newspaper but they did not publish it – which did not
surprise me at all. I have made minor edits to update some few sentences. May
it bless you and others you choose to share it with.
Many Christians I have talked to recently
have expressed surprise (and even shock) about Catholic beliefs and practices
regarding saints and sainthood. This has occurred after they read the front
page story in the New Vision entitled
“Father Ngobya’s Organs Still Intact After 26 Years” (New Vision, Vol. 27 No. 068
of Wednesday, April 4th, 2012). Christians have wondered why
Catholics must exhume bodies of the dead and parade them publicly as part of
the long process of declaring them saints. (Note: Christianity and Catholicism are NOT the same; in fact they are worlds
apart - as far as the east is from the west. But this is a topic for another
day).
Catholics Praying-at-Monsignor-Aloysius-Ngobya’s-grave
Moreover, the above New Vision story seemed to have created a false sense in the
readers’ minds that the body of Fr. Ngobya was preserved due to a supernatural
act or miracle of God. That is not true. Modern science, as Dr. Lynette Tumwine
verified in the story, is clear that it is now perfectly possible to scientifically
preserve a dead body for any length of time. This is not rocket science; even the
ancient Egyptians were experts at the preservation or mummification of the
bodies of their kings (pharaohs) and queens over 4,000 years ago. So, since
preservation of dead bodies today or in the ancient past is not in dispute, I will
focus only on what the Bible says about saints and hopefully help deceived Catholics
realize how their beliefs and practices not only contradict, but are even antithetical,
to the Word of God.
Catholic Pilgrims near the Catholic Martyrs Shrine, Namugongo. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
So, what does the Bible say about saints
and sainthood? Is what the Bible says about saints the same as what Catholics
believe and practice? The following information may be shocking to some, but it
is still the Biblical truth.
Saint Defined
According to the Bible, a
saint is a physically living person who is holy and therefore possesses eternal
life or salvation. This is the only sense in which the entire New
Testament uses the word ‘saint’ or ‘saved’ or ‘born-again’ or ‘Christian’. You
can prove this by looking at Apostle Paul before he became a Christian and used
to persecute (and sometimes kill) Christian men and women (who were called saints):
And that is
just what I did in Jerusalem.
On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they
were put to death, I cast my vote against them. (Acts 26:10)
Even in the Old
Testament there is clear proof that a
saint is a holy person, who is physically alive:
Precious
in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
(Psalm 116:15)
During the end
of the age, when the antichrist gets in power of the world government, he will
make war against the saints:
He was
given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given
authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. (Revelation 13:7)
Catholics struggle to touch Monsignor-Aloysius-Ngobya’s coffin in order to get blessings
For the antichrist to do that, the saints would have to be alive. He could never make war against people already in heaven. Again, the Biblical evidence reveals that a real saint or a true saint is a Bible-defined Christian – one who is alive and holy. That is solidly and consistently taught in various ways in Scripture and is the only sound legitimate definition. In contrast to that established Biblical definition of a saint, is the mythical and counterfeit ‘Catholic saint’ of Roman Catholicism.
Catholic Saint
Catholicism requires two miracles from the intercession of a deceased
Catholic to qualify for sainthood, with the pope being the final word on that
decision! The process goes from venerable to blessed to saint!
For example, in the USA, former
Syracuse nun
Marianne Cope (1838-1918) became venerable in 2004, blessed in 2005 and on
October 21, 2012 was canonized a Catholic saint! Since that decision by the Vatican for
Marianne Cope to be a saint, a prayer for her intercession has been written for
Catholic people to pray. This is the same process that has started for the late
Fr. Ngobya and Sr. Amadeus. Suffice to note this Catholic process of ‘saint creation’ is bogus according to the
Bible. Unlike Roman Catholics, real Christians base all their beliefs
and doctrine on the Bible ONLY as final authority (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).
Catholics struggle to touch the statues of catholic Martyrs who were declared saints by Rome
Catholics struggle to touch the statues of catholic Martyrs who were declared saints by Rome
God’s Holiness and Man’s False Traditions
Catholics do not usually pray to God directly, as Christians did in the
Scriptures (Luke 18:13 - 14; Acts 4:24-30; etc.) and as Jesus commanded his
followers to do (Matthew. 6:6-8; John. 14:14; etc.). NEVER in the Bible did the
Christians ever pray to a deceased person, Mary or angels! (Revelation 19: 9 –
10; Revelation 22: 8 – 9; Acts 10: 25, etc). They always prayed to God or the
Lord Jesus and relied only upon God. Unfortunately,
Catholics often rely upon their counterfeit Catholic saints and their alleged intercession,
such as Jude, Anthony, Michael,
Uganda Martyrs, etc.
Another contrast
is, the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints, while the canonized Catholic
saints allegedly already in heaven supposedly intercede for people’s needs:
And he
who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (Rom 8:27)
So, what is a
saint? Here’s more proof. Real saints
pray for other saints:
And
pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
(Eph 6:18)
The living prays for the living. To call on a
deceased person for their intercession is to imply they are omniscient, an
attribute that only God has. They would have to be all-knowing to hear various
people requesting prayer at the same time. Hence, it is not only unscriptural,
but irrational to pray to anyone other than the Father or the Lord Jesus.
Catholics Pilgrims pray at Charles Lwanga’s statue during the vigil of Uganda Martyrs’ Day in Namugongo. PHOTO BY Abubaker Lubowa
Finally, many of the people canonized as saints by Catholicism are not sound in
doctrine. Two examples are Alphonsus Ligouri and Louis De Montfort, both categorized
as ‘apostles of Mary’! Both promoted trusting in the mythical, fabricated
Mary of Catholicism (who in reality does not exist and is not the same as the real
Mary of the Bible). Salvation and eternal life are found ONLY in Jesus Christ (John
14:6; Acts 4:12; John 10:9, etc). If you know the
Biblical message and read the writings of Alphonsus Liguori and Louis De
Montfort, you will be shocked at how deeply their writings contradict the Bible. To know what a real saint is, therefore, real Christians
only need to go to the Bible. A Catholic saint is not the same as a
Bible-defined saint. A Catholic saint is unknown by the Bible, and therefore
does not exist in reality.
God bless you.
Gerald Tushabe is a former Catholic who converted to Christianity after
learning the truth in the Bible.
ALSO SEE
ALSO SEE
Catholicism and the Worship of the Dead: Rev. Fr. Ngobya remains exhumed after 26 years
Julius Nyerere (RIP), the first President of Tanzania set on road to sainthood
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2009/06/julius-nyerere-rip-first-president-of.html
YOU ARE SIMPLY WRONG ABOUT THE CATHOLICS: OH! REALLY
EVEN THE DEVIL PERFOMS MIRACLES: Deceived
Catholics talk of miracles they received after praying to dead Fr.Aloysius Ngobya
Is Msgr.Ngobya really in heaven?
Publish Date: Apr 07, 2012
Eddie Makumbi from Kyengera in Wakiso district was tired of
walking the streets looking for jobs. One day, a friend told him to first seek
blessings from Msgr. Ngobya’s grave.
“He told me about Msgr Ngobya, whose grave in Kitovu gives
blessings. I took it as a joke because I am not Catholic. Some weeks later, I
decided to give it a try. I found there some people praying and joined them. I
prayed, wrote down my wishes and dropped them in the box besides the grave and
left. Six days later, I was called for an interview. It was a miracle.”
Ngobya has been revered by many people. The priest, who died
in 1986 at the age of 89, was popular for his dedication to the Virgin Mary,
miracles and prophecy. Even after he died, people still travel to Masaka to
seek miracles. His grave, built with blue and white marble with a big concrete
cross, is next to the chapel of the Virgin Mary, beside the Cathedral. There is
a sizeable wooden box for the pilgrims to offer money that helps maintain the
place.
Catholics Praying-at-Monsignor-Aloysius-Ngobya’s-grave
Makumbi became a believer because later, when his mother was
dying with a heart problem, he mobilised the whole family to return to
Kitovu.
“We had tried many hospitals; Mulago, Masaka and others in
vain. My mother would spend nights in agony, without sleep. As a family, we
started praying through Ngobya and today, she is fine and can sleep for hours.
She is better and I know, with more prayers, she will continue improving,” he
says.
Ngobya’s body exhumed
However, on Tuesday, the body of the miracle priest was
exhumed by the Catholic Church in the presence of Bro. Reginald D. Cruz, who
was specially sent from Rome.
Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa of Masaka Diocese explained to the believers during
mass that the process of declaring Ngobya as saint had taken a very serious
turn. A team to investigate the acts of Ngobya and Byabari for the canonisation
project was announced. He said when his body was exhumed, the heart, lungs,
part of the brain, the kidney and his clothes were found intact.
Canonisation
This is a process by which the Catholic Church recognises
its departed members who are in heaven. When people talked of miracles they had
received from Ngobya, his grave became a permanent place of prayer.
Bishop Kaggwa appointed a committee to study ways of
starting the canonisation process. This was in 2002.
It was done and the file was sent to the Vatican for
further investigation. After verification, the Vatican declared him and Sr Byabari
Servants of God.
Dr. Wadray Rudman was appointed to investigate the issues
and Bro. Reginald D. Cruz, to deputise him. During the mass on Tuesday, the two
committees in charge of the investigations were swon in. Fr. John Baptist Kintu
is the chairperson for Ngobya’s committee, while Sr. Sebastian from Bwanda is the
chairperson for Byabari’s committee.
Miracles
The next step is for the committee to record miracles that
occur with the intercession of the Servants of God.
“I call upon anybody, Catholic and non-Catholic, who has
received a verifiable miracle, to come and report it to us. These will help the
late Msgr. Ngobya to be elevated to the level of Venerable,” Bishop Kaggwa said
during the mass.
Sister Angelica of Gogonya Convent, who knew Ngobya for a
long time has many wonderful stories to tell about his prophecies and
miracles.
“He told me when I was still young that I would become a
nun. I still remember I had gone to pray at Kabula-Kijaguzo Parish,” she said.
“In 1977, soldiers arrested him from Kabula Parish and locked him up at the
barracks. He refused to eat until the OC of the barracks released him without
any charge. The soldiers, who had detained him, decided to kill him before he
could report them to their commanders, but their vehicle overturned in
Namajjuzi swamp killing them all.”
How he died
In 1983, Ngobya fell sick and was transferred to Rubaga at
the residence of Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga. Many people followed him there for
prayers. According to Bishop Kaggwa, people asked him to pray for a change of
Milton Obote’s government and he told them to thank God instead because the
Government would fall soon. One month later, Obote was overthrown.
Sr Angelica also said when Amin fell and Prof. Yusuf Lule
became president, Ngobya prophesied that Lule’s government would not last. It fell
after 68 days.
She said some NRA rebels, (now in government) asked for his
blessings. He told them not to fear. “You will triumph. God will not allow me
to see your government, but, I request you to be friends to all people of God.
If you take them like enemies, your government will be destroyed too,” he said.
Before Ngobya died, he asked to be buried at Kitovu. He died
on January 9, when Masaka was cut off by the war. It was decided that they bury
him in Rubaga. But towards the end of the requiem mass, Cardinal Nsubuga
announced that he had decided to cancel the burial and wait for chance to
return the body to Masaka. His body displayed many amazing signs. His glass
coffin produced fog as if the body was sweating, a thing that puzzled the
doctors who tried to treat it, but failed.
It is said that on the day he was to be buried, his body
‘bled’ and soaked the bedsheets in which it had been wrapped. He was buried on
February 20, 1986.
