It is certain that and Christianity began long before Luther and did not spring up when He was a monk of the Catholic Church. It had existed for 1500 years before then. He may have corrected the completely ridiculous idea of selling indulgences. There is very much contained in the hearts and deeds of the saints of the historical church before Luther
We are told as protestants not to pray to the saints, that we ARE saints. Maybe so. But in the path of sanctification could we gain anything from these “Saints” without becoming alarmed that we will be corrupted and are convinced we are not loyal to Luther and Protestantism? Could we be convinced that the most important thing is loyalty to the One God (Father, Son and Spirit)? Could we learn to Love our God more and to Love our brothers and sisters (any everyone else too!) as we imitate the saints?
From my reading of the Saints is very evident there is a lot to be gained from reading what the saints have written. For example, the two big commandments: Love God and love others as ourselves in the writings of the saints. We can even read what the saints in the scripture DID. (Don’t loose focus here, I am not saying that DOING the right thing saves you, and I am not saying you should pray to the saints).
The word of God is written on my heart, and I trust Him to keep me from error, so I am unafraid of reading the saints writings and the writings of Christians from other denominations and have found them to be worth imitating.
In my readings there are several Catholic, Orthodox Saints, and Protestant authors (of different denominations) that have written about their love of God and of Others that are worth imitating:
Catholic Church
St. John of the Cross
John of the Cross is considered one of the foremost poets in Spanish. Although his complete poems add up to fewer than 2500 verses, two of them, the Spiritual Canticle and the Dark Night of the Soul, are widely considered masterpieces of Spanish poetry, both for their formal style and their rich symbolism and imagery.
From reading his poetry you can gather he was complete lost in the love for God and he pointed many and counselled many on to develop a loving relationship to God.
St. Therese Of Lisieux
She is popularly known as “The Little Flower of Jesus” or simply “The Little Flower”. Thérèse has been a highly influential model of sanctity for Catholics and for others because of the simplicity and practicality of her approach to the spiritual life. Known for the little way: Instead of focusing on large actions, we should bring God into our smallest ones. St. Thérèse even wrote about how much care she put into folding napkins at the dinner table. She completed the task with as much love and attention as if Jesus Himself was coming to dine with her.
St. Therese of Avila
Teresa was a woman “for God,” a woman of prayer, discipline, and compassion. Her heart belonged to God. Her ongoing conversion was an arduous lifelong struggle, involving ongoing purification and suffering. She was misunderstood, misjudged, and opposed in her efforts at reform. Yet she struggled on, courageous and faithful; she struggled with her own mediocrity, her illness, her opposition. And in the midst of all this she clung to God in life and in prayer. Her writings on prayer and contemplation are drawn from her experience: powerful, practical, and graceful. She was a woman of prayer; a woman for God. While I was beseeching Our Lord today...I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions. — St. Teresa of Avila
A masterpiece of spiritual literature, this sixteenth-century work was inspired by a mystical vision that came upon the revered St. Teresa of Avila, one of the most gifted and beloved religious figures in history. St. Teresa's vision was of a luminous crystal castle composed of seven chambers, or "mansions," each representing a different stage in the development of the soul.
In her most important and widely read book, St. Teresa describes how, upon entering the castle through prayer and meditation, the human spirit experiences humility, detachment, suffering, and, ultimately, self-knowledge, as it roams from room to room. As the soul progresses further toward the center of the castle, it comes closer to achieving ineffable and perfect peace, and, finally, a divine communion with God.
A set of rare and beautiful teachings for people of all faiths desirous of divine guidance.
Orthodox Church
St. John Maximovich,
Bishop of San Francisco (d. 1966). The book “John the Wonderworker“documents 100 miracles through John’s prayers and actions, showing his great love for people and close relationship with God. He rescued about 1500 orphans from Shanghai and brought them to San Francisco in the early 50’s.
St. Herman of Alaska
Wonderworker of all America (d. 1837). Converted thousands of Aleuts, built many churches. Asked his congregation “Should we not love God above everything, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men?” ‘Certainly, we love God’, they all answered. “And I a sinner,” he answered, “have been trying for more than forty years to love God, yet I cannot say that I love Him completely. Let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His holy commandments”.
Esteemed Protestants (different denominations)
James Haddon Spurgeon
As I read Spurgeon’s works, I was struck with the realization that he loved God. God was real to him and not just a theory. The work I remember the most was The Secret to the love of God. In his works he says we should love God and not be ashamed to say we love God.
Elisabeth Elliot
She was one of the most inspiring Christian women of the 20th century. Elisabeth Elliot was a Christian author and speaker. Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca people of eastern Ecuador. She later spent two years as a missionary to the tribe members who killed her husband. She emphasized commitment to God, doing his will whatever it costs, and being owned by Him. I remember her saying “Don’t say you love God, show me!” She is a hero to me.
Dr. R. C. Sproul
I owe a lot to Dr. R. C. Sproul. His thoughtful and logical presentation of many, many Christian topics and discussions have helped me greatly. He has written a vast number of books. Ligonier’s Ligoinier Connect allows you to play streaming video presentations many authors including himself
He is known for emphasis on Holiness, consciousness that we are Living before the face of God. Founder of Ligonier which now features many scholarly and imitable men of God.
C. S. Louis
Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.
Lewis wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. C. S. Lewis’s most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics in The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
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