Communion of Saints

Everyday I feel more affirmed that this Catholic thing was the right choice.
Although it feels as if I had all this knowledge only to have it suddenly become irrelevant, or more accurately, questionable. I doubt now some of the things I learned in Bible and History class at Harding. I remember in Hummanities class once we were talking about the rise in churches named after Mary. My teacher said it was in reaction to a stance the church had been taking in which they were portraying Jesus as a harsh judge of sinners. What she said wasn't wrong, but it was the way they presented the facts that colored the history of that time period. In subtle ways like this I see now that there was some demonization of the middle ages. I'm not saying my history and bible teachers lied, they just presented the facts in a certain light, a light that I doubt now.
It feels as though I'm relearning history and the interpretation of scriptures, and its answering a lot of questions I'd never bothered asking in highschool. I simply assumed I wasn't learned enough to understand, that only people with their docterates understood.
Also the breadth and depth of theology I've yet to explore makes me salivate.
One of the first Catholic teachings that amazed me was the communion of saints. The communion of saints is mentioned in the Niciene Creed, which most Protestant sects accept as doctrinally accurate, yet I never heard this phrase explained when we went over the creed in Bible Class.
Catholics, see, believe that christians, after they die can still hear their brothers and sisters on earth. They are "in communion" with them through prayer. This is why catholics pray to saints.
If the prayer of a righteous man is strong, then how much stronger is the prayer of a righteous man who is already in communion with God? Catholics feel such freedom that they can speak directly, not only to God, but also to Peter, Paul, Moses, and King David, and ask their fellow brothers and sisters on earth and in heaven, to pray for them! How amazing is this! It brings new light to the phrase "death, where is thy victory? where is thy sting?" Death can't even separate us when we are united with Christ. If death is defeated, if it could not separate us from God, then what is death to separate us from our loved ones who are united with God?
About the word "Saint." Protestants criticize Catholic's use of this word, saying that saints originally meant all christians. Catholics agree with this, and do not deny it, but Protestants fail to take in that language changes. Should we criticize people for useing the word "fun" as somthing innocent when it originally refurred to somthing more risque or illegal? No. A word is just a word.
What caused the change in the word "saint"'s use was the way that Catholics and the early chirstians thought about salvation. Catholics cringe away from language that claims that they know without a doubt that they are going to heaven. This is why some Protestants mistakenly think that Catholics work their way to heaven. The catholic belief is that a true christian, when he dies, if he followed Christ in his life has a sure hope of heaven. They use the words "sure hope of heaven" because Catholics try not to judge anybody. Somebody may pretend to be a christian but only God knows that person's heart. They also avoid this language about themselves because they do not want to assume that they won't stumble and leave the faith one day in the future. To claim that they will never stumble sounds a bit boastful to Catholic ears.
Even Paul used this language. He said we have a "sure hope of heaven" but he did not use the 'once saved always saved language' of some Protestant sects. In fact Paul even mentions in his letters a christian, who after some persecution, left the faith.
The doubt, you see, is not on God or his ability to save, but upon our own weaknesses and willingness to let him fully into our lives and hearts.
This is why, the word saint, was increasingly used for people who it seemed were, without a doubt, with God in heaven. This is why, when in the process of decideing if a person is a saint, the church will look for signs and miricles. God sending Moses and Elijah to Jesus on the mt. top, for instance, is a pretty good indication that those two guys arn't stuck in hell. Saint began to refur to the martyrs, and later became even sort of a honorific tittle. Theres your bit of etemology.
At first the communion of saints seemed weird and outlandish to me, but when I admitted this to a catholic friend, she looked me in the eyes and asked me if it was any weirder than all the other stuff Christians beleive, men rising from the dead for instance, and I had to admit that no, it wasn't that crazy compared to everything else. The communion of saints was the first Catholic teaching that I accepted, even before I was even considering the possibility of joining.