The qualification of saint applied to certain Spirits.

— In a provincial group, a Spirit having presented itself under the name of “Saint Joseph, holy one, thrice holy,” this gave occasion for the following question to be asked:

Can a Spirit, even canonized in life, give itself the qualification of saint without failing in humility, which is one of the attributes of true sanctity, and, in invoking it, permit that this title be given to it? Should the Spirit that takes it be, by that fact, held as suspect?

Another Spirit answered:

“You should reject it immediately, for it would be equivalent to a great captain who presented himself to you pompously displaying his numerous feats of arms before stating his name, or to a poet who began by boasting of his talents. You would see in such words an inordinate pride. So it must be with men who had some virtues on Earth and who were judged worthy of canonization. If they present themselves to you with humility, believe in them; if they come having themselves preceded by their sanctity, give thanks and you will lose nothing. The incarnate is not a saint because he was canonized: God alone is holy, because he alone possesses all the perfections. Behold the superior Spirits, whom you know by the sublimity of their teachings: they do not dare call themselves saints; they qualify themselves simply as Spirits of truth.”

— This answer demands some rectifications. Canonization does not imply sanctity in the absolute sense, but simply a certain degree of perfection. For some, the qualification of saint has become a kind of commonplace title, forming an integral part of the name, in order to distinguish them from their homonyms, or which is given to them by habit. Saint Augustine, Saint Louis, Saint Thomas may, then, prefix the name saint to their signature, without doing so out of a sentiment of pride, which would be all the more out of place in superior Spirits who, better than others, make no account of the distinctions given by men. It would be the same with titles of nobility or military ranks. Surely he who was duke, prince, or general on Earth is so no longer in the world of the Spirits, and yet, in signing, they may take these qualifications, without this having any consequence for their character. Some sign: he who, when alive on Earth, was the duke of such. The sentiment of the Spirit reveals itself by the whole of its communications and by unmistakable signs in its language. It is thus that we cannot be deceived about the one who begins by calling himself: “Saint Joseph, holy one, thrice holy.” This alone would suffice to reveal an impostor Spirit, adorning itself with the name of Saint Joseph. Thus, it was able to see, thanks to the knowledge of the principles of the doctrine, that its knavery found no naive ones in the circle into which it wished to introduce itself. The Spirit that dictated the above communication is, then, much too absolute in what concerns the qualification of saint, and is not correct when it says that the superior Spirits call themselves simply Spirits of truth, a qualification that would be nothing but a pride disguised under another name, and which could lead into error if taken literally, because none can boast of possessing the absolute truth, nor absolute sanctity. The qualification of Spirit of Truth belongs only to one alone, and may be considered as a proper name; it is specified in the Gospel. Besides, this Spirit communicates rarely and only in special circumstances. We must put ourselves on guard against those who improperly adorn themselves with this title: they are easy to recognize, by the prolixity and the vulgarity of their language.