The Invisibility of the Saint

To call anyone holy, one must first know what this word holiness actually means, have direct experience of it oneself, and, finally, be able to legitimately assign the quality thus signified to someone. No one can claim to define the concept (or the meaning) of holiness without running the risk of the most obvious of idolatries. Since all idolatry actually results in self-idolatry, this idolized sanctity immediately presupposes that those who assert and define it claim to know what holiness means, hence they claim to experience it and consequently to incarnate it themselves. Here, Marion discusses how should one justify sainthood, and on what definition of holiness should it be grounded.