Intercession

 

Our Protestant brethren reject intercessions of the Virgin
Mary or of the angels or of the saints they base their rejection
on Saint John the Apostle: "... we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1John.2: 1) and the words
of the Apostle Paul: "For there is one God and one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1Tim.2: 5).

 

(1) In fact there is a fundamental difference between the
mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ and the intercessions of
the saints

The mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ is an atonement,
which means that He mediates for the forgiveness of our sins,
being the Atoner who paid our debts on our behalf.   His
mediation means that He says to the Father: "Do not count their
transgressions because I have carried their iniquity" (Is.53:

6). Thus He stands as a Mediator between God and men; or rather, He is the only Mediator between God and men; He fulfilled  God’s  Divine  Justice  and  granted  people  the forgiveness of sins, by dying for them.

This is what St. John the Apostle meant when he said: "And
if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our
sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world"

(1John.2: 1,2). Here, the atoning mediation is very clear.  It is a mediation for the sinner: "If anyone sins", and this sinner needs atonement. The only One who offered this atonement was Jesus Christ the righteous.  Hence He can mediate for us through His blood which was shed for us.

The same meaning is given in the words of St. Paul the Apostle about the Lord Jesus Christ being the only Mediator between God and men.   He says: "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1Tim.2: 5,6). The Lord Jesus Christ mediates for us as the Redeemer who sacrificed Himself and paid the price of our sins.

This  type  of  mediation  is  utterly  unquestionable.  It  is attributed to Christ only, whereas the intercessions of the saints has  no  connection  with  atonement  or  redemption.  It  is intercessions for us to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

 

(2) The intercessions of the saints for us are merely praying for us; they are of the pleading type, which is completely different to Christ's atoning mediation

This is sanctioned by the Holy Bible which says: "...pray for
one another" (Jas.5: 16). The saints themselves asked people to
pray for them.   St. Paul said to the Thessalonians: "...pray for
us" (2Thess.3: 1) and asked the Hebrews the same request:
"Pray for us" (Heb.13: 18). He also said to the Ephesians:
"...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and
supplication for all the saints - and for me" (Eph.6: 18,19).
The request to pray for one another is countless in the Holy
Bible.   If the saints ask us to pray for them, shall we not ask

them to pray for us?  If we ask the prayers of those who are still
in  their  spiritual  combats, 44  subject  to  sufferings  like

ourselves", shall we not ask the prayers of the saints who
completed their striving and departed to Paradise, living with
Christ? Or have these saints been demoted after their departure
from earth to Paradise so that we are only allowed to ask their
prayers when they are on earth and forbidden to do so when
they are in Paradise close to God?   If we ask the prayers of
human beings, is it too much to ask the prayers of the angels?

 

(3) God requests people to ask the intercession of the righteous

God Himself asks that, accepts it and paves the way for it to happen. I will give you some examples of such intercessions that God accepted:

(a)  The  story  of  our  father  Abraham  and  King
Abimelech.  Abimelech  made  a  mistake  and  took  Sarah,
Abraham's  wife,  into  his  palace.  He  did  so  with  a  clear
conscience because Abraham said that she was his sister.   The
Lord came to Abimelech in a dream, threatened him with death
and said to him: "Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he
is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live"

(Gen.20: 7). God could have forgiven Abimelech as soon as he
returned Sarah to her husband. However, He put a condition
for His forgiveness: Abimelech would be forgiven and would
live provided that Abraham would pray for him.   Thus God
asked for the intercession of Abraham and made it a condition
for forgiving Abimelech.

(b) The story of Job and his three friends. In the same way, the Lord conditioned the intercession and prayer of Job
for his three friends so that He would forgive them.  Concerning
this, the Holy Bible says: "...the Lord said to Eliphaz the
Temanite, 'My wrath is aroused against you and your two
friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My
servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls
and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for
yourselves a burnt offering;  and My servant Job shall pray for
you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to
your folly' " (Job.42: 7,8).

In both events God Himself spoke to the erring person. However,  He  did  not  grant  him  forgiveness  directly  but conditioned the forgiveness to the prayer of the saint for the sinner so that the sinner might receive forgiveness and the saint would be venerated in the eyes of people.  God not only accepts this mediation but rather asks for it.

(c)  The intercession of Abraham for Sodom.  God could
have punished Sodom without letting Abraham know about the
matter. Abraham did not intervene on his own accord, but the
Lord revealed the matter to him, involved him in it, gave him an
opportunity to plead for the people of Sodom and accepted his
intercession. God willed that this event be recorded to exalt
Abraham in the eyes of all people and to show us how He
venerates His saints. The Holy Bible says: "And the Lord said,
'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing' " (Gen.18: 17).
Then the Lord presented to Abraham the subject of Sodom,
gave him the opportunity to intercede for its people in the hope
that there existed in the Country fifty or forty or thirty or
twenty or ten righteous persons for whose sake the Lord would
not destroy the whole Country.

 

 

 

 

 

The mere fact that the Lord would not destroy the Country
for the sake of the righteous who lived in it gives us an idea not
only of Abraham's dignity but also of the dignity of those
righteous in front of the Lord.   The Lord said: "If I find in
Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the
place for their sakes... If I find there forty-five, I will not
destroy it... I will not do it for the sake of forty... I will not do it
if I find thirty there... I will not destroy it for the sake of
twenty... I will not destroy it for the sake of ten" (Gen.18: 26-
32).

The phrase 'for the sake of" has its divine value which signifies that God saves persons for the sake of others and it is also a clear proof of the mediation of the righteous for the sake of sinners.    The Lord accepts this mediation without the beneficiaries asking for it.

(d) The intercession of Mosses for the people of Israel.

God willed to destroy the people because they worshipped the golden calf.   Yet He did not do it directly but revealed the matter to Mosses the Prophet, gave him a chance to intercede for the people and accepted his intercession.

In the same way that Abraham said to God: "Far be it from
You", Mosses said to Him: "Turn from Your fierce wrath, and
relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your
own self.  " Then the Bible says: "So the Lord relented from the
harm which He said He would do to His people" (Ex.32: 7-14).

(e) The departed have greater favour with God. The
above are examples of prayers of living persons for the sake of
living persons.   As for the departed, they have greater favour

 

 

 

 

 

with God to the extent that He has mercy on people for their sake even without them praying.  How much more then if they do pray for someone?

Examples of this are the merciful and compassionate works
God did for the sake of His servant David.   When Solomon
sinned, God decided to tear his kingdom away from him, but He
said about the division of the kingdom: "Nevertheless I will not
do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; but I will
tear it out of the hand of your son.   However I will not tear
away the whole kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son
for  the  sake  of  My  servant  David,  and  for  the  sake  of
Jerusalem which I have chosen" (1Kin. 11: 12,13).

The  Lord  repeated  the  same  words  in  His  speech  to
Jeroboam: "Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of
Solomon and will give ten tribes to you (but he shall have one
tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of
Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of
Israel).   However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his
hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for
the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept
My commandments and My statutes" (1Kin.11: 31,32,34).

In one chapter the Lord repeats the phrase 'for the sake of My servant David" three times.   That is why the Psalmist prayed to Him, saying: "For Your servant David's sake, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed" (Ps. 132: 10).

If David has such favour with God, how much more has the Virgin Mary, the angels, John the Baptist who is the greatest born of women, and the martyrs who were tortured and tasted death for the sake of the Lord?

 

 

Therefore, since we ask the prayers of our fellows on earth, why do we not ask the prayers of those whom "shine like the brightness of the firmament" (Dan.12: 3)?  And why do we not ask the prayers of those who fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith (2Tim:4: 7)?

If intercession, which is prayer, is considered mediation, and if every mediation is unacceptable, then every man's prayer for the sake of another is an unacceptable mediation since we have only one Mediator!

In refusing the mediation in prayers, on the pretext that the
relationship between God and man is a direct one which in the
Divine love does not need the prayers of others, then the
Apostle would be wrong (far from it) in saying, "pray for one
another" (Jas.5: 16)!

Accordingly, prayers for the sake of others which are mentioned in the Holy Bible are meaningless and not in accord with the Divine love!

Because God loves people, He does not need others to pray to Him for the sake of His children to remind Him of His Providence and Paternal love!

Those who think in this way misunderstand the Divine design when God asked Abimelech to let Abraham pray for him (Gen.20: 7) and when He asked Job's friends to let Job pray for them (Job.42: 8).

The prayers of men for each other (whether they have
departed or are still striving in the flesh) is a manifestation
of the mutual love which exists between humans; a proof of
man's belief that those who have departed are still living
and  that  their  prayers  are  accepted  by  God,  and  an indication that God venerates His saints.

God permits intercession for the benefit of men and this intercession rears a bridge between the inhabitants of heaven and those on earth. Heaven is no longer an unknown and frightful place to people but they have come to believe in the work and love of the saints' souls.

The following are important questions frequently asked by those who deny intercession:

 

(4) Do angels and saints know our condition on earth?

Do the souls of the saints know our condition?   Do our prayers reach them?

We reply in the affirmative. The proofs are:

(a) There is no doubt that knowledge in heaven is
greater than that on earth.  It is surprising that someone asks:
Do saints in heaven know our news and our prayers on earth?
The Apostle Paul replies, saying: "For now we see in a mirror,
dimly, but then face to face.   Now I know in part, but then I
shall know just as I also am known" (1Cor.13: 12).

So in the next world our knowledge will increase and many secrets will be revealed to us when we take off this body which binds the soul.   There, the knowledge of the soul will expand and go beyond the sphere of limited knowledge to a wider sphere.  To  this  knowledge  will  be  added  the  knowledge revealed by God to the souls, namely, anything that is enclosed within the sphere of the Divine Revelation.

(b) The knowledge of the angels is shown clearly in the
Lord's words: "...there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance" (Lk.15: 7).

This means that the news of the earth reaches the inhabitants of heaven, whether the angels or the souls of the saints. They know who repents and who needs repentance, and they rejoice over the repentance of one sinner. Unless they know the news of the earth, how could they rejoice?

c) The angels know our prayers because they carry them to
God's throne.   There are numerous text-proofs in the Book of
Revelation. It is written: "Then another angel, having a golden
censer, came and stood at the altar.   And he was given much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints
upon the golden altar which was before the throne.   And the
smoke of the incense, with the prayers of all the saints, ascended
before God from the angel's hand" (Rev.8: 3,4).  Here we see the
prayers of the saints ascending before God from the angel's hand
and censer.  So how can the angels not know our prayers?

Likewise, the twenty-four priests know our prayers and ascend them before God.   In the Book of Revelation, it is written: "...the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev.5: 8). This is proof that they know the prayers which they ascend to God.

Similarly are the angels of little children of whom the Lord Jesus Christ said: "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven”  (Matt.18: 10).

d) The story of Abraham, the rich man and Lazarus
(Lk.16). Our father Abraham said to the rich man: "Son, remember
that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise

 

Lazarus evil things" (Lk.16: 25). How did our father Abraham
know the evil things which Lazarus endured?   How did he know
the good things the rich man received?  How did he know that the
rich man's family "have Mosses and the Prophets", when he had
departed from earth hundreds of years before Mosses and the rest
of the prophets?  How did he know all that?  How could Abraham,
of whom the Lord said: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My
day, and he saw it and was glad" (John.8: 56), not know?

(e) A testimony from the souls of the martyrs: St. John says
in the Book of Revelation: "When He opened the fifth seal, I saw
under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word
of God and for the testimony for which they held. And they cried
with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, until
You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the
earth?' And a white robe was given to each of them; and it was
said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both
the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would
be killed as they were, was completed" (Rev. 6: 9-11). Therefore
the martyrs know, after their death, that the Lord has not yet
avenged their blood. They cried with a loud voice to God, saying:
"How long will You let the evil prevail on earth?   Until when are
You going to let the strong in body destroy Your children?   Until
when will they keep on shedding this blood?" How do they know
all these things? They do know, and when the number of their
fellow servants are completed, they will know.

(f) The amazing story about the Prophet Elijah (2Chr. 2l): It
is written in the Book of Chronicles that King Jehoram killed all his
brothers, walked in the ways of King Ahab, built high places on the
hills of Judah, caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute
themselves and led Judah astray.   Then he received a letter from
the Prophet Elijah who had departed from earth and ascended to
heaven many years before.  The letter he received from the Prophet

 

 

 

 

 

Elijah read: "Thus says the Lord God of your father David:
Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your
father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the
way of the kings of Israel… the Lord will strike your people"

(2Chr.21: 12-14). How did that happen?  How did Elijah, after his departure from earth, know what was happening?   How did he send his letter to Jehoram?

 

(5) The greatness, knowledge and ministry of the saints

(a)  During his lifetime, Samuel the Prophet was consulted
about a lost donkey.  It was said about him: "...there is in this city a
man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he says surely
comes to pass.  So let us go there; perhaps he can show us the way
that we should go" (1Sam.9: 6). If the man of God, while he was
on earth, knew the unseen, how much more would his soul know in
heaven!

(b) When Elisha was on earth, he perceived what Gehazi did in
secret when he accepted the gifts from Naaman the Syrian (2Kin.5:
25-27).

(c)  One of the officers of the King of Aram said about Elisha
to his master the king: "...but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel,
tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom"

(2Kin.6: 12).

(d) Elisha perceived, at the time of the famine, that the King of
Israel had sent a messenger to kill him (2Kin.6: 32). If Elisha,
while still in the flesh, had the gift of knowing secret things, how
much more would he know in  heaven after putting off his body?

(e) Likewise, St. Peter the Apostle knew what Ananius and Sapphira did in secret.  He disclosed it to them and punished them (Acts 5: 3,9).

 

 

 

 

 

(f) Also, St. Paul knew that after he would leave, savage wolves would come in among the Ephesians and would not spare the flock (Acts 20: 29).

If the Apostles knew that much while they were still in the flesh, how much more would the Lord reveal to them in heaven!

These saints have knowledge and have a message for
people.   Their life, which started on earth did not end with
their departure to heaven.  We ask them to intervene more than
we ask those who are still striving on earth like ourselves and have
not yet departed.

 

(6) Other examples of the greatness of the saints

(a)  The  bones  of  the  Prophet  Elisha  were  capable  of
performing a great deed.   They were a blessing and brought a
dead person back to life by mere contact, without prayer; they
were only bones with no life in them (2Kin.13: 21). How much
more effect would Elisha's soul have in heaven?   Undoubtedly
his  soul  is  more  powerful  than  his  bones;  having  more
knowledge and having more favour with the Lord!  How much
more effect would the souls of saints similar to Elisha, have in
heaven?

(b) If the handkerchiefs and aprons which touched Paul's
body had the blessing of healing many sick and of driving out
many demons (Acts 19:12), how much more blessing would his
soul and the souls of saints similar to him, have in heaven?

 

 

 

 

 

(7) The saints who departed are still living

The Lord explained this fact when He said: "...have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?   God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Matt.22: 31,32). Therefore those saints are still living.  Why should we consider them dead and not ask their prayers?

We should not forget as well the appearance of Mosses and
Elijah  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  on  the  Mount  of
Transfiguration.  Moses died fourteen centuries before the birth
of Christ and is still living just as Elijah who was taken up to
heaven.   Their souls did not die; they are in Paradise and they
see more than we do.

 

(8) Examples of the intercession of the angels

There are two examples in the Book of the Prophet Zechariah:

(a) The intercession of the angel for the sake of Jerusalem: The
angel prayed and said: "O Lord of hosts, how long will You not
have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against
which You were angry these seventy years?" (Zech.1: 12) If the
angel interceded for Jerusalem even without the latter asking him
to, how much more will he intercede if you ask him for his prayers?

(b) The intercession of the angel of the Lord for the sake of
Joshua the high priest: The angel stood against Satan who was
going to bring an accusation against Joshua, and said to him: "The
Lord rebuke you, Satan!   The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem
rebukes you!  Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" (Zech.3:
1,2)

(c) Another example is in the Book of Genesis: An angel of

 

 

 

 

 

the Lord guarded and saved Jacob.   Jacob talked about him
when he was blessing Ephraim and Manasseh and said: "The
Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads"

(Gen.48: 16).

(d) We should not forget that the Holy Bible said about the
angels: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to
minister for those who will inherit salvation?" (He.1: 14) This
means that they have a work to perform for the people on earth.

 

(9) The saints' favour with the Lord

(a) We ask the intercession of the saints because of the great favour they have with the Lord who loves them and puts them in charge of merciful deeds for the sake of men. Also because of the greater knowledge and extensive capabilities their souls enjoy after leaving their bodies.

(b) Whilst talking about the saints' favour with the Lord, we
mention that God sometimes associated His name with their
names.   He said: "I am the God of your father - the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Ex.3: 6).

(c) That is why the saints used to remind the Lord of His
saints so that His compassionate and merciful heart would be
moved immediately on hearing their names and remembering
His promises to them.  In interceding for the people of Israel to
be saved from perishing, Moses the Prophet said to the Lord:
"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to
whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will
multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven' " (Ex.32: 13).

(d) We recall that when King Hazael of Syria oppressed the
Israelites, the Holy Bible says: "But the Lord was gracious to

 

 

 

 

 

them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of
His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not
yet destroy them or cast them from His presence" (2 Kin. 13:
23).

(e) On the subject of the saints' favour with the Lord, we
present the example of God's reproach to Aaron and Miriam
when they criticised Moses.  The Lord came down in a pillar of
cloud and said to Aardn and Miriam in front of Moses: "If there
is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself   known to
him in a vision, and I speak to him in a dream.  Not so with My
servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house.  I speak with him
face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees
the form of the Lord.   Why then were you not afraid to speak
against My servant Moses?" (Num.12: 68)

(f) Another example of the saints' favour with the Lord is the Lord's words to His Apostles: "He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me" (Lk.10: 16) and "If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour" (John.12: 26).

 

(10) Objections and replies

(a) It is said that in asking the intercession of the saints, we
pray to them. We reply that we do not pray to the saints; we
only ask their prayers and their support for us. Our talk to the
Virgin Mary is not a prayer to her but it is a filial talk from
children to their mother; a sort of confiding the secrets of our
hearts to her and not praying to her.   We kindly request her
intercession for us as she is the Queen who sits at the right hand
of the King.

(b) It is said that intercession is a sort of mediation.  We see

 

 

 

 

 

nothing wrong with that, as God Himself accepted mediation
and He demanded it. He asked Abimelech to let Abraham pray
for him so that he would live (Gen.20: 7), and He asked Job's
friends to let Job pray for them lest He treat them according to
their follies (Job.42: 8). He allowed Abraham to plead for

Sodom (Gen. 18) and allowed Moses to plead for the sake of
the people of Israel.   He listened to them and accepted their
pleadings.

 

(11) The spirituality of asking the prayers of the saints

(a) Asking the intercession of the saints implies belief in the life to come; belief that the departed are still living and have their  work  to  perform;  belief  in  the  constant  relationship between heaven and earth, and belief in venerating the saints who are venerated by God Himself.

(b) Intercession is a fellowship of love between the members
of the One Body. The Church is the body, Christ is the Head
and all of us, whether on earth or in heaven, are members of the
One  Body.  Love,  prayers  and  fellowship  are  peretually
exchanged between the members of the One and same Body.
We plead for the departed in our prayers and they intercede for
us through their prayers; it is an inseparable relationship.

It is regrettable that people who object to intercession seem
adamant to destroy this fellowship. They resist our for the sake
of the departed and their prayers or intercessions for us? Does
the love relationship between God the Father and every believer
contradicts the existence of love relationship between God's
children?  Did the Lord Jesus Christ not ask the Father: "...that
they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;

 

 

 

 

 

that they also may be one in Us... that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one" (John.17: 21, 23)?

(c)  Intercession is beneficial. Whoever denies it loses its
benefits and gains nothing in lieu. Those who believe in
intercession benefit from the love relationship between them
and the saints.  They benefit from the mere connection with the
souls of those who have departed. They add to their own
prayers the more profound and powerful prayers of those
abiding in the next world, without any loss on their part.

However, those who deny intercessions of the saints lose this
relationship and these prayers without gaining anything in stead.
They lose a simple and an uncomplicated belief manifested by
those who celebrate the feasts of the saints, visit their churches
and ask their prayers.   How would they cope with meeting
these saints in the next life after, while they have refused to
venerate them or ask their prayers and intercessions?

(d) Intercession entails meekness of heart. The person who
asks for intercession is a humble person.   He is not conceited
about his personal relationship with God, but takes the position
of the sinner and the weak who requests the intercession of
others for his sake. Vice versa is he who denies intercession. He
might pompously ask: "What is the difference between me and
those saints?   The relationship between me and God is too
strong to need intercession"!   He raises himself to the rank of
the saints, martyrs and angels.

Those people will be reproached by the Apostle's words: "Pray
for us" (Heb.13: 18) and "...praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all
perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Eph.6: 18).

 

 

 

 

 

(e)  Intercession is proof of God's justice in the principle of
equal opportunities. If God permits Satan to fight His children,
tempt them in false visions and dreams and torments them, so,
according to His justice and the principle of equal opportunities,
He permits the angels and the souls of the righteous to help His
children  on  earth.  Thus  God's  justice  is  manifest  in  the
intervention of the souls of those abiding in the next world in
the life of men.

If God permitted Satan to harm Job, He also permits angels to bandage the injuries of men and to minister to His children without them asking.  How much more if they pray for it!  "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" (Heb.1: 14)

So long as the angels are sent forth for this purpose why
should we not ask their intervention to help us while they are
near us?

 

(12) Intercession is a living reality

The intercession of the saints for us is not merely a theological
research text-proved from the Holy Bible, but it is a living reality
we experience. It is a living history through the generations,
narrating the amazing relationship between those who departed and
those who are still living on earth.   It is a living contact with the
saints who truly pity our state more than we do to the extent that
sometimes our problems are solved for us due to their intercessions
for us without our request or prayers. They understand more than
we do and they apply the verse: "Rejoice with those who rejoice,
and weep with those who weep" (Rom.12: 15) more than we do.

Intercession is proof of the bond between the members of the

 

 

 

 

 

Church on earth and the members of the Church in heaven.   It is one Church: one part of it is on earth, which we call Church Militant and the other part is in heaven which we call Church Triumphant.  Both of them pray for each other.

Those who reject the intercession of the saints are in fact disregarding the marvellous miracles that occurred and are testified to by people, through the prayers of the saints on the occasion of their feasts or in their churches and monasteries. It appears that such dogmatic arguments in theology may of resulted in denial of factual history and day to day facts of life.

It suffices to mention the miracles which occurred by the appearance of the Virgin Mary in her Church at Zeitoon. Whether  to  Christians  or  Moslems,  and  which  were documented by the people's oral and written testimonials. Also the miracles which occur in the name of St. George, Archangel Michael and other saints.   All these should be sufficient to convince our Protestant brethren in coming to terms with the reality of the intercessions of the saints.

Read the life-stories of the saints and you will come to
know about the intervention of the angels and saints in
people's lives.   You will see how they appear, foretell, give
promises and guidance and bring good news of the birth of a saint
from a barren mother or of God's choice of a saint for His ministry.
As  far  as  these  people  are  concerned,  the  subject  of  their
relationship with the saints is not a one day and night acquaintance
but it is ages-long relationship.   It is a relationship we can never
destroy. It is a relationship between people, the angels and the
saints. This is why many of these people find it difficult to
understand the Protestant stance of rejecting the inseparable bond
between the Church on earth and its members in heaven.