Mary and the Saints

Catholic Outlook

Catholic Outlook

Catholic Outlook

Mary and the Saints

Catholic Outlook

It’s true the Bible says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). But have you ever looked at the context of that verse? It’s the conclusion of a passage that begins four verses earlier. Here’s the whole passage:

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time (1 Timothy 2:1-6).

It’s ironic that verse 5 is used to supposedly prove that the saints in Heaven can’t intercede for us because there’s only one mediator, when the context of that verse is a command for all believers everywhere to intercede for everyone, precisely because there is one mediator.

When we intercede for others, we are acting as a mediator, and the reason we can do that is because we are in Christ, who is the one mediator between God and man. Christ alone bridges the gap between God and man, and if we are in him, not only can we intercede for others, but God commands us to do so. It is “good” and “pleases” him.

I think most Christians understand this, at least when it comes to themselves. Several times on social media I’ve seen Christians argue that we should only pray directly to God through Christ because he is the “one mediator.” But then, as soon as they get sick, they ask everyone to intercede for them. In other words, they ask us to act as mediators for them with God. The irony appears to be completely lost on them.

Now, you may be thinking that praying for another person is one thing, but surely praying to another person, such as a dead saint, is a form of idolatry, right? The problem here is that in contemporary usage the word “pray” has come to mean, “to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving.”¹

Obviously, to “pray” to a human, saint or otherwise, in that sense would be wrong. But the word “pray” has an older, now archaic meaning. It used to mean simply “ask,” whether the object of the request was God or a person. For example, in the King James translation of Acts 27:34, Paul says to some sailors, “Wherefore I pray you to take some meat.” In other words, “I ask you to eat some meat.” There are dozens of examples of the word “pray” used in this manner in the King James Bible:

The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife (Genesis 34:8).

Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is (1 Samuel 9:18).

And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. (Luke 14:18).

and the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of who speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? (Acts 8:34).

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20).

The phrase “praying to the saints” reflects this older usage, and it simply means “asking them for their prayers on our behalf.” We see this, for example, in litanies to the saints:

St. Stephen, pray for us.

 

St. Lawrence, pray for us.

 

St. Vincent, pray for us.

 

Sts. Fabian and Sebastian, pray for us.

 

Sts. John and Paul, pray for us.

 

Sts. Cosmas and Damian, pray for us.

 

All you Holy Martyrs, pray for us.

 

St. Sylvester, pray for us.

 

St. Gregory, pray for us.

But can dead saints hear us and pray for us? Well, first of all, they’re not dead. They’re in Heaven with Christ and are more alive than we are. Jesus himself reminded the Sadducees that God is “not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matt. 22:32). Also, Jesus was able to have a conversation with Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:30-31), proving that they, too, were alive and well. Finally, in the book of Revelation we are given a glimpse of Heaven, and one thing we see is 24 elders standing before the throne of God. “Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8). So, we see that in Heaven our prayers are being offered to God by the 24 elders, which suggests that the saints in Heaven can and do intercede for us.

Like all Christians, Catholics believe in intercessory prayer. They ask their friends to pray for them, just as Protestants do. But a Catholic’s prayer chain is a bit longer than most Protestants’ because it includes those believers who are in Heaven. We are all part of the Body of Christ, and from God’s perspective that Body is not separated by death. God wants the whole Body of Christ, both in Heaven and on earth, to intercede before Him. All Christians everywhere are to pray for one another. “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23).

The Bible tells us that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (Jas. 5:16), and we know that believers in Heaven, having been cleansed of all sin, are the spirits of the righteous made perfect (Hebrews 12:23). Therefore, we should want their prayers on our behalf.

If we look back in history, we find that the early Christians understood that their brothers and sisters who preceded them into Heaven could pray for them:

In this way is he [the true Christian] always pure for prayer. He also prays in the society of angels, as being already of angelic rank, and he is never out of their holy keeping; and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him [in prayer].²

But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep.³

Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides [of death] always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence the first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father’s mercy.⁴

This is why today all historic Christian groups, except Protestants, include the whole Body of Christ in their prayer requests, not just that part of the Body that is still on earth.