The communion of saints is one of the most profound doctrines in the Christian tradition. All Christians are incorporated into the mystical Body of Christ by virtue of their baptism. Through Christ we are inextricably linked to God and to each other, and together we form the post-Ascension presence of Christ on earth. Jesus heals through the touch of our hands, He feeds the hungry through our generosity, and He speaks the words of forgiveness through our relationships with each other. This is very much in keeping with the spirit of the Incarnation. We are not meant to be a community of disembodied spirits but rather the living Church through which God interacts with the real world and spreads the message of the Resurrection.
The Church is composed of two parts -- the Church Militant (the faithful who are still on this earth) and the Church Triumphant (those who have undergone physical death and are now with Christ). Christians who have already completed their pilgrimage on this earth are not truly dead but are fully alive in Christ. The link between Christians is so strong that not even physical death can sever it. Together the Church Militant and Church Triumphant are participants in the Divine Liturgy that is forever said before the throne of God.
Very early on the Church felt that the martyrs and saints who had departed this world were not separated from Christians who were alive, but rather they were in greater communion with God and with earthly Christians. This led to the doctrine of the intercession of the saints which is still present in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. To ask for a saint's intercession is simply to ask them to pray for you as you would a fellow Christian who is alive on this earth.
This intercession is not at all analogous to praying to God -- worship is due to God alone. Since these saints are truly alive it is completely orthodox to allow for this practice as long as it is done in the proper sense. It is only through God's grace that the intercession of the saints is even possible. As long as medieval excesses are avoided it is a reasonable practice that is consistent with historic teachings of the Church.
Some Christians may raise the objection that there is only one mediator between God and man and that Jesus is this sole mediator. This is certainly true, but we ask fellow Christians to pray for us all the time because we know that the prayers of others have been found by the Church to be efficacious. Other people interceding for us in no way reduces the unique work of Jesus' complete mediation. All intercessions are ultimately derived from his singular act and cannot be separated from it.
If these Christians in heaven are in full communion with God then that makes their prayers on our behalf that much more powerful. My only advice to skeptics would be to try it out for yourself. I have been very blessed by this practice and I highly recommend it. It is often a difficult journey in this life, and more people praying for you is always a good thing.
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4 comments:
Great Article. That is the same methodology I use when I am talking to a fellow Christian that doubts the intercession of the saints. I say to them, "Lets pray about this issue we are discussing together". Then I say that that is exactly the same kind of thing as asking for saints intercession!
"The Church is composed of two parts -- the Church Militant (the faithful who are still on this earth) and the Church Triumphant (those who have undergone physical death and are now with Christ)."
You left out a part, the Church Expectant, Christians who have died and are now with Christ in Paradise. This is the "intermediate state." See http://www.nwnet.org/militant and also N. T. Wright's book, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.
Hi
I am painting an Icon of "All Saints" for an Anglican church.
This means that as a Roman Catholic I am researching the saints recognised by the Anglican communion.
I see that the last post speaks about the church "expectant" - does this infer the Catholic teaching I would call Purgatory?
And I notice that in the calendar of saints, you have people like Thomas More, and Maximillian Kolbe.
As Catholics, they had a deep beleif in the complete (body, blood, soul and divinty) presence of Christ; as did most of the early saints such as Hugh of Lincoln.
While I understand that as a state church, National heroes and philosophers are honored in your calendar - I don't understand why its o.k. to honor some of those who are Catholic before the reformation, and not those after - because the teachings of the R.C. church have not changed on the Eucharist in all of that time.
Can you explain please - I'm confused!?! Thanks
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