The Understanding of the Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Mediator, but what kind? The One who gave Himself as a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:5-6). None of the other holy people and angels are redeemers. But many are co-intercessors in prayer:
“who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many” (2 Cor. 1:10-11)
Such too are the holy, righteous friends of God: the Mother of God, the angels, the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs and the other saints. Just as the apostle was asked for prayers here, so he is asked for prayers there. The idea that everyone must pray to God only for himself is foreign to Holy Scripture. On the contrary, in Scripture the whole Church is repeatedly called to mutual prayer for one another (James. 5:16)[1]. Everyone, even the great righteous ones and the chosen of God, while not ceasing their prayers to God, asked the faithful to pray for them, themselves prayed unceasingly for the faithful, and commanded that this order be kept in the future. This is otherwise called intercession for one another.
We know from the Church and confirm from Scripture that the righteous, upon separation from the body, pass to life with God and continue to offer Him their prayers. Therefore, just as people asked the prayers of these righteous ones during their life in the body on earth, in exactly the same way we ask their prayers after their separation from their bodies and their passing to the manifest life in heaven with Christ (Heb. 12:22-23), for they have passed not to a worse, but to a better state (Phil. 1:23). We believe that love never fails (1 Cor. 13:8), and therefore the whole Church — militant on earth and triumphant in heaven — is one Church, whole, communicating, praying together for one another, and moved by love to show care for all its members. We believe and know from the Church, and show from Scripture, that our guardian angels have communion with God (Matt. 18:10) and are sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14), and the holy righteous ones, abiding in the divine light, also know about what is happening on earth and offer their prayers to God for the Church (Rev. 6:9-11), and eternal love moves everyone to communion and care for one another in the one body of Christ: in heaven and on earth.
The Prayer of Angels
People Have Guardian Angels
“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)
Angels Are Sent to Care for Those Being Saved
“Are they [the angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:13-14)
The Angels in Heaven Rejoice over a Person’s Repentance
“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. <...> Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke. 15:7,10)
An Angel Intercedes Before God for People
An angel asks for mercy for the inhabitants of the cities of Judah:
“Then the Angel of the LORD answered 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?’ And the LORD answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words” (Zech. 1:12-13)
Communion with Angels
“When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city’” (Gen. 19:15)
“Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!’ Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, “Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?” But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites’” (Judg. 6:11-13)
“Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son’” (Judg. 13:2-3)
“Then an angel appeared to Him [Christ] from heaven, strengthening Him” (Luke. 22:43)
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias <...> Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. <...> But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.’ <...> And Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.’ And the angel answered and said to him, ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings’” (Luke. 1:5,11,13,18-19)
“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’ <...> Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.’ <...> Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God’” (Luke. 1:26-28,30-31,34-35)
“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’” (Act. 16:9)
“Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, ‘Arise quickly!’ And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, ‘Gird yourself and tie on your sandals’; and so he did. And he said to him, ‘Put on your garment and follow me’” (Act. 12:7-8)
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants — things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John” (Rev. 1:1)
The Prayer of the Departed
The prophet Baruch asks God to hear the prayers of the reposed righteous:
“O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, the soul in anguish and the wearied spirit cry out to you. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned before you. For you are enthroned forever, and we are perishing forever. O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the people of Israel (Greek: τῶν τεθνηκότων Ισραηλ — “of the dead of Israel”), the children of those who sinned before you, who did not heed the voice of the Lord their God, so that calamities have clung to us” (Bar. 3:1-4)
The reposed Rachel, wife of the patriarch Jacob, grieves over the deaths and sufferings of her sons in the Babylonian captivity. And the Lord answers her, comforts her and promises to set them free, which was done:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.’ Thus says the LORD: ‘Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the LORD, that your children shall come back to their own border’” (Jer. 31:15-17)
This quote can be understood allegorically, or it can be understood literally.
The Prayer of the Righteous
The Prayer of a Righteous Person Is More Pleasing to God
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight” (Prov. 15:8)
“The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Prov. 15:29)
“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James. 5:16)
God Requires That a Righteous Person Pray for the Forgiveness of Sin
Job
“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; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has” (Job. 42:8)
“And God said to him in a dream, ‘Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours’” (Gen. 20:6-7)
The Prophet Moses
The prophet Moses was a mediator between God and a whole people:
“Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God” (Ex. 18:19)
Thanks to the request of Moses, God forgave the sins of the people:
“Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” Then the LORD said: ‘I have pardoned, according to your word’” (Num. 14:19-20)
On another occasion, however, God indicates that He would not forgive even at the word of Moses:
“Then the LORD said to me, ‘Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth’” (Jer. 15:1)
He entreated God to change His decision:
“Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: “LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? 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, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people” (Ex. 32:10-14)
Then he again went to intercede for the people:
“Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, ‘You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin’” (Ex. 32:30)
And again he changed God’s decision:
“So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. Then Moses said to the LORD, ‘See, You say to me, “Bring up this people.” But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, “I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.”’ <...> Then he said to Him, ‘If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.’ <...> So the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name’” (Ex. 33:11-12,15,17)
The Man of God
“Then the king answered and said to the man of God, ‘Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.’ So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before” (1 Kin. 13:6)
The Prayer of the Priesthood for Other People
Through the prayers of priests for another person (here we have mediation), sins may be forgiven:
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James. 5:14-16)
The Prayer of the Members of the Church for One Another
Is personal prayer to God enough?
The Apostles Need Prayers for Them
“praying also for us” (Col. 4:3)
“Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thess. 5:25)
“Finally, brethren, pray for us” (2 Thess. 3:1)
“Pray for us” (Heb. 13:18)
“Now I beg you, brethren <...> that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me” (Rom. 15:30)
“He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many” (2 Cor. 1:10-11)
“For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer” (Phil. 1:19)
“for I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you” (Philem. 1:22)
The Apostles Constantly Pray for Christians
“do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” (Eph. 1:16)
“always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy” (Phil. 1:4)
“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers” (1 Thess. 1:2)
“Epaphras <...> always laboring fervently for you in prayers” (Col. 4:12)
“without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day” (2 Tim. 1:3)
“making mention of you always in my prayers” (Philem. 1:4)
The Apostles Called Christians to Pray for One Another
“pray for one another” (James. 5:16)
“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)
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men” (1 Tim. 2:1)
The Whole Church Is the One and Single Body of Christ, Communicating and Caring
The Church Is the Body of Christ
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Cor. 12:27)
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” (1 Cor. 6:15)
The Members of the Church Become Partakers of God
“as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Pet. 1:3-4)
All the Members of the Body Care for One Another
“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Cor. 12:25-26)
The Apostles Always Pray for the Church
“we… do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col. 1:9)
The Unity of the Earthly and Heavenly Church
We Have Already Come to the Heavenly Church
Already now, and not in the future, after the resurrection:
“But you have come(!) to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel” (Heb. 12:22-24)
There Is No Division; All Care for One Another and Share in One Another’s Feelings
“But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. <...> But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Cor. 12:20,24-26)
“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. <...> Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke. 15:7,10)
What Is in Heaven and on Earth Is United in Christ
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, <...> having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth — in Him” (Eph. 1:3,9-10)
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3:14-15)
“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:18-20)
“For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Rom. 14:9)
See also: The Church: the unity of the earthly and heavenly Church, the one Body of Christ
The Saints Pray to God in Heaven
The Prayers of the Saints Are Pleasing to God
“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and 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)
“Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. 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” (Rev. 8:3)
“After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!’” (Rev. 19:1)
They know about what is happening on earth:
“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 which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then 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)
The Saints Pass to a Better State, Not a Worse One
“For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you” (Phil. 1:23-24)
After Separation from the Body, the Saints Do Not Lose the Ability to Communicate
At the moment of the Savior’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the apostles see the appearance of the prophet Moses, who had already died, conversing with Christ about the sufferings on the Cross that lie ahead of Him. That is, although the prophet died (Deut. 34:7; Josh. 1:2), he did not vanish and did not lose consciousness: he communicates with Christ:
“And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him” (Matt. 17:3)
“As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke. 9:29-31)
Love Always Moves One to Care for Others
“Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8)
Criticism
One Mediator
Short Answer
The Orthodox are accused because of prayers to the saints, with the claim that only Christ is the one Mediator. The answer is that Christ is the one Mediator who redeemed people, as is said further on in the verse:
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5-6)
The saints are not redeemers, but co-intercessors in prayer (James. 5:16). It is all a matter of meaning. Our opponents (as a rule, Protestants) pray for one another’s needs. If they are mediators for one another, then the saints too are our mediators. If they are co-intercessors for one another, then the saints too are our co-intercessors, for we simply ask them to pray for us, to join in our prayer to God. We do not consider them gods and do not pray to them as to gods. In exactly the same way, when Protestants ask others to pray for them, they do not consider their companions to be gods.
Can there be mediators in prayer? It is evident from Scripture that there can. For example, through the prayer of the elders of the Church, another person’s sins may be forgiven.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James. 5:14-15)
An undeniable intercession. Thus the understanding of the words about Christ as the one Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5-6) proposed by opponents of prayers to the saints is incorrect. The verse cited does not speak against mediators in prayer.
More on the Word “Mediator”
There are also particulars of translation. The word “mediator” is a translation of the Greek word “μεσίτης”. It can be translated as “peacemaker”, a person who helps bring about the reconciliation of parties. That is, in other words, Christ is the only reconciler (peacemaker) between God and people. This is said more explicitly in other places by the apostles:
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18-19)
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. 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. <...> I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake” (1 John. 2:1-2,12)
Translating the word “mediator” as reconciler or peacemaker also agrees with the end of the sentence, as already indicated earlier: “who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5-6). Such a peacemaker who, by offering Himself in sacrifice, redeemed the sin of mankind before God. Thus this verse does not speak against prayers to the saints, but speaks of Christ as the reconciler of mankind with God. Christ is also the reconciler of people with one another (Eph. 2:14).
On the Expressions “Save Us”
The Orthodox are accused of allowing the expression “save us” in prayers to the saints. Here again it is a matter of meaning. Salvation was accomplished once by Christ. There is no other savior in this sense. But many can contribute to the personal salvation of a particular person. And such expressions are often allowed in Scripture:
An Apostle Saves
“if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them” (Rom. 11:14)
“I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22)
A Wife Saves
“For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?” (1 Cor. 7:16)
The Apostolic Call to Save Other People
“And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude. 1:22-23)
“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16)
Can Anyone Besides Christ Really Save?
Neither the apostle, nor wives and husbands, are saviors in the sense in which the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior — the only Redeemer and Deliverer of mankind from death and hell, who grants resurrection and eternal life with God. However, the expressions “I will save”, as one can see, are allowed by the apostles. We understand the meaning of such expressions correctly — people can contribute to salvation:
“For we are God’s fellow workers” (1 Cor. 3:9)
On the Expressions “Have Mercy”
Here the situation is the same as with the word “save” (see above). Such words are addressed not only to the saints, but also to ordinary people. To have mercy means to show mercy. For example, the righteous Job says to his friends:
“Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me!” (Job. 19:21) (Greek: ἐλεήσατέ με, ἐλεήσατέ με, ὦ φίλοι — “have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O friends”)
How Can the Saints Hear Prayers from All over the World?
Opponents of prayers to the saints say: “God is omnipresent and almighty, but if the saints do not possess such properties, then how can they hear the prayers of a great number of people in different places on the planet?”.
The Saints Prophesied and Worked Miracles Not by Their Own Power, but by Divine Power
The saints are not considered separately, apart from God. Divine power dwelt in them even during their life in the body on earth, and all the more they are not deprived of it after their passing to heaven, to life with Christ. Thus the prophet Agabus, although he was not all-knowing, announced the coming famine throughout the world (Act. 11:28). The Apostle Peter was not almighty, but he raised Tabitha (Act. 9:40). Not by their own power did they do this, but by divine power.
The saints, according to the word of the apostle, pass not to a worse, but to an incomparably better state (Phil. 1:23-24): they do not lose, but gain (Phil. 1:21). They are united with God, they are in His light and grace. One cannot compare their existence with ours. They know about what is happening on earth (Rev. 6:10). Even here in the body the apostles write that they are spiritually present with Christians:
The Apostle Knows the State of the Christian Communities Not by the Body, but by the Spirit
“For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ” (Col. 2:5)
“For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:3-5)
Those Being Saved Have Guardian Angels
As it is written, angels are sent to minister to those being saved:
“Are they [the angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14)
And the angels see the face of God (Matt. 18:10). Even they could pass on our prayers. We pray not only to holy people, but also to the holy angels: we ask for their prayers for us, we thank them for their labor and care.
The opponents of communion between the earthly Church and the heavenly do not allow one even to thank the guardian angel who has been sent to minister to us, who does not need to be omnipresent and almighty in order to hear us.
So the Church believes that the saints hear our prayers thanks to their abiding in the divine light and grace. Union with God gives them this ability. God Himself gives them this ability. Thus, to put it very simply, the saints hear prayers not thanks to their own abilities, but thanks to God and His abilities.
How Does the Church Know Who Is a Saint? Do People Not Decide for God?
People do not decide for God. God, according to His promises (quotes), Himself glorifies His saints, reveals miracles, and heeds their prayers. The Church only bears witness to this and brings into order the veneration of the saint among the people, so that there is no chaos, as the apostle also commanded:
“Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40)
“For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies” (2 Thess. 3:11).
The witness of the Church to the holiness of a righteous person and the establishment of the order of veneration (canonization) takes place, as a rule, much later than the death of the righteous person, when in examining this question one can proceed not only from the earthly life of the righteous person, but also from what God may have revealed about the righteous person after his passing to heaven, to life with God.
Testimonies are gathered from the members of the Church about miracles and healings that take place at the grave of the righteous person, about the prayerful help of the righteous person[2]. The purity of his life and faith is carefully examined. After this the Church examines the gathered information in council, and may approve the veneration of the righteous person as a saint, and also write church texts and an icon for this and establish a day of commemoration. In part, this is a bringing into order of the veneration that is already taking place among the church people, an indication of the correctness of this veneration, and its inclusion in divine services.
However, there is no need to bear witness to the holiness of many righteous people, since it follows from Holy Scripture and the Tradition of the Church. Among the well-known saints are, without doubt, the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos (for whom God has done great things, Luke. 1:49), the forefathers, the prophets, the apostles, the bishops, presbyters and deacons they appointed (for example, the deacon and first martyr Stephen, Act. 7:55-60), and a multitude of martyrs. Besides, the Church prays not only to holy people, but also to angels: to the Archangel Michael, to Gabriel, to many others, to the guardian angel. A witness to the holiness of the angels is superfluous, since they are known servants of God.
An Important Comment
Before defending prayers to the saints, one must firmly grasp a key point: the opponents have no positive part in their explanation of the prohibition of prayers to the saints. The foundation of the opponents’ argument consists of one phrase: “it is not said in Scripture”. This is the negative part of the explanation, on which they will insist. They have no positive part, that is, a clear understanding (comprehension) of the prohibition.
Adventists can partly offer an understanding, because they do not believe in the life of a person’s soul after the death of his body. However, even Adventists cannot explain the prohibition of prayers to angels, for they do not (yet) deny the existence of angels. According to Scripture, angels are appointed to those being saved, caring for the salvation of a person (Heb. 1:14) — why can nothing be said to them? They cannot explain this.
As for the other (neo-)Protestants, most of them believe in the life of a person’s soul after separation from the body, and they cannot at all explain the reasons why one may not communicate with the heavenly Church, to which we have already come even now (Heb. 12:22-23), why one may not speak with the patriarchs, apostles, martyrs and angels. Of course, they will try to bring up something, but it will always be unconvincing. For example, they will say that the saints have entered God’s rest and therefore supposedly are no longer troubled about earthly affairs. But then it turns out that God too is not troubled about earthly affairs, because He too is in the same rest. Their other attempts to give an explanation look just as absurd.
The need to pray to the saints is derived from Scripture implicitly (step by step), that is, this need is indicated not explicitly, it is implied. And this is normal, because not everything is said directly in Scripture. The most important teaching about God as the Trinity is derived from Scripture implicitly. Our opponents also derive a great deal from Scripture implicitly. For example, nowhere is it said that infants may not be baptized, yet they unreasonably claim that they may not be baptized, and it does not trouble them that this is not said in Scripture. They try to derive this prohibition implicitly, from other statements in Scripture. Therefore it is extremely important to bring them onto this field and ask them to give an understanding of the prohibition of praying to the saints.
And also, dear friend, remember too that the opponents of prayers to the saints rise up not at all against intercessory prayers (for it is easy to prove that they themselves are mediators for one another when they pray for one another, however much they argue with this). The most important thing they rise up against is the communion of the earthly Church with the heavenly, against any communion with holy spirits: the holy angels and holy people, the friends of God. As if the earthly church had taken offense at the heavenly one and does not want to speak with it, as if one part of the body of Christ does not wish to communicate with another part of the same body. They cannot allow a single word; they do not allow even thanks to the guardian angel for his care for us. For having admitted even the slightest possibility of communion with the saints in the spiritual world, they would soon have nothing left but to admit, step by step, everything else that belongs to the communion of the earthly and heavenly Church. Therefore, as one of the questions, it is worth considering the possibility of communicating with angels, which is very widely presented in Scripture.