Saints: A Few Thoughts
In a former post, I commented on my fascination with the Saints of Church history. What about the idea of asking the Saints, those holy people who have passed from this plane of existence, to pray for us? There was a time when I considered that blasphemous to “talk to dead people”. Isn’t that necromancy?
I’ve had it explained to me by apologists somewhat like this: The Saints are not “dead”. They are alive in Christ and are members of the Church. How many have asked brother or sister so-and-so to pray for them with the confidence that their prayers would be heard? Likewise asking a living servant of God who dwells in God’s presence to pray for us is just as, perhaps even more, valid.
Some may use the term “pray to the saints”, but that can be misleading, implying that there is worship, the worship due to God alone. That’s not the case. It’s an address and a formal appeal to a great and holy fellow servant.
What about veneration? Is that worship? Hardly. We often render due honors to great men and women who exist in this “tabernacle” without any thought whatsoever that it is worship. Whenever we applaud a musician for a great performance, is that worship? I don’t think so. It’s somewhat like that with venerating Saints, their relics or icons.
It has often occurred to me that many professed Christians are quick to judge these traditions that are far older and more widely accepted than the presuppositions of the Protestant Reformation.
This entry was posted on 9 August, 2008 at 9:03 am and is filed under Saints. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: Afterlife, Eternal Life, Icons, Prayer, Relics, Veneration, Worship
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
9 August, 2008 at 9:50 am
Well said!
Thank you for sharing your insights and may God bless you.
Tim
9 August, 2008 at 10:39 am
Great thoughts! I really do believe that our prayers can be carried to God by angels or saints! This post does give a good understanding of that practice!
9 August, 2008 at 11:13 am
Thanks for the comments.
Allison, “saint” is synonymous with “holy one” applies to holy angels as well as humans (e.g. St. Michael, St. Gabriel, etc.), and I too believe angels, especially our guardian angels, intercede for us.
And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. Revelation 5:8.
And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. Revelation 8:3.
T. Joseph