http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8044.asp
Prayer and the Departed Saints
On the Intercession and Invocation of the Saints
http://www.forthelife.org/a9.htm
Intercession of Saints - Orthodox Christian Resource Center
Intercession of Saints
Christians are asked to pray for each other all throughout Scripture.
We pray for our relatives, friends etc. We pray for the well being of all Creation in our Orthodoxy liturgy and namaskarams.
This is known as Intercession. (“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”-1 timothy 2:1)
Protestants too believe in Intercession for the “living”. But they have a hard time accepting that we cannot ask the earthly departed Saints to pray for us.
The argument is “since they are dead they cannot pray for us”.
Now the question is are the Saints really “dead” that they cannot pray for us??.
And how did this practise originate? Where are the scriptural references to Intercession?? Is it really required??..Isnt Christ the sole Mediator??..etc.
Let us deal with this topic now.
Mediation and Intercession.
“MEDIATION” and “INTERCESSION” are different.
Read 1 Timothy, Chapter 2, verses 1-5.
1)Christians intercede for each other.(Intercession)
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”–1 timothy 2:1
2)Christ Mediates for each of us.(Mediation)
” For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”–1 timothy 2:5
In 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 1 , St.Paul calls upon christians to pray for each other.
In 1 timothy chapter 2 verse 5 (just 4 verses below), St.Paul says Christ is the only mediator.
Christ is the Only Mediator. But that does not mean we dont pray for each other(Intercession).
The same St.Paul who asks Christians to pray for each other, tells just one sentence later that Christ is the Only Mediator.
That means Intercession and Mediation and two different things. Othervise St.Paul is contradicting himself in the same breath.
One Mediator.
What does Christ mediate?
In Oriental Orthodox faith, we believe Jesus Christ was Full Man and Full God.
Miaphysitism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Miaphysitism (sometimes called henophysitism) is the christology of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Miaphysitism holds that in the one person of Jesus Christ, Divinity and Humanity are united in one “nature” (“physis”), the two being united without separation, without confusion, and without alteration.”
Christ is the only human being who was also Full God. Human and Deity are joined together in Christ.
Thus Christ is a Bridge between Humanity and Divinity.
The fact that God became flesh, a human being offers sanctification to the Flesh and it offers salvation to Mankind.
If God didnt became a human, humans could never aspire to reach Godlikeness(restored image of the first human/Adam).
Thus Jesus Christ is the Bridge between Humanity and Divinity. No other human is the Mediator.
Christ Mediates between both natures- Godhood and Manhood. In Him both are One.
Many Intercessors.
1.Who are Intercessors?
Ans:-Intercessors are people who pray for us to Jesus Christ.
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”–1 Timothy 2:1
We can be intercessors for our friends or relatives when we pray for them to Jesus Christ.
2.What is the need for Intercessors when i can pray directly to Jesus Christ?
Ans:- “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”–James 5:16
A humble and honest heart will be wise enough to understand that some people’s prayers carry more “power” and “effectiveness” by virtue of the Righteousness.
Who is more righteous than us? We are living in the age of Spiritual Arrogance, where everyone supposes he is holier than the other.
Abraham’s intercession saved Lot’s family from destruction.(Genesis 18:23-32)
It was because Abraham was more righteous than Lot or anyone in Sodom Gomorrah.
Moses’ intercession for the people of God, in pleading with the Lord for mercy, held back the hand of God from consuming the nation in His wrath. ( Exodus 32:7-14; Deuteronomy 9:8-9, 12-20, 23-27, etc.; Psalms )106:23
But an Intercessor does not Mediate between Godhood and Manhood.
An Intercessor prays/intercedes to the One Mediator(Jesus Christ) on our behalf.
The Saints are spiritually alive!!
The Christian Saints like St.Mary, St.Thomas, St.Gregorios of Parumala, etc are people who have attained a high degree of Theosis.
Theosis refers to Transformation into Christlikeness or Godlikeness.
Keep in mind that Man(Adam) was created in the Image of God and didnt have death. Death/Mortality came about only after Adam and Eve’s sin(Fall of Man).
God punished Man by Mortality/Death only after his sin and after he became astray from his true image, which was in the likeness of God.
“By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”–Genesis 3:19
Christians who achieve a high degree of Christlikeness are Restored into the state Adam was prior to his sin.
(That state where he is in the Image of God and didnt have death.)
Christians become One with the Body of Christ by eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood(Holy Eucharist/Qurbana).
If we are one with the Body of Christ who is immortal, and spiritually alive, then we are spiritually alive too.
If anyone says a true christian saint who is Christlike and part of his Body is “dead”, then they are saying Jesus Christ is dead too!!
Scripture says the Saints are alive.
“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.” -Revelations 8:3
“And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the PRAYERS OF SAINTS. “–Revelations 5:8
“My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.” —Acts 2:27,28
“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. –Psalms 16:9,10
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”(1 Corinthians 15:22)
“Today you will be with me in Paradise”.
ENOCH in the OT was someone who was “carried up into heaven” before death.
ELIJAH in the OT was also said to be “carried up into heaven”.
These people never died an earthly death and went up into heaven before that. Then it is possible for the christian saints too, even after their earthly martyrdom or death.
PARADISE
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the TREE of LIFE, which is in the PARADISE* of GOD.”–Revelations 2:7
Luke chapter 23 :-
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[f]”
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” —Luke 23.
The good thief was promised Paradise by Jesus the same day itself.
Obviously the Good Thief did not go to paradise to “die” or to “sleep”. He is spiritually alive in Paradise.
How much more it is possible for the “Holy Ark which carried God’s presence”(St.Mary)…how much more for St.Peter who was martyred for Christ,….how much for St.Thomas who touched God’s wounds to be Spiritually Alive in Paradise?
Even in death the righteous have a Refuge.
“When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,
but even in death the righteous have a refuge.”– Proverbs 14:32.
What is this “refuge” of the righteous that they find even in death?. The same refuge the good thief got, Elijah and Enoch got?
In 2 Maccabees, Judas Maccabaeus sees the dead Onias and Jeremiah giving blessing to the Jewish army.
["Onias then said of him, "This is God's prophet Jeremiah, who loves his brethren and fervently prays for his people and their holy city."--2 Maccabees 15:14]
Archangel Raphael intercedes for Tobit:
“I can now tell you that when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed, it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord; and I did the same thing when you used to bury the dead.
When you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner in order to go and bury the dead,I was sent to put you to the test. At the same time, however, God commissioned me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.
I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord.” –Tobit 12:12-15
The Church(Body of Christ) is timeless.
The Christian Church is the Body of Christ, which is Immortal, and timeless.
It transcends Space and Time and Christ has defeated Death.
“The True Church is composed of all who are in Christ – in heaven and on earth. It is not limited in membership to those presently alive. Those in heaven with Christ are alive, in communion with God, worshipping God, doing their part in the body of Christ. They actively pray to God for all those in the Church – and perhaps, indeed, for the whole world (Ephesians 6:8; Revelation 8:3). So we intercede to the choir of all saints who have departed this life, seeking their prayers, even as we ask Christian friends on earth to pray for us.”
The Church is composed of all christians who lived, who are living and who are yet to be born!
In Orthodox tradition, a red carpet is laid at the center of the Church, signifying the presense of the departed souls as well in the worship.
Similarly the Saints who are also in heaven participate in our Qurbana.
The western concept is very rational, scientific or rather secular, which believes the Church includes only the particular generation of christians of their time.
Tree of Life
Adam and Eve couldnt eat the Fruit of the SECOND TREE.
God send them out of Eden and assigned angels to guard this tree, so that NO man could eat this!
24 “After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side [e] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” –Genesis 3:24
No man could ever taste the FRUIT of the TREE of LIFE.
But one Man did—JESUS CHRIST!….(he was Full Man and Full GOD)…He tasted Immortality and Life!!
In Orthodox Christian liturgy there is a hymn during the Baptism ceremony when the new born baby is given the Holy Qurbana appam and wine for the first time, a part of which goes like this:
“Aadam ruchi nokaatha Bhalam” (The Fruit that Adam couldnt taste).
We believe that this FRUIT is the FLESH and BLOOD of Christ.
Which is why we sing “Aadam ruchi nokaatha bhalam” when we give the baby his first Qurbana(bread and wine–flesh and blood of Christ).
If Satan tempted Man by offering this shortcut to Divinity, Man was tempted and disobeys God. God punished Man and send him out of Eden and he loses his touch with God.
But the same God redeems Mankind out of his kindness and indescribable Love by sending his Son.
HE gives them a taste of the Fruit of the TREE of LIFE.
The Fruit of the TREE of LIFE in Genesis, is nothing but the Blood and Flesh of Christ.
Partaking in which, we become One with the Body of Christ and thus attain salvation and thus Immortality, which Eve craved for, resulting in her sin.
But later God himself offers it to Man through the great Sacrifice of Christ:
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the RIGHT TO EAT from the TREE OF LIFE, which is in the paradise of God.’– Revelations 2:7
Those who have aten this Fruit(Flesh and Blood of Christ) and become Christlike(restored image of Man) cannot be spiritually dead at any point of time. And hence they can pray for us like the ones on earth.