We all know God is a jealous God, so are there any people that feel like me, that intersession from the saints is a step too far.
The Apostolic Churches have always believed in the power of the saints to intercede for us and to pray with us. It is part of the Communion of Saints. For this reason, since the early days of the Church, we have always celebrated the liturgy over the bones of the saints. It began during the first century by celebrating the liturgy over the tombs of the martyrs and was later expanded to relics of other saints.
If you go to any church, Catholic or Orthodox, you will bind a relic either inside the altar itself or on the altar. Why? Because they saints pray for us and with us.
Pay close attention to the Eucharistic prayer, as the priest prays for the Holy Spirit to descend so that the bread and wine will become the body and blood of Christ, he prays through the intercession of the saints.
When you are baptized and in some places when you are confirmed, or in many religious communities, when you enter the novitiate, you receive the name of a saint to be your constant role model, patron, and companion who prays for you and with you.
In essence, if you take out the intercessions of the saints, you’re reforming the entire Catholic and Orthodox tradition, which is apostolic.
There has always been unheard of Saints amongst us, and there are no favorites, so what power could they individual possess.
There is a difference between the saints who walk among us and the saints in heaven. Obviously, both can intercede for us, because we on earth intercede for each other.
As to favorites . . . the Christian tradition does teach us that there are persons whom God has raised within the Church for very specific reasons.
In Mystical Theology we also teach that there are people to whom are granted special graces and gifts that are not granted to most people, no matter how holy.
Mystical Theology also teaches us that there is a hierarchy among the saints. However, this does not bother the saints. That’s what makes them saints. They are not bothered with the honors and gifts that the other receives. Each is grateful for the graces that he or she has received.
A few examples . . . the Church recognizes certain saints as very unique or outstanding among the saints.
St. Francis of Assisi has been called several titles by the Church: The Seraphic Father, the Mirror of Perfection, the Alter Christus, the Perfect Christian, and the last one by Pope Benedict, the one saint who embodied the first beatitude.
St. Thomas Aquinas is the Angelic Doctor. He is not the only Doctor, but holds the highest place among them. The second place is held by St. Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor. I’m sure that Augustine is not upset by this. He is probably very pleased.
St. Francis, St. Rita and St. Pio had visible stigmatas.
Then you have the incorruptibles, such as St. Bernadette, St. Louise de Marillac, St.Teresa of Avila, and others.
In life there were special gifts given to some and not to others. There are not to many saints who reached the heights of ecstasy and mysticism as Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Paschal Baylon, just to name a few of our greatest mystics.
Then you had saints who were gifted with the grace of outstanding heroism: all of the martyrs and in our own time there were Mother Teresa, Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein.
Finally, there are those who reach sanctity through the most ordinary and simple paths, which is a gift in and of itself, such as St. John Vianney, St. Therese, St. John de La Salle, St. Francis de Sales, Bl. John Henry Newman, and soon to be Bl. John Paul II.
Yes, there is a hierarchy of sorts or at best, there are very unique gifts given to some and not to others.
But real sanctity is not about the gifts. It’s about the great love that results from the gifts. These men and women used their gifts, great or small, to love with everything they had. That love raised them to different levels of holiness, but all above the majority of us. That’s why we refer to their lives as lives of heroic virtue and great charity.
God calls us all to be saints and gives us gifts that we need to reach sanctity. Once in a while, he will pick a special person to whom he gives additional gifts for the greater good of the whole Church. These are the saints that stand out for very specific reasons, such as some of the ones that I named above.
Have a Blessed Easter filled with the Lord’s Mercy
Br. JR, OSF
