Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/101

 INTERCESSION

71

INTERCESSION

proved from Scripture and the Fathers. Thus Arti- cle xxii of the Anglican Church says: "The Romish doctrine concerning the Invocation of Saints is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no war- ranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God."

(1) In the article Ador.vtion (q. v.) it has been clearly shown that the honour paid to angels and saints is entirely different from the supreme honour due to God alone, and is indeed paid to them only as His servants and friends. " By honouring the Saints who have slept in the Lord, by invoking their inter- cession and venerating their relics and ashes, so far is the glory of God from being diminished that it is very much increased, in proportion as the hope of men is thus more excited and confirmed, and they are en- couraged to the imitation of the Saints" (Cat. of the Council of Trent, pt. Ill, c. ii, q. 11). We can, of course, address our prayers directly to God, and He can hear us without the intervention of any creature. But this does not prevent us from asking the help of our fellow-creatures who may be more pleasing to Him than we are. It is not because our faith and trust in Him are weak, nor because His goodness and mercy to us are less; rather is it because we are en- couraged by His precepts to approach Him at times through His servants, as we shall presently see. As pointed out by St. Thomas, we invoke the angels and saints in quite different language from that addressed to God. We ask Him to have mercy upon us and Himself to grant us whatever we require; whereas we ask the saints to pray for us, i.e. to join their peti- tions with ours. However, we should here bear in mind Bellarmine's remarks: "When we say that nothing should be asked of the saints but their prayer for us, the question is not about the words, but the sense of the words. For as far as the words go, it is lawful to say: 'St. Peter, pity me, save me, open for me the gate of heaven'; also, 'Give me health of body, patience, fortitude', etc., provided that we mean 'save and pity me by praying for me'; 'grant me this or that by thy prayers and merits.' For so speaks Gregory of Nazianzus (Orat. xviii — according to others, xxiv — "De S. Cypriano" in P. G., XXXV, 1193; "Orat. de S. Athan.: In Laud. S. Athanas.", Orat. xxi, in P. G., XXXV, 112S); in " De Sanct. Beatif.", I, 17. The supreme act of impetration, sacrifice, is never offered to any creature. "Al- though the Church has been accustomed at times to celebrate certain Masses in honour and memory of the Saints, it does not follow that she teaches that sacrifice is offered unto them, but unto God alone, who crowned them; whence neither is the priest wont to say ' I offer sacrifice to thee, Peter, or Paul ', but, giving thanks to God for their victories, he implores their patronage, that they may vouchsafe to intercede for us in heaven, whose memory we celel)rate upon earth" (Council of Trent, Sess. XXII, c. iii). The ColljTidians, or Philomarianites, offered little cakes in sacrifice to the Mother of God; but the practice was condemned by St. Epiphanius (H;er., Ixxix, in P. G., XLI, 740); Leontius Byzant., "Contra Nest, et Eutych.", Ill, 6, in P. G., LXXXVI, 1364; and St. John of Damascus (Hser., Ixxix, in P. G., XCIV, 728).

(2) The doctrine of one Mediator, Christ, in no way excludes the invocation and intercession of saints. All merit indeed comes through Him; but this does not make it unlawful to ask our fellow-creatures, whether here on earth or already in heaven, to help us by their prayers. The same Apostle who insists so strongly on the sole mediatorship of Christ, earnestly begs the prayers of his brethren: "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the charity of the Holy Ghost, that you help me in your prayers for me to God" (Rom., xv, 30); and he himself prays for them: " I give thanks to my

God in every remembrance of you, always in all my prayers making supplication for you all" (Phil., i, 3, 4). If the prayers of the brethren on earth do not derogate from the glory and dignity of the Mediator, Christ, neitlier do the prayers of the saints in heaven.

(3) As regards the proof from Holy Scripture and the Fathers, we can show that the principle and the practice of invoking the aid of our fellow-creatures are clearly laid down in both. That the angels have an interest in the welfare of men is clear from Christ's words: "There shall be joy before the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance" (Luke, xv, 10). In verse 7 He says simplv: "There shall be joy in heaven". Cf. Matt., xviii, 10; Heb., i, 14. 'That the angels pray for men is plain from the vision of the Prophet Zacharias: "And the angel of the Lord an- swered, and said: O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem . . . and the Lord an- swered the angel . . . good words, comfortable words" (Zach., i, 12, 13). And the angel Raphael says: "When thou didst pray with tears . . . I offered thy prayer to the Lord" (Tob., xii, 12) The com- bination of the pra.yers both of angels and saints is seen in the vision of St. John: "And another angel came, and stood before the altar, haNnng 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. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before C!od from the hand of the angel" (Apoc, viii, 3, 4). God Himself commanded Abimelech to have recourse to Abraham's interces- sion: "He shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. . . . And when Abraham prayed, God healed Abime- lech" (Gen., XX, 7, 17). So, too, in the case of Job's friends He said: " Go to my servant Job, and offer for yourselves a holocaust; and my servant Job shall pray for you: his face I will accept'" (Job, xlii, 8). Intercession is indeed prominent in several passages in this same Book of Job: "Call now if there be any that will answer thee, and turn to some of the saints " (v, 1); " If there .shall be an angel speaking for him . . . He shall have mercy on him, and shall say: Deliver him, that he may not go down to corruption " (x«xiii, 23). "They [the angels] appear as intercessors for men with God, bringing men's needs before Him, mediating in their behalf. This work is easily con- nected with their general office of labouring for the good of men" (Dillman on Job, p. 44). Moses is con- stantly spoken of as " mediator " : "I was the media- tor and stood between the Lord and you " (Deut., v, 5; cf. Gal., iii, 19, 20). It is true that in none of the passages of the Old Testament mention is matle of prayer to the saints, i. e. holy men already departed from this life; but this is in keeping with the imperfect knowledge of the state of the dead, who were still in Limlio. The general principle of intercession and inx'ocation of fellow-creatures is, howe\'er, stated in terms which admit of no denial; and this principle would in due course be api^lied to the saints as soon as their position was defined. In the \ew Testament the number of the saints already departed would be comparatively small in the early days. ■■^'■

The greatest of the Fathers in the succeeding cetfd turies speak plainly both of the doctrine and practicK? of intercession and invocation. " But not the High.5 Priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sin-' cerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep (ai' re tCiv tt^okc- KotiiTitiii'ui' aytav tpvxal, Origen, "De Oratione", n. xi, in P. G., XI. 448). In many other places Origen uses similar expressions; indeed it may be said that there is hardly any treatise or homily in which he does not refer to the intercession of the angels and saints. St. Cyprian, writing to Pope CorneHus, says: " Let us be mutually mindful of each other, let us ever pray for each other, and if one of us shall, by the speediness of