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 of their  glorious  prerogatives  in  heaven. Their love of  God  and  their  charity  for  their  fellowmen,  and  the  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls  resulting therefrom,  together  with  their  conformity with Christ,  induces  them  to  use  their  influence readily in  our  favor. Because God  dispenses  His gifts according  to  His  own  adorable  will,  it  may please Him  to  grant  a  certain  favor  at  the  particular intercession  of  a  certain  saint;  hence  it  is not  superstition  to  invoke  His  aid  in  such  cases. Moreover, we  justly  place  our  confidence  in  saints whom we  have  selected  to  be  our  special  patrons, or who  were  given  us  as  such  by  ecclesiastical authority.

By the  intercession  of  the  saints  the  mediatorship  of  Christ  is  not  set  aside  or  restricted. The power of  intercession,  the  intercession  itself,  and its invocation  are  an  effect  of  the  grace  of  Christ; therefore He  remains  our  only  mediator. God remains Our  Lord  and  Father,  although  men share in  His  lordship  and  paternity;  for  all  power and authority  comes  from  God,  who  is  pleased  to operate  in  His  creatures  through  other  creatures. Hence, only  a  dependent  mediatorship  can  be ascribed  to  the  saints. Whoever admits  that  the living can  pray  for  each  other  can  not  denounce the intercession  of  the  saints  as  an  usurpation  of the  mediatorship  of  Christ. The saints  are  not the authors  and  dispensers  of  grace  and  heavenly