Acolyte Thesis | On Intercession

[traurigcamper 15]

   De Intercessione Sancta
On the topic of Saintly Intercession



By a Humble Servant of the Lord, Brother Florian
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Among the doctrines of our Church, few are as frequently misunderstood as the practice of intercession through the Saints and the Blessed. Some brothers of ours argue the Lord requires the assistance of the Saints to sieve through prayers. This is false. For the Lord is omnipotent and omniscient, He is all seeing and all hearing. He hears all prayers immediately and perfectly, whether uttered by the living or echoed by the Blessed. He does not require the assistance of those lesser than him for any purpose, lest he not will it.

For His power is not parted among His many servants, but imitated, and in His multitude of ways, He is above them all.

                                    Spirit 5:19

Some scholars claim that invoking the Saints place distance between the faithful and the Lord, that His presence were diluted by additional voices. This is false. The Lord’s nearness is not diminished by many voices, nor is His attention divided by their number. For He who hears all prayer at once cannot be crowded.
Yet more say that since the Lord hears all prayers, intercession is redundant. This is false. That the Lord hears all prayers does not render prayer itself unnecessary, nor does it render communal prayer meaningless. The Lord needs no prayer. Yet he commands it. For He does not lack, but man does.
Furthermore, there exists the rare opinion that the Saints and Blessed, having ascended the Skies, no longer receive our prayers. This is false. The Skies are not realms of severance. For indeed the Lord did lift the Exalted to the skies nearer to him, just as he receives his most faithful and devoted servants. As the Saints and Exalted are perfected in obedience, it is incoherent to assert that they are rendered indifferent to the struggles of the faithful.

So Owyn joined his father’s father in the Sixth Sky.

                                                                         Gospel 5:22
 

Meanwhile, the heretics and enemies of the faith argue that intercession is idolatry. This is also false. In fact, I argue the opposite. Indeed, the very grammar of prayer testifies against idolatry. The faithful say not “grant us,” but “pray for us”; not “deliver us,” but “entreat the Lord on our behalf.” Such language presupposes the Saint’s inability to act of their own accord. A Saint cannot act lest the Lord will it, a prayer cannot be answered lest the Lord grant it.
Thus, both the Saint and the Blessed functions as a supplicant rather than a source. For indeed the Saints are exemplars of virtue. Their proximity to the Lord is a result of their holiness, not its cause. To ask a Saint to intercede is not to bypass God. Rather it is to appeal to a member of the faithful. No different than asking a neighbour to pray for oneself. The Lord, in His mercy, permits the faithful to approach Him supported by the prayers of those who are His most devoted servants.

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Below I have provided examples of prayers to St. Kristoff, Patron Saint of Martyrs, Victims of Strife, and Bishops. The listed prayers explicitly acknowledge the Saints intercessory role. They do not attribute any authority to the Saint, for all authority sits with the Lord alone. One appeals to the Saints merit and virtues, one asks them to bring the request before God.

 

“Saint Kristoff, the foe presses me from all sides. The occasion of sin gathers round about me, and I am too weak to resist alone. Therefore, pray for me to God, to grant me strength in this difficult time; bid Him dry my tears and renew my Faith.”

“Saint Kristoff, who died a noble martyr, pray for me. Use the merits of thine own glorious death and advance my cause, and grant me a courageous and faithful end. Amen.”

“God, who didst give us Thy humble servant, Kristoff, give us the Grace to imitate his virtues, that, by his example, we may all deserve to live, as he lives, with Thee, in our heavenly home. Amen.”

 

Comprehensive Book of Prayers, Father Humbert

 

 

 

Now consider an improper prayer, one that slides toward presumption or misplacement of authority. I shall provide an example of mine own:

“Saint Kristoff, I call upon thee to command the Lord to grant me victory over my enemies, that I may triumph by thy own power”

 

This prayer, while plausible in scheme, is misplaced. For one directs the Saint command God, rather than ask. One attributes authority to the Saint, rather than acknowledging that all power belongs to the Lord alone.

 

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Dear Brothers, the errors addressed herein arise not from intercession itself, but from misunderstandings of the practice. To those who claim that intercession implies divine insufficiency, it must be answered that the Lord’s sufficiency is not threatened by communion. To those who fear distance from God, it must be said that the Lord cannot be crowded. To those who cry idolatry, indeed the grammar of prayer itself stands in rebuke. For the Saints are never asked to grant, but always to pray.
Let it therefore be held that intercession is not only permissible but fitting. For in all things it adds glory upon not the Saints, nor the Blessed, but upon the Lord who raised them, He who hears all prayer, He who rules indivisible and supreme above every Sky. 

 

 

 

Edited January 8 by traurigcamper

[i.uomini 2552]

From among his brethren and fathren in the 7 skies, a recently departed Lothaire would smile upon the good work, happy for the advancement of the Priest who delivered to him his last rites.

[Malins Welcome 1519]

Acolyte,

 

I am pleased with this thesis. Please inform me of your proctor, or Magister, so I may ensure that all things have been done in good order.

 

James Vursur

Prefect for the Priesthood

[Malins Welcome 1519]

Acolyte,

 

I am pleased to accept your thesis and endorse your ordination to the Priesthood.

 

James Vursur

Prefect for the Priesthood