#prayingtosaints

Should Our Prayers Be Offered to Jesus or to the Saints?

By Author Eli Kittim

The Communion of Saints

Intercession of the saints plays a crucial role in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches. This practice is derived from the Catholic creed of the Communion of saints. The said doctrine holds that dead saints pass instantly into the divine presence and therefore have a sort of fiduciary power in helping others to procure favors and blessings. This is not unlike Shinto, a Japanese religion that incorporates the worship of ancestors. In fact, the Christian patron saints that act as intermediaries between God and humans, interceding for trade, agriculture, health, and so on, are reminiscent of the Greek pantheon of demigods (The Twelve Olympians) in which each deity was responsible for a particular aspect of life. In this sense, the church adopted a form of pagan polytheism. The specific dedications and remembrances of saints in the Catholic, and especially in the Orthodox, churches have been highly developed to such an extent that the entire liturgical year is devoted to and structured around the so-called calendar of saints, in which each day pays homage to a particular saint(s) (i.e. feast day). Not to mention the ancient preoccupation with saints' relics and the lucrative pilgrimages that have been designed for such worship.

Do the Saints in Heaven Pray for the People on Earth?

Much to our dismay, saints in heaven don’t pray on behalf of earthlings. Rather, these martyrs pray for God to avenge their blood (Rev. 6.9-10 NRSV):

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under

the altar the souls of those who had been

slaughtered for the word of God and for the

testimony they had given; they cried out

with a loud voice, ‘Sovereign

Lord, holy and true, how long will it be

before you judge and avenge our blood on

the inhabitants of the earth?’

Similarly, “the prayers of the saints” in Rev. 5.8-10 are solely directed to Jesus, praising him for his extraordinary feats. They’re not about helping John Doe, back on earth, with his financial woes, or Jane Doe with her marital breakdown. Rev. 5.8-10 reads:

When he had taken the scroll, the four living

creatures and the twenty-four elders fell

before the Lamb, each holding a harp and

golden bowls full of incense, which are the

prayers of the saints. They sing a new song:

‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to

open its seals, for you were slaughtered and

by your blood you ransomed for God saints

from every tribe and language and people

and nation; you have made them to be a

kingdom and priests serving our God, and

they will reign on earth.’

Incidentally, the so-called “saints” in Rev. 5.8 are not an elite, hierarchical class of people worthy of worship. That’s a misnomer. On the contrary, all who are *born-again* in Christ are called “saints” (cf. Rom. 1.7). Remember, not even angels are allowed to be worshipped in God’s kingdom (see Rev. 19.10), let alone departed spirits.

Is Praying to Saints Biblical?

Over against the intercessory prayer of saints is Deut. 18.11 which explicitly forbids those who consult the dead (cf. Isa. 8.19). That’s precisely why, in the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31), the rich man’s intercessory-prayer request is denied!

Sometimes Catholic and Orthodox writers will point to Old Testament accounts in which patriarchs or prophets enlisted the help of an angel (e.g. Gen. 48.16; Zech. 1.8-11). But they fail to mention that the said angel is typically associated with the angel of the Lord, which is traditionally viewed by Christian commentators as the Pre-Incarnate Son (cf. Gen. 16.7; Exod. 33.14; Jer. 1.4). Furthermore, conversing with an angel is not the same as praying to an angel. Yet in defense of intercessory prayer of heavenly beings, Catholic writers often point to the Annunciation as a case in point. But again, Mary’s conversation with Gabriel does not involve an intercessory prayer request, nor an act of prostration or worship.

The Catholic commentariat has also presented several examples from the New Testament to make their point. For instance, they cite Rev. 8.3, namely, the prayers of the saints that rise up before God. However, the context of this eschatological verse is God’s wrath that is poured out upon the earth, not an answer to our prayers (Rev. 8.3-5):

Another angel with a golden censer came

and stood at the altar; he was given a great

quantity of incense to offer with the prayers

of all the saints on the golden altar that is

before the throne. And the smoke of the

incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose

before God from the hand of the angel.

Then the angel took the censer and filled it

with fire from the altar and threw it on the

earth; and there were peals of thunder,

rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an

earthquake.

Human Intercession versus Intercession of saints

The fact that there is a body of Christ (“a cloud of witnesses” Heb. 12.1) is not an invitation or a request to worship them. Catholic scholars have confused the issue even further. They cite various instances in the New Testament in which Paul commands Christians to pray for him (e.g. 2 Cor. 1.11). Or they’ll cite the example of Timothy who commands Christians to pray for one another (1 Tim. 2.1). However, praying “FOR” someone and praying “TO” someone are two completely different things. To pray “for” (or on behalf of) a living person is one thing. To pray “to” a dead person is quite another. In the first case, you’re simply praying *for* the living (human intercession) and asking God to help them in their time of need. However, praying *to* a deceased saint for help is a different matter altogether. Now, you are praying not to God but *to* a dead saint (Intercession of Saints) to help a living human being. As a result, the saints have gained so much power that they have become intercessors between heaven and earth. It’s true that Paul and Timothy instructed Christians to pray for the betterment of others. But that’s not the same as praying to dead saints for help, grace, and blessings.

Although Protestant denominations accept human intercessory prayer for the living (cf. Rom. 15.30), they deny the intercession of the dead on behalf of the living. Similarly, Reformed theologians acknowledge that the “communion of saints" comprise all who are in Christ, including the departed. Nevertheless, in their view, invocations of the departed spirits of saints constitute a transgression of the First Commandment (see Deut. 5.7): “You shall have no other gods before me.”

On the Importance of Developing a Personal Relationship with Christ

The Catholic and Orthodox mindset is that God is not in competition with his creation (Robert Barron), and that although Christ is humanity’s mediator via the cross (1 Tim. 2.5), he’s not necessarily accessible as our 24-7 prayer advocate on a minute-by-minute basis. He has partners and associates that work under him, much like a high-end law firm in New York. But the so-called “managing partner” (i.e. Law firm CEO) at the top is usually inaccessible. Hence the need for the intercessory prayers. They argue that turning to the saints for help is not in competition with Jesus Christ since God has many partners and friends and is the ultimate source of all living things.

But this represents a distortion of Biblical revelation. The multiple attestations of the New Testament are all about Jesus. They feature Jesus as the leading figure, who is the hero of the story, and without whom we cannot be saved. It is the story of the creator who enters creation. He is the one “through whom he [God] also created the worlds” (Heb. 1.2). John’s gospel attests of his divinity: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1.1). Paul declares: “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2.9). And without the shedding of his blood there can be no New Testament, much less a church (cf. Heb. 9.17, 22). Phil. 2.10-11 concludes:

so that at the name of Jesus every knee

should bend, in heaven and on earth and

under the earth, and every tongue should

confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the

glory of God the Father.

In Mt. 28.18, the Matthean Jesus exclaims:

All authority in heaven and on

earth has been given to me.

In Rev 1.8, Jesus is equated with God Almighty:

‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’

says the Lord God, who is and

who was and who is to come,

the Almighty.

In Isaiah chapter 42 verse 8, God says:

I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I

give to no other, nor my praise to idols.

With Jesus’ extraordinary credentials and qualifications, why should we consult the spirits of dead men? The point is that Jesus is everything to regenerated Christians. He’s constantly on their mind. Born-again Christians are madly in love because of what Jesus has done for them, namely, he has made them *fully alive,* while their cup is running over with love, peace of mind, and perpetual bliss! Hence, there’s a fire of love for Jesus that burns inside every born-again-Christian’s heart. So, your focus should not be diluted on secondary figures and causes. Rather, your attention must be concentrated on Christ alone, if you are to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Rom. 12.2). That’s because there is only *one* mediator (not two or three) between God and humanity——“the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2.5). Therefore, when religion tries to seduce you into chasing after idols, you must run the other way.

Is the Intercession of the Saints Blasphemy?

Dr. Edward Sri——theologian, author, and prominent Catholic speaker who appears regularly on EWTN——wrote a paper entitled, “What Does the Bible Say about Praying to Saints?” The article concludes as follows:

How to Grow in Fellowship with the Saints 

1. Pick a few saints that you want to get to know. 

2. Read their writings and learn about their lives. Fill your mind with their stories and their example. 

3. Talk to those saints, every day. Share your weaknesses with them and ask them to walk with you in your difficult times. Don’t just ask them to pray for you…invite them to be with you in every part of your life.

This borders on blasphemy. The point of Sri’s exhortation is that instead of developing a personal relationship with Jesus, we are encouraged to develop an intimate relationship with a beloved saint of our choosing. In other words, the aforesaid article is strongly urging people to devote themselves to someone other than Christ (in fact, a departed spirit) and to focus all their energies on the said saint. It is a clever, if not demonic, deception to remove our focus away from Christ under cloak of religion (2 Cor. 11.14):

And no wonder! Even Satan disguises

himself as an angel of light.

Ex 20: 3-5 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” (cf. Deut 5: 8-9)

 >>>Tulad nga nung sinabi ko, ang pinagbawal diyan ay pag gawa ng diyos-diyosan. Hindi ng image per se. Kasi kung absolutely bawal gumawa, eh di sana wala tayong mga monument ngayun ni Rizal oh kahit yung monument ng Kalabaw dun sa Luneta. Or ng mga imahe ng tao sa barya at pera.

>>>Si God mismo nagpagawa ng MGA images:

Ark of the Covenant

Ex. 25:18-19 “And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.”

 Temple of Solomon

 1Kings 6:29 “On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.”

 1Kings 7:29 “On the panels between the uprights were lions, bulls and cherubim—and on the uprights as well. Above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths of hammered work.”

 Bronze Serpent

 Num 21:8-9 “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. “

 >>>So pwededeng gumawa ng images, wag lang gagawing diyus diyosan. Gaya ng mga sumusunod:

 Golden Calf

 Ex 32:8 “They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’”

 Naming of the Bronze Serpent

 2 Kings 18:4 “He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.”

 >>>Yung golden calf, diyus-diyosan yun umpisa pa lang. Yung Bronze serpent, Diyos ang nagpagawa pero ginawang idol ng mga israelita kasi binigyan nila ng pangalan, Nehushtan, na isang diyus-diyusan ng mga Canaanites. Anu ba ang idol?

 1 Cor 8:4 “...an idol has no real existence...” 

>>> An idol has no real existence. Walang real existence yung golden calf. Walang real existence si Nehushtan. Yun yung idol, pero yung mga nirerepresent nung mga imahe sa simbahan, mga nag exist sila sa mundo. Hindi rin namin ginagawang diyus-diyusan yung mga imahe. We venerate the person represented by the image. Not the image per se. Pag nagdadasal kami sa harap ng larawan hindi namin sinasabing “Ama naming rebulto...” hindi ganun. “Ama namin, sumasalangit ka...” aware kami na nasa langit ang mga kinakausap namin na sinisimbulo ng mga imahe at larawan.

Eh bakit niyuyukuan? hinahalikan? pinupunasan ng panyo? prinuprosisyon?

Hindi lahat ng pagyukod ay pagsamba. Minsan ito ay pag galang.

Gen 33: 5-7 “Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. ‘Who are these with you?’ he asked. Jacob answered, ‘They are the children God has graciously given your servant.’  Then the female servants and their children approached and bowed down.  Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down.”

2 Kings 2:15 “The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.”

1 Chron 21:21 “Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.”

>>>Kahit si haring Solomon at Joshua, lumuhod sa harap ng isang imahe.

1 Kings 8:54 “When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.”

Joshua 7:6 “Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.”

>>>Anu ba ang nasa harapan ng altar? ‘Di ma may mga kahoy na kerubin? Tapos sa Ark of the Covenant may gintong kerubin din. Pero hindi porket lumuhod sa harapan nung mga iyon sina Haring Solomon at Joshua ay ibig sabihin sinamba na niya yung mga iyon.

>>>Kung yumuyukod man kami sa harap ng isang imahe, iniaalay naming yung pag yukod oh pag luhod man sa nirerepresent nung larawan, hindi yung mismong kahoy o bato. At saka iyon ay dahil sa kinikilala namin ang kabanalan ng espiritut santo  na kumilos  sa buhay at pag katao nung nirerepresent ng imaheng  yon.

Bakit hinahalikan? Eh di ba ginagawa naman natin yan sa picture ng mga mahal natin sa buhay? Picture ng artista, magulang, ng kasintahan, lalo na pag picture ng namatay na mahal sa buhay? ‘Di ba ginagawa natin iyon as an expression of love sa taong nasa larawan? Walang kahit anu mang sitas sa bibliya na nag sasabing pag hinalikan mo ang isang bagay ay sinasamba mo na ito or “huwag kang hahalik sa mga rebulto”, walang ganoon.

Bakit pinupunasan ng panyo?

2 Kings 13:21 “Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.” 

Mark 5:25-34 “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’

‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’  But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’”

 Acts 5:15 “As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.”

 Acts 19:11-12 “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”

 >>>Hindi inutusan ng simbahan kailanman ang mga mananampalataya na hawakan at mag pahid ng mga panyo sa mga banal na imahe. Pero hindi din sila pinipigilan dahil sa kanilang pananampalataya. Yung act na ginagawa nila ay nagiging means ng faith nila. Katulad nung mga verses na nasa taas, pinapakita lang nila ang kanilang pananampalataya. Kahit anong bagay oh tao naman kasi ay pwedeng gamitin ng Diyos para daluyan ng kanyang kabanalan at kapangyarihan (cf Acts 19:11).

 Bakit iprinuprosisyon?

 Noon pa man kasi ay may prusisyon na.

 2 Samuel 6: 3-5 “They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.”

 Psalms 118: 26-27 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.”

 Psalm 68: 24-25 “Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary. In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the young women playing the timbrels.

 >>> Ang pag pruprusisyon kasi ay isang uri ng pag eebanghelyo. Ginagawa ito bilang pag aala ala ng mga tagpo oh ng buhay ng mga banal, lalo na ng mga tagpo sa buhay ni Kristo.

 Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

 Hebrews 6:10 “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

 1 Thessalonians 1:3 “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 >>>Iyan ang mga dahilan kung bakit may imahe ang mga katoliko, kung bakit niluluhuran, hinahalikan, pinupunasan ng panyo, at prinuprosisyon.

 >>>Ngayon sabi mo rin nung nag usap tayo, ok si Jesus yun pero panu yung mga santo, si Mary, sabi mo parang magkaka level sila sa ginagawa namin. Hindi po. Iba ang worship sa veneration. We worship God and God alone. But we venerate the saints and Mary.

John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”

>>>Si Kristo ay tagapamagitan (mediator) ng kaligtasan. Iba ang tagapamagitan (intercessor) sa panalangin.

Eto yung talatang hinahanap mo sakin nung nag usap tayo. Sabi mo hanapan kita ng verse na nag sasabing manalangin tayo para iba.

1 Timothy 2:1 “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.”

>>>Muli, Iba ang mediator sa intercessor. Ito ang ilang halimbawa ng mga nanalangin para sa kapwa:

Job 42: 7-10 “After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.  So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.’  So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.”

Genesis 18:18-33 “...(mahaba, latter part na to)... [32] Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’ When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.”

Genesis 20:7-17 “Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live... (mahaba ulit)... Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again.”

Numbers 11:2 “When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down.”

>>>Kung gusto mong basahin yung mahahabang part just use your bible. Now observe, kanino nanalangin yung mga tao? Dumirekta ba sila sa Diyos? Hindi ‘di ba? Nanalangin sila kina Job, Abraham, at Moses. At dininig ng Diyos ang panalangin. Bakit?

James 5:16-18 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”

>>> Inutusan tayo na manalangin para sa isa’t isa. Parang sa kaibigan. Kunwari may exam, or may sakit, sasabihin mo “uy friend pag pray mo naman ako, or si ganire, or si ganun” ganoon din kapag nananalangin tayo sa mga santo at kay Maria. Sila ang nananalangin para sa atin. Hindi sila ang gumagawang makapangyarihan, ang Diyos pa din. Ipinapanalangin lang nila tayo. Remember “...Elijah was a human being, even as we are...” Kasi nga nananalangin lang sila para sa atin. They intercede. At hindi porket patay na sila dito sa lupa ay di na nila tayo maipapanalangin.

Mark 12:26-27 “Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

Luke 20: 37-38 “But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

2 Timothy 1:10 “but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Eto pa isang example ng intercession, at hindi mediation

John 2: 1-11 “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ ‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so,  and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

>>>Iyan ay isang halimbawa ng pag i-intercede ng Mahal na Birheng Maria. Kahit hindi pa panahon ni Hesus ay dininig niya ang pakiusap ng kanyang Ina.