I compiled this little guide to teaching reading the Charlotte Mason way using Mason's work herself, plus suggestions I pulled from Ambleside and SCM, because I am interested in Charlotte Mason's methods and I am interested in schooling, as much as possible, AS the teacher, and not as the FACILITATOR. It also helps that this costs... nothing.
What I love about Charlotte's Methods is that she has the same goals as I do in the education of my child, and that she provides for me the methods to teach them myself. Since I've never taught anyone to read, I lack confidence in myself to do it. But since I love reading myself, and I know my child better than anyone else, I am convinced that I am my child's best teacher. What remains is for me to learn the tools necessary to teach her reading-- which, unlike an art or a science is an act as natural as learning to run or talk.
There are lots of programs out there we can buy to teach a child to read. Books abound. Series and sets. Homeschooling kits. But really, all you need is Charlotte's method, a set of index cards and markers, and later, a printout of the phonics rules which you can find online if you don't know them.
Don't waste your money.
In our family, we are doing Petty School reading from the CLAA because we want our kids to learn to read Latin alongside French and English from the start. But if that is not your goal, this method suffices to give your child the strong start in reading s/he needs in whatever language you choose. I am using this method alongside their work in the CLAA Petty School because my children aren't connecting to their CLAA lessons since they are very long and my children are very young. For CLAAers who are curious how we are doing it, I am cutting the lessons in half and then doing memory work for about 20 minutes with them. Then we have a big huge nature study or some sort of physical work that distracts them completely, and THEN we do some reading practice using CM methods. (moving the cards around on the floor, building vocabulary)
If you're wondering if it works, my five year old literally asks if she can write/read with me at every opportunity. In the mornings, she refuses to watch bible shows with the kids and instead asks for reading time with me. It's working-- and it truly is delightful.
I am quite sure that the CLAA would disapprove of my "improving" on their methods using CM. However,as a parent, I can tell you this: If I tell my three year old son to make his bed, he will do it, but he won't like it and may grumble under his breath.
If I tell my son to come to me, I put his construction uniform and hat on, give him a tool belt, and tell him: "Son, I've got some work for you. I need you to make your bed." he will not only make his bed, but execute it with glee, pay close attention to his work, and proudly come and ask me for more work when he is done.
There is great wisdom in speaking the child's language, I'm discovering. Neither method encourages SILLINESS, which I believe is an early demonstration of the foolishness inherent in human nature. Both encourage serious work. However, one gives the child the sensation of a heavy burden, the other gives him joy. To me, it trains him either way, but one respects his PERSONHOOD... his human dignity.... and his station and place in life.
I find that Charlotte's insistence on being patient and persistently whetting the child's appetite for learning but not overloading him/her is brilliant in application. So are her ideas about short lessons and attention. Most importantly, I found that her focus in the early years on habits and time spent out of doors and useful play are critical to the success of the child in his studies.
My kids LOVE school... and that's because I alternate "drill and kill" memory work with these wonderful, playful methods which feed their interest and curiosity and character. The first word my daughter SPOKE was "Bible" because it was a word she heard and used. The first word my son spoke was "danger." Again, a word he heard and used. The first word my daughter read and wrote perfectly was "OCEAN." She was interested in the ocean, seahorses in particular, and couldn't wait to read and write it. Now she finds PLEASURE in reading and writing, and not just DUTY, and that is critical to us because we want our children to be enthusiastic in their studies.
Remember that in order to teach a child to read, you must read and speak to your child in the early years as much as possible. You must also train them in good habits, which will help them with things like obedience and attention, necessary for the steps to reading.
Both the CLAA and Charlotte Mason will insist on this : slow and steady wins the race. Take your time, don't pressure the little ones, and enjoy it together. Demand MASTERY before moving on to the next step. And be diligent to practice a little bit each day.
You can download my little guide for free here and get started. At the end, I've placed the poem The Violet as a suggested poem for beginning readers at the end all ready to cut up and use. Happy teaching!
"Perhaps this is one of the secrets of life-- to know 'Glory' when we see it..." --Charlotte M. Mason
Monday, October 10, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Happy feast of Our Lady of the Rosary!!
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
971 "All generations will call me blessed": "The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship." The Church rightly honors "The Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of 'Mother of God', to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs...This special devotion...differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration." The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an "epitome of the whole Gospel," express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.
1674 Besides sacramental liturgy and sacramentals, catechesis must take into account the forms of piety and popular devotions among the faithful. The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding the Church's sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics, visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross, religious dances, the rosary, medals, etc.
2678 Medieval piety in the West developed the prayer of the rosary as a popular substitute for the Liturgy of the Hours. In the East, the litany called the Akathistos and the Paraclesis remained closer to the choral office in the Byzantine churches, while the Armenian, Coptic, and Syriac traditions preferred popular hymns of St. Ephrem or St Gregory of Narek, the tradition of prayer is basically the same.
2708 Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to mediate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.
RECITATION OF THE HOLY ROSARY
MEDITATION OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
MEDITATION OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
Pontifical Shrine of Pompeii
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear men and women religious,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Before entering the Shrine to recite the Holy Rosary with you, I paused briefly before the tomb of Bl. Bartolo Longo and, praying, I asked myself: "Where did this great apostle of Mary find the energy and perseverance he needed to bring such an impressive work, now known across the world, to completion? Was it not in the Rosary, which he accepted as a true gift from Our Lady's Heart?" Yes, that truly was how it happened! The experience of the Saints bears witness to it: this popular Marian prayer is a precious spiritual means to grow in intimacy with Jesus, and to learn at the school of the Blessed Virgin always to fulfil the divine will. It is contemplation of the mysteries of Christ in spiritual union with Mary as the Servant of God Paul VI stressed in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis cultus (n. 46) and as my venerable Predecessor John Paul II abundantly illustrated in his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae that today I once again present in spirit to the Community of Pompeii and to each one of you. You who live and work here in Pompeii, especially you, dear priests, men and women religious and lay people involved in this unique portion of the Church, are all called to make Bl. Bartolo Longo's charism your own and to become, to the extent and in the way that God grants to each one, authentic apostles of the Rosary.
To be apostles of the Rosary, however, it is necessary to experience personally the beauty and depth of this prayer which is simple and accessible to everyone. It is first of all necessary to let the Blessed Virgin take one by the hand to contemplate the Face of Christ: a joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious Face. Those who, like Mary and with her, cherish and ponder the mysteries of Jesus assiduously, increasingly assimilate his sentiments and are conformed to him. In this regard, I would like to quote a beautiful thought of Bl. Bartolo Longo: "Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits", he wrote, "so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection" (I Quindici Sabati del Santissimo Rosario, 27th edition, Pompeii, 1916, p. 27: cited in Rosarium Virginis Mariae, n. 15).
The Rosary is a school of contemplation and silence. At first glance, it could seem a prayer that accumulates words, therefore difficult to reconcile with the silence that is rightly recommended for meditation and contemplation. In fact, this cadent repetition of the Hail Mary does not disturb inner silence but indeed both demands and nourishes it. Similarly to what happens for the Psalms when one prays the Liturgy of the Hours, the silence surfaces through the words and sentences, not as emptiness, but rather as the presence of an ultimate meaning that transcends the words themselves and through them speaks to the heart. Thus, in reciting the Hail Mary, we must be careful that our voices do not "cover" the voice of God who always speaks through the silence like the "still small voice" of a gentle breeze (1 Kgs 19: 12). Then how important it is to foster this silence full of God, both in one's personal recitation and in its recitation with the community! Even when the Rosary is prayed, as today, by great assemblies, and as you do in this Shrine every day, it must be perceived as a contemplative prayer. And this cannot happen without an atmosphere of inner silence.
I would like to add a further reflection concerning the Word of God in the Rosary, particularly appropriate in this period in which the Synod of Bishops is taking place on the theme: "The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church". If Christian contemplation cannot leave the Word of God out of consideration, if it is to be a contemplative prayer, the Rosary must always emerge from the silence of the heart as a response to the Word, after the model of Mary's prayer. Seen clearly, the Rosary is completely interwoven with scriptural elements. First of all there is the enunciation of the mystery, preferably made, as it has been today, with words taken from the Bible. The Our Father follows; by giving the prayer a "vertical" orientation, the soul of who recites the rosary is opened to the correct filial attitude in accordance with the Lord's invitation: "When you pray say: Father..." (Lk 11: 2). The first part of the Hail Mary, also taken from the Gospel, lets us listen again each time to the words that God addressed to the Virgin through the Angel and to the words of her cousin Elizabeth's blessing. The second part of the Hail Mary resounds like the answer of children who, in addressing supplications to their Mother, do nothing other than express their own adherence to the saving plan revealed by God. Thus the thought of those who pray remains ever anchored to Scripture and to the mysteries presented in it.
Lastly, remembering that today we are celebrating World Mission Sunday, I wish to recall the apostolic dimension of the Rosary, a dimension that Blessed Bartolo Longo lived intensely, drawing inspiration from it to carry out on this earth so many charitable initiatives and works of human and social promotion. Furthermore, he wanted this Shrine to be open to the whole world as a centre of outreach of the prayer of the Rosary and as a place of intercession for peace among peoples. Dear friends, I would like to reinforce both of these aims: the apostolate of charity and prayer for peace, and I wish to confirm and entrust them once again to your spiritual and pastoral commitment. Following the example and with the support of the venerable Founder, never tire of working with enthusiasm in this part of the Lord's vineyard for which Our Lady has shown a special fondness.
Dear brothers and sisters, the time has come to take my leave of you and of this beautiful Shrine. I thank you for your warm welcome and especially for your prayers. I thank the Archbishop Prelate and Pontifical Delegate, his collaborators and those who worked to prepare my Visit in the best possible way. I must leave you, but my heart remains close to this region and to this community. I entrust you all to the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary and I cordially impart the Apostolic Blessing to each one.
© Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood,
Dear men and women religious,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Before entering the Shrine to recite the Holy Rosary with you, I paused briefly before the tomb of Bl. Bartolo Longo and, praying, I asked myself: "Where did this great apostle of Mary find the energy and perseverance he needed to bring such an impressive work, now known across the world, to completion? Was it not in the Rosary, which he accepted as a true gift from Our Lady's Heart?" Yes, that truly was how it happened! The experience of the Saints bears witness to it: this popular Marian prayer is a precious spiritual means to grow in intimacy with Jesus, and to learn at the school of the Blessed Virgin always to fulfil the divine will. It is contemplation of the mysteries of Christ in spiritual union with Mary as the Servant of God Paul VI stressed in his Apostolic Exhortation Marialis cultus (n. 46) and as my venerable Predecessor John Paul II abundantly illustrated in his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae that today I once again present in spirit to the Community of Pompeii and to each one of you. You who live and work here in Pompeii, especially you, dear priests, men and women religious and lay people involved in this unique portion of the Church, are all called to make Bl. Bartolo Longo's charism your own and to become, to the extent and in the way that God grants to each one, authentic apostles of the Rosary.
To be apostles of the Rosary, however, it is necessary to experience personally the beauty and depth of this prayer which is simple and accessible to everyone. It is first of all necessary to let the Blessed Virgin take one by the hand to contemplate the Face of Christ: a joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious Face. Those who, like Mary and with her, cherish and ponder the mysteries of Jesus assiduously, increasingly assimilate his sentiments and are conformed to him. In this regard, I would like to quote a beautiful thought of Bl. Bartolo Longo: "Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits", he wrote, "so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection" (I Quindici Sabati del Santissimo Rosario, 27th edition, Pompeii, 1916, p. 27: cited in Rosarium Virginis Mariae, n. 15).
The Rosary is a school of contemplation and silence. At first glance, it could seem a prayer that accumulates words, therefore difficult to reconcile with the silence that is rightly recommended for meditation and contemplation. In fact, this cadent repetition of the Hail Mary does not disturb inner silence but indeed both demands and nourishes it. Similarly to what happens for the Psalms when one prays the Liturgy of the Hours, the silence surfaces through the words and sentences, not as emptiness, but rather as the presence of an ultimate meaning that transcends the words themselves and through them speaks to the heart. Thus, in reciting the Hail Mary, we must be careful that our voices do not "cover" the voice of God who always speaks through the silence like the "still small voice" of a gentle breeze (1 Kgs 19: 12). Then how important it is to foster this silence full of God, both in one's personal recitation and in its recitation with the community! Even when the Rosary is prayed, as today, by great assemblies, and as you do in this Shrine every day, it must be perceived as a contemplative prayer. And this cannot happen without an atmosphere of inner silence.
I would like to add a further reflection concerning the Word of God in the Rosary, particularly appropriate in this period in which the Synod of Bishops is taking place on the theme: "The Word of God in the life and mission of the Church". If Christian contemplation cannot leave the Word of God out of consideration, if it is to be a contemplative prayer, the Rosary must always emerge from the silence of the heart as a response to the Word, after the model of Mary's prayer. Seen clearly, the Rosary is completely interwoven with scriptural elements. First of all there is the enunciation of the mystery, preferably made, as it has been today, with words taken from the Bible. The Our Father follows; by giving the prayer a "vertical" orientation, the soul of who recites the rosary is opened to the correct filial attitude in accordance with the Lord's invitation: "When you pray say: Father..." (Lk 11: 2). The first part of the Hail Mary, also taken from the Gospel, lets us listen again each time to the words that God addressed to the Virgin through the Angel and to the words of her cousin Elizabeth's blessing. The second part of the Hail Mary resounds like the answer of children who, in addressing supplications to their Mother, do nothing other than express their own adherence to the saving plan revealed by God. Thus the thought of those who pray remains ever anchored to Scripture and to the mysteries presented in it.
Lastly, remembering that today we are celebrating World Mission Sunday, I wish to recall the apostolic dimension of the Rosary, a dimension that Blessed Bartolo Longo lived intensely, drawing inspiration from it to carry out on this earth so many charitable initiatives and works of human and social promotion. Furthermore, he wanted this Shrine to be open to the whole world as a centre of outreach of the prayer of the Rosary and as a place of intercession for peace among peoples. Dear friends, I would like to reinforce both of these aims: the apostolate of charity and prayer for peace, and I wish to confirm and entrust them once again to your spiritual and pastoral commitment. Following the example and with the support of the venerable Founder, never tire of working with enthusiasm in this part of the Lord's vineyard for which Our Lady has shown a special fondness.
Dear brothers and sisters, the time has come to take my leave of you and of this beautiful Shrine. I thank you for your warm welcome and especially for your prayers. I thank the Archbishop Prelate and Pontifical Delegate, his collaborators and those who worked to prepare my Visit in the best possible way. I must leave you, but my heart remains close to this region and to this community. I entrust you all to the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary and I cordially impart the Apostolic Blessing to each one.
© Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Freaky Fridays: demonic manifestations in church
Below you will find a few videos demonstrating what I personally believe to be demonic manifestations in church settings. The makers of these videos clearly have some personal issues with the people in question... I do not. Other than the little research I have done on these pastors and this particular revival, I don't know anything about these people and I'm not qualified to have an opinion about their intentions or otherwise.
I am using these videos because I want to focus on one particular aspect of demonic manifestation in church-- that of demonstrations of demonic activity which is often mistaken for activity of the Holy Spirit-- for a reason I will describe below. For me, these are painful to watch because I can always yes and amen MOST of what is said. Then there is a little tiny "white" lie.... a little something tweaks my spirit.... a little false mixed in with a lot of truth.
I've been present on many Sundays in many places where things not too far from this have occurred. Many, many times, in worship in very solid, pleasant churches, I have encountered "worshippers" who I believe were actually manifesting. I have prayed for them to be delivered right then and there. Sometimes, I have seen deliverance come, quite unexpectedly. In a Charismatic gathering, you never really KNOW for sure, except in your own spirit, what "spirit" the person to your right and to your left has actually invited in. But all of this is subjective. We do not test spirits by gut feelings but by the Word of God.
It isn't necessary to discuss that too deeply here.. anyone with an ounce of discernment can see for themselves that something is up. My old pastor Britt Merrick had wise words indeed when he used to tell us: "If it's WEIRD, it's NOT GOD."
On a practical level, this activity simultaneously (and successfully, in the eyes of many people) discredits God, discredits the Catholic Church (the demonic force acting on the first person has him making the sign of the cross and blessing his congregation.) discredits the Charismatic movement (which I believe-- and the Church affirms-- is a LEGITIMATE move of God) and discredits the integrity of the persons worshipping here.
However, these give me great consolation. There is evident need for a magesterium when we consider the implications of "no-holds-barred" church like this. There is great wisdom in the Catholic system, and protection. I'm thankful to be a part of the Catholic Church.
I encourage you to consider that these videos in no way represent the Charismatic movement, but only an offshoot and branch of it which clearly demonstrates the need for wise Church leadership. Please keep in mind also that I do NOT agree on a theological level with the commentary and subtitles in these videos. I do speak in tongues, believe in the miraculous gifts, and believe in the communion of saints, etc.
However, when I watch these through the lens of my own past experiences with exorcism and deliverance, I am quite certain I am not seeing God at work.
As a warning to you, these videos are extremely creepy, and they will leave you.... ill at ease. Should you choose to watch them, I pray they will give you a new depth of understanding when it comes to the operation and activity of our enemy within the circles of "Christianity."
NOTE: THIS IS A RESPONSE TO THE BELOW COMMENTS. Thanks for reading!
I have some misgivings about the way many people IN the Renewal, especially at this time, go about doing what they do. I recently became involved with the Renewal in our Diocese completely by accident and discovered that I simultaneously felt very at home and very uncomfortable. :D
I'm still working through that, but what it comes down to is that I firmly believe in the Charismatic gifts, have seen them and partaken of them, have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and can attest to the fact that it was a DIFFERENT and more fruitful experience than any of my experiences with the sacraments initially-- like an "unlocking" of sacramental grace. To clarify that statement: there is nothing else NECESSARY than Sacramental Grace, but a deep, personal awareness of the grace received is a grace in itself that I find indispensable.
There was a "time before" and a "time after" this experience for me, and it has remained ever since.
On a theological level I am in agreement that the Renewal is a work of God and that it was EXTREMELY timely with regards to Church history. On a personal level I get frustrated at meetings and gatherings of the local Renewal because I hear things that demonstrate a misunderstanding of the POINT of the Charismata. I hear people call out things like.... "We're Catholic, that's what the problem is..." or "the church is holding us back." They demonstrate a misunderstanding of the perfect and necessary, HEALTHY tension between the work of the Holy Spirit and the prudence and rigidity of the Magesterium. So while I believe wholeheartedly in the Renewal and participate in it within the life of the Church, I am wary of the individual manifestations of the Charismatic gifts and gatherings OF the Renewal, mainly because I've noticed that there are many people within the movement who come seeking the GIFTS and not necessarily the God who gives them.
There is a three day gathering in Raleigh this month that I'm hoping to attend to see more and pray more about. Not sure if I will make it unless I can find someone to go with me.
Colleen,
In the past I have spoken with tongues in a congregational setting and had someone with the gift of interpretations interpret, under the oversight of a pastor, when I was a protestant.
Nowadays, I pray in tongues in my private prayer, and it sometimes comes out when I am with others who pray in tongues, just in private prayer. It is not "gibberish" as it is very clearly A language, but I do not know what language it might be. I have often thought that it resembled a combination of hebrew and arabic.
I have been in the presence of Christians who began to pray in tongues and who were understood by other people in the congregation because they were speaking a native dialect of theirs which the people themselves had never heard before. It is extraordinary to witness. I have NEVER in my life felt that tongues were "coming out" when I was in a liturgical worship setting. Only in my private discussions with God and in my conversations with Him among friends. I don't go into prayer ever with the intention of speaking in tongues, but sometimes it just comes out.
When I returned to the Church, my biggest problem was that I have SEEN the fruit of baptism of the holy spirit in the lives of people who change and suddenly LIVE for God. I could find very few people around me in the Catholic Church who had shared this experience.... most of them were seeking holiness via what I would have at that time called dry channels.... reading more prayers each day, making an examination of conscience twice a day, something like that. These things can be very fruitful, but only if they aren't looking to "do more" but rather "receive more." The issue is building a personal relationship with Christ and His Church over religiosity or empty actions. We receive grace when we come to communion worthily whether we are aware of the amazingness of the eucharist or not.
The main difference is that when we come AWARE of God's greatness, we become filled to overflowing.
Reading Fr Cantelamessa, (preacher to the papal household during JPII) especially his book "Sober Intoxication of the Spirit," and Bishop Cordes' "Call to Holiness: reflections on the charismatic renewal" were instrumental in helping me prayerfully discern what was what here.
I'm the first to admit that I find a dryness in the PERSONAL LIVES of most traditional Catholics who reject the Renewal's lives that I personally find unbearable. On the other hand, I'm also the first to admit that I find a "falseness" and "emotivity" in the personal lives of those who embrace the Renewal but reject the traditional. To me, there is a healthy middle ground, and that's where I always want to be.
When it comes to my personal prayer? It is more "Charismatic" than anything else-- I feel a kinship and bond and fellowship with Charismatics in prayer that I do not feel when I'm praying a rosary with an SSPXer. :D Nevertheless, I embrace the traditions of the Church and especially the Extraordinary Form of the Liturgy, which I believe is LIFE GIVING. I cannot stand the idea of going to a "Charismatic mass"-- To me, liturgy is about something totally different.
There is a time and place for the Charismatic gifts but it is not IN MASS, because in MASS our eyes are on the Cross and Resurrection.
OUTSIDE of Mass our eyes should be on bringing the Cross and Resurrection to others, and that is where the gifts come in handy, ESPECIALLY the Charismatic gifts.
I am a recent revert, it has been less than five years, so I expect that my understanding will evolve over the years. However, I simply CAN NOT discredit the Charismatic gifts-- A, because they are approved in the Church and B, because I have seen their fruit in action and glorified God.
One of the largest charismatic gifts in operation in my own life is discernment of spirits. I "sense" the darkness around me as a tangible presence and am drawn to prayer when others around me haven't noticed a thing. God often places people in my life who struggle with deeply demonic (extraordinary activity of the devil) issues in their lives. I myself was exorcised at one time. Because of that, I am - -as I mentioned before-- simultaneously WARY of the overemphasis placed on the Charismatic gifts by some, and sympathetic to their reasoning. It is my firm belief due to my own experiences with the gift of tongues, the gift of discernment of spirits, and the gift of word of knowledge, none of which I have asked for our sought out-- among others-- that we must always SEEK the Holy Spirit and ask Him to show up, and SUBMIT our experiences to those in rightful authority over us. Without one, we cannot have the other.
Love to hear your thoughts! <3
I am using these videos because I want to focus on one particular aspect of demonic manifestation in church-- that of demonstrations of demonic activity which is often mistaken for activity of the Holy Spirit-- for a reason I will describe below. For me, these are painful to watch because I can always yes and amen MOST of what is said. Then there is a little tiny "white" lie.... a little something tweaks my spirit.... a little false mixed in with a lot of truth.
I've been present on many Sundays in many places where things not too far from this have occurred. Many, many times, in worship in very solid, pleasant churches, I have encountered "worshippers" who I believe were actually manifesting. I have prayed for them to be delivered right then and there. Sometimes, I have seen deliverance come, quite unexpectedly. In a Charismatic gathering, you never really KNOW for sure, except in your own spirit, what "spirit" the person to your right and to your left has actually invited in. But all of this is subjective. We do not test spirits by gut feelings but by the Word of God.
For God is not a God of confusion (disorder/chaos) but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints. - 1 Corinthians 14:33.On a greater level, I would say that these manifestations are all a part of a particular spiritual force with a particular goal, evidenced by the fact that-- just as once upon a time in upstate New York a mysterious apparition birthed three similar, yet different religions (Jehova's Witnesses, Latter Day Saints, and Seventh Day Adventists-- all of whom loathe the Catholic Church)-- a similiar situation occurs frequently in charismatic circles where a geographic location hosts many similar manifestations OR where similar manifestations occur rapidly in a short time span but in many different geographical locations, as in this case with the Toronto Blessing and Lakeland Revival.
It isn't necessary to discuss that too deeply here.. anyone with an ounce of discernment can see for themselves that something is up. My old pastor Britt Merrick had wise words indeed when he used to tell us: "If it's WEIRD, it's NOT GOD."
On a practical level, this activity simultaneously (and successfully, in the eyes of many people) discredits God, discredits the Catholic Church (the demonic force acting on the first person has him making the sign of the cross and blessing his congregation.) discredits the Charismatic movement (which I believe-- and the Church affirms-- is a LEGITIMATE move of God) and discredits the integrity of the persons worshipping here.
However, these give me great consolation. There is evident need for a magesterium when we consider the implications of "no-holds-barred" church like this. There is great wisdom in the Catholic system, and protection. I'm thankful to be a part of the Catholic Church.
I encourage you to consider that these videos in no way represent the Charismatic movement, but only an offshoot and branch of it which clearly demonstrates the need for wise Church leadership. Please keep in mind also that I do NOT agree on a theological level with the commentary and subtitles in these videos. I do speak in tongues, believe in the miraculous gifts, and believe in the communion of saints, etc.
However, when I watch these through the lens of my own past experiences with exorcism and deliverance, I am quite certain I am not seeing God at work.
As a warning to you, these videos are extremely creepy, and they will leave you.... ill at ease. Should you choose to watch them, I pray they will give you a new depth of understanding when it comes to the operation and activity of our enemy within the circles of "Christianity."
NOTE: THIS IS A RESPONSE TO THE BELOW COMMENTS. Thanks for reading!
I have some misgivings about the way many people IN the Renewal, especially at this time, go about doing what they do. I recently became involved with the Renewal in our Diocese completely by accident and discovered that I simultaneously felt very at home and very uncomfortable. :D
I'm still working through that, but what it comes down to is that I firmly believe in the Charismatic gifts, have seen them and partaken of them, have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and can attest to the fact that it was a DIFFERENT and more fruitful experience than any of my experiences with the sacraments initially-- like an "unlocking" of sacramental grace. To clarify that statement: there is nothing else NECESSARY than Sacramental Grace, but a deep, personal awareness of the grace received is a grace in itself that I find indispensable.
There was a "time before" and a "time after" this experience for me, and it has remained ever since.
On a theological level I am in agreement that the Renewal is a work of God and that it was EXTREMELY timely with regards to Church history. On a personal level I get frustrated at meetings and gatherings of the local Renewal because I hear things that demonstrate a misunderstanding of the POINT of the Charismata. I hear people call out things like.... "We're Catholic, that's what the problem is..." or "the church is holding us back." They demonstrate a misunderstanding of the perfect and necessary, HEALTHY tension between the work of the Holy Spirit and the prudence and rigidity of the Magesterium. So while I believe wholeheartedly in the Renewal and participate in it within the life of the Church, I am wary of the individual manifestations of the Charismatic gifts and gatherings OF the Renewal, mainly because I've noticed that there are many people within the movement who come seeking the GIFTS and not necessarily the God who gives them.
There is a three day gathering in Raleigh this month that I'm hoping to attend to see more and pray more about. Not sure if I will make it unless I can find someone to go with me.
Colleen,
In the past I have spoken with tongues in a congregational setting and had someone with the gift of interpretations interpret, under the oversight of a pastor, when I was a protestant.
Nowadays, I pray in tongues in my private prayer, and it sometimes comes out when I am with others who pray in tongues, just in private prayer. It is not "gibberish" as it is very clearly A language, but I do not know what language it might be. I have often thought that it resembled a combination of hebrew and arabic.
I have been in the presence of Christians who began to pray in tongues and who were understood by other people in the congregation because they were speaking a native dialect of theirs which the people themselves had never heard before. It is extraordinary to witness. I have NEVER in my life felt that tongues were "coming out" when I was in a liturgical worship setting. Only in my private discussions with God and in my conversations with Him among friends. I don't go into prayer ever with the intention of speaking in tongues, but sometimes it just comes out.
When I returned to the Church, my biggest problem was that I have SEEN the fruit of baptism of the holy spirit in the lives of people who change and suddenly LIVE for God. I could find very few people around me in the Catholic Church who had shared this experience.... most of them were seeking holiness via what I would have at that time called dry channels.... reading more prayers each day, making an examination of conscience twice a day, something like that. These things can be very fruitful, but only if they aren't looking to "do more" but rather "receive more." The issue is building a personal relationship with Christ and His Church over religiosity or empty actions. We receive grace when we come to communion worthily whether we are aware of the amazingness of the eucharist or not.
The main difference is that when we come AWARE of God's greatness, we become filled to overflowing.
Reading Fr Cantelamessa, (preacher to the papal household during JPII) especially his book "Sober Intoxication of the Spirit," and Bishop Cordes' "Call to Holiness: reflections on the charismatic renewal" were instrumental in helping me prayerfully discern what was what here.
I'm the first to admit that I find a dryness in the PERSONAL LIVES of most traditional Catholics who reject the Renewal's lives that I personally find unbearable. On the other hand, I'm also the first to admit that I find a "falseness" and "emotivity" in the personal lives of those who embrace the Renewal but reject the traditional. To me, there is a healthy middle ground, and that's where I always want to be.
When it comes to my personal prayer? It is more "Charismatic" than anything else-- I feel a kinship and bond and fellowship with Charismatics in prayer that I do not feel when I'm praying a rosary with an SSPXer. :D Nevertheless, I embrace the traditions of the Church and especially the Extraordinary Form of the Liturgy, which I believe is LIFE GIVING. I cannot stand the idea of going to a "Charismatic mass"-- To me, liturgy is about something totally different.
There is a time and place for the Charismatic gifts but it is not IN MASS, because in MASS our eyes are on the Cross and Resurrection.
OUTSIDE of Mass our eyes should be on bringing the Cross and Resurrection to others, and that is where the gifts come in handy, ESPECIALLY the Charismatic gifts.
I am a recent revert, it has been less than five years, so I expect that my understanding will evolve over the years. However, I simply CAN NOT discredit the Charismatic gifts-- A, because they are approved in the Church and B, because I have seen their fruit in action and glorified God.
One of the largest charismatic gifts in operation in my own life is discernment of spirits. I "sense" the darkness around me as a tangible presence and am drawn to prayer when others around me haven't noticed a thing. God often places people in my life who struggle with deeply demonic (extraordinary activity of the devil) issues in their lives. I myself was exorcised at one time. Because of that, I am - -as I mentioned before-- simultaneously WARY of the overemphasis placed on the Charismatic gifts by some, and sympathetic to their reasoning. It is my firm belief due to my own experiences with the gift of tongues, the gift of discernment of spirits, and the gift of word of knowledge, none of which I have asked for our sought out-- among others-- that we must always SEEK the Holy Spirit and ask Him to show up, and SUBMIT our experiences to those in rightful authority over us. Without one, we cannot have the other.
Love to hear your thoughts! <3
other people's ideas...
They sit, lined up like little soldiers neatly against my bathroom wall, braving the humidity of so many hot showers and children's little hands.
They are strewn haphazardly around my nightstand, filled with prayers and personality.
They line the shelves, organized by theme, title and size.
They accompany me in the kitchen while I wait for breakfast to cook, during the kids' bathtime while I wait for ducks to fish and tugboats to kiss trains, and on cold winter days spent snuggling sick children on the couch.
I've spent hours immersed in their slightly acid scent, their crinkly pages, and their sharp black lines, rubbing their smooth covers between my hands.
I've taught from them, comforted by the thickness of their pages neatly tucked under one arm so as to allow both my hands to talk. (...)
Read the rest of my post on Catholic Daily.
The other side
He was able to recognize the false teachings and the demonic in the things I was pulling up, and yet he was not able to see at all that responding with anger towards the PEOPLE who were doing these things-- not the spirit behind them-- was losing at spiritual warfare. He advised me to stay far away from thinking about or talking about these topics, stating that I would never change bad people. "Let the devil have them," he said. "They are choosing to side with him. The whole world has gone crazy." He also told me I would never make a dent in the evil around us, and advised me to just take care of myself. "You can't change stupid," he said to me. "Have you ever made a difference in any of these churches?"
"No," I admitted. "But I believe I've made a difference-- sometimes a big difference-- in individual people's lives."
He snorted. "Alot of good that does us," He said.
These types of conversations with him are fascinating. It seems to me that theologically, saying "Let the devil have them" is the antithesis of Christianity. We are called to bring the Light to the darkest places... And yet he is as passionate and affirming of his place in Christianity as anyone. And he's not the only one... there are thousands of self-professed Christians walking around thinking the same way.
The Catholic Church knows full well that everything boils down to our willingness to engage in spiritual battle, both for ourselves and on behalf of others.
"The whole of man's history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the dawn of history until the last day. This dramatic situation of the whole world, which is in the power of the evil one, makes man's life a battle."
--Catechism of the Catholic Church: 409
Spiritual warfare is so interesting. Not just because I'm immersed in it-- we all are-- but because when I am AWARE of it because by some great miracle I happen to have my eyes and heart lifted toward God at the right moment, it's just amazingly interesting.
Usually, Satan is cleverly disguised in the daily actions and events that tempt us towards panic and sin instead of trust and peace. It is easy to feel overwhelmed in these times... knowing that there is no earthly way that we can overcome whatever has just been put in our plate. And yet, panic is playing into Satan's hand.
When we receive terrible news, or something terrible happens, our job is to respond as worshippers do-- with trust. We place the event in God's hands and offer up our sufferings for His glory. We offer up a sign of our trust in His plan, and we recognize that when we obey those placed in rightful authority around us, we are operating within the realms of His plan. Ideally, this gives us peace.... a peace which is lasting, because everything ELSE is fading away. We know that this is the "right" way to respond to trials because Scripture tells us so, and also because when we do, we know we have never been let down by God. He always pulls through. He is truly Sovereign, and truly All-knowing and All-powerful. In fact, scripture tells us to rejoice always, especially in these moments!
Sometimes--even often, spiritual warfare puts on such an ordinary face that we forget what we are dealing with. In these situations it takes a trained eye and an inner guidepost. Other times, it is so UNusual that we struggle to even comprehend what we are looking at with our intellect.
For me, it is often sensed by a clear, unusual pit-of-your-stomach "gut feeling" even when outwardly, everything might seem right, or by the very small, still, and quiet "voice" I might "hear" when everything around me is exploding like a battlefield, calling me back to perfect peace.
In a recent bible study, we discussed how the Catholic understanding of scripture includes contextual reading, acknowledging the style of writing and literary structure of the passage, and also keeps a centered position somewhere between the fantastic/supernatural and the reasonable/literal. For example, that when God turned the nile to blood during the plagues, it was quite possible that the Nile became bloody due to a natural moss or plant that overgrew, creating reddish, cloudy water, rather than to literal BLOOD. At the same time, it was quite evident that each of the ten plagues corresponded very specifically to ten separate deities in the Egyptian pantheon, striking a blow directly into their territory. And that no matter what, God's hand was at work through the timing and execution of each plague.
I thought about the relevance of these ideas.... how different they were from my protestant mindset in which ANYTHING that could even remotely draw towards the natural rather than the supernatural was heretical. (I guess that would stem in their theology somewhat from a manichean outlook-- that matter was bad and unspiritual. I could be wrong.)
Nevertheless, as my understanding of theology deepens and as my experiences with demonology increase over time, I find myself amazed at how it seems that angelic beings (both good and bad) can physically move matter around. I notice that many diseases we know now as having "natural causes" were frequently diagnosed as demonic before, and (in my opinion) probably still should be to some degree. (things like night terrors, and multiple personality disorder, for example... which certainly appear to have a ""natural" cause, but often may have a spiritual cause that continues unaddressed.) At the same time, Angels are pure spirit, with no physical body.
When I first made a conscious decision to follow Christ, I was plagued with all sorts of crazy events. Among them, two really stand out as "demonic." And yet, as clearly demonic as they were to me... they were also very... ordinary.
I had had a profound conversion experience and found myself dealing with the strangest things.
The first happened immediately after I determined I was going to really LIVE for God, and that God was real.
My very first daring act as a practicing Christian was to break up with my live-in fiancé and move out of our shared apartment, moving into my dad's house even though we were not really getting along, all because I knew it was what God wanted me to do.
Nothing about this decision was easy. I relished my independence and had enjoyed my relationship with this man. The breakup was hard and he took it wrong, not understanding.
He became depressed and tried to commit suicide. He became unstable. I became depressed that he was responding so poorly to what I wanted. He killed my cat. It was a mess.
In the course of all that, I was staying at a friends' house while trying to sort myself and my situation out and was finding peace and renewal there.
And then it happened.... one early morning, near six a.m., out of nowhere--- I got a mysterious phone call.
It was him, calling to tell me that he was sure I would never make it as a Christian. I believe the exact conversation went something like this:
"Hello?"
"Hi."
"Oh. Hi." I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was just not quite awake yet.
"I'm just calling to let you know that you will never make it as a Christian. You can't do it. It's too hard. I know you.... you won't be able to be strong enough."
"What?"
"What I said. It's too hard. You won't be able to do it. Others could. But not you. You're too evil. You LIKE this."
I shuddered, thinking in my head that it was a remarkably satanic thing to say.
Well, I'm going to try my best. God will do the rest." I said, and hung up. It was the last time we talked.
A few weeks later, I was at my dad's house when a man I knew from the adult industry who had an unexplainable hold over me both emotionally and physically (and who I tried to avoid at all costs) appeared at my door, which was very unusual for him. He pushed past me and made himself very comfortable on my couch.
"So," he declared, smirking. "I hear you are a Christian now. Come on. What is that about??"
I searched for a witty answer-- faltering in my somewhat-embarrassed, somewhat-proud state.
"Yeah," he said. "That's what I thought. You're no Christian. You don't need to worship Jesus. You need to worship ME. You worship MY......" he went on to verbally vomit a slew of completely inappropriate comments relating my worship of Jesus to my duty to worship his man-parts which I will spare you here. Even more bizarre? I was incredibly attracted to him at that moment and it took ALL my will power to remove myself from the situation.
From then on, things have only gotten stranger in my Christian walk.
At the time, it seemed obvious to me that Satan wanted to detract me from my commitment to live for Jesus. And yet it was in the most ordinary-- albeit bizarre-- ways that he seemed to go about it. Then I quickly learned something else about his technique.
I learned that Satan would often use a method that appealed to my pride.
For example, one day I was on a break from my job as a bookseller at Borders Books.
Standing in the street, I shoved a few remaining pieces of sushi from my lunch into my mouth and looked around for my napkin when suddenly I saw a familiar homeless man walking up the street. Now, in Santa Barbara, homeless people-- homeless by CHOICE people-- are everywhere. They smell like urine and sweat and pot and have dreadlocks and skin caked with grime, and they live on the beach by night and take over the city by day. They are everywhere. Most of them are vietnam vets or hippies left over from the sixties who just couldn't pull it together. Harmless... but annoying if you're a young female who likes her freedom in the city.
So this man started walking up my side of the street, calm as can be. I could smell him from a few feet away and he's definitely different.... but apparently harmless. But when he got to me, he started to shout..... ranting and raving like a complete nutcase.
"F- you, Jesus!" He shouted, making a fist in my direction. "You don't KNOW me. You can't have this!!"
Mystified, I watched as he clammed up and quieted down, resuming his quiet, happy walk down the street without even a hint of sign that something was up inside him.
I had never in my life heard a teaching on spiritual warfare or even been aware of it's existence. But on that day something in my spirit told me that that's exactly what was happening. Something inside of him was reacting to something inside of me. And that something was in reference to the person of Christ-- living and active in me, and clearly hated and reviled in this man. I was FILLED with compassion for him, and followed him down the street, praying for him. When he became physically agitated again, I ran away, scared. At the same time, I was proud.... proud that I had somehow drawn this reaction from him, proud that I was powerful. When I later realized what great sin that pride had been.... it was very hard to remove.
Since that time I've experienced spiritual warfare continuously with very little respite. Although I have recognized it as such for years and am now well trained and experienced in spiritual warfare, I am never less mystified than I was in that first few months of actively choosing Christ, because no matter how much training, teaching and experience one has--- God's ways are not our ways and there is always a mystical element that is quite simply incomprehensible except by the inner spirit man.
I meet and talk to people often who consider themselves equipped demonologists or deliverance ministers and who believe that they know all there is to know about demonology and deliverance ministry. I'm not sure how that works, because God is always surprising me.
When I think about it, though, I guess I do know all I need to know too... I know that
-- God and the Devil are real.
-- Our free will is our friend and our foe.
--Healing comes when sinners repent
--Satan is tricky but God is stronger
--99 percent of our suffering is self-induced.
Most importantly... I've learned that I will never know it all, at least not on this side of death. Spiritual warfare remains a fascinating mystery and a daily battle that we must always give to God, our Deliverer.
Theology Thursdays: The Communion of Saints
The author's response was interesting:
"(...)We tend to view Charlotte Mason as a wise friend, so we refer to her like we would our other friends. We certainly mean no disrespect; we just feel that we have formed a relation to her over the years and see her as a person rather than a distant source."
Another woman said:
"Charlotte Mason was an educator primarily and wrote to benefit others. She loved on her children and would love on us, too, if she were here with us. In our homeschool group which is based on Charlotte Mason, we refer to her as Charlotte Mason, Miss Mason, Charlotte, and sometimes mom. “Mother Mason, tell me what to do with these children!” And if you read her writings, you can hear her speaking to us through her work because she wrote to leave a legacy to those who would teach children. I find the thought of cringing at the familiar term strange as I cringe at the thought of calling her “Mason.” Although I’m sure in some circles the more formal term would be appropriate in speaking of her literary works, I believe it would be quite customary that her students, once having been raised to take a new seat next to her as educators, call her by her first name."
There-- right there-- are two protestant women, acknowledging the communion of the saints in action.... and I am quite sure they have never realized it.
It occurs to me often to say a little prayer and ask Charlotte for help in my regular homeschool day. I'm not sure if she's in heaven or in purgatory, but she loved Jesus and did her best to serve Him and serve others. No, she wasn't a Catholic. Did she outright reject God's church? Doubt it, as she was a practicing Anglican all her life, and as we noticed, most of them love Catholicism (My friends and I call Anglicans Catholic- Lite.)
I am certain she hears my prayers, and I know she helps me in little ways, just like I know my grandfather hears me when I struggle to raise my kids, and from time to time I feel his presence lingering.
I know many a protestant who will consider that blasphemous, demonic and evil. To them I say: God is not the God of the dead-- but of the living, for they are all alive to Him! (Luke 20:38)
We say that we believe in eternal life. But those who find the communion of saints offensive don't really believe in it. They separate the Body of Christ from the Body of Christ. It makes no sense.
How much MORE amazing when we can say with certainty that a person's life was so remarkably holy, so unrelentingly excellent and pure, that we can with certainly call them SAINTS in heaven? I am so blessed to have an army of amazing people who served the Lord in life and serve Him still in death.
Pray for the holy souls, but pray also TO the holy souls-- they will guide you to Heaven, to the Throne of the Lamb.
EVIDENCE FOR SAINTS AND INTERCESSORY PRAYER
FROM SCRIPTURE
I. We are One Family in Christ in Heaven and on Earth
Eph. 3:14-15- we are all one family ("Catholic") in heaven and on earth, united together, as children of the Father, through Jesus Christ. Our brothers and sisters who have gone to heaven before us are not a different family. We are one and the same family. This is why, in the Apostles Creed, we profess a belief in the "communion of saints." There cannot be a "communion" if there is no union. Loving beings, whether on earth or in heaven, are concerned for other beings, and this concern is reflected spiritually through prayers for one another.
Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23-32; Col. 1:18,24 - this family is in Jesus Christ, the head of the body, which is the Church.
1 Cor. 12:12,27; Rom. 12:5; Col. 3:15; Eph. 4:4 - we are the members of the one body of Christ, supernaturally linked together by our partaking of the Eucharist.
Rom. 8:35-39 - therefore, death does not separate the family of God and the love of Christ. We are still united with each other, even beyond death.
Matt. 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30 - Jesus converses with "deceased" Moses and Elijah. They are more alive than the saints on earth.
Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38 - God is the God of the living not the dead. The living on earth and in heaven are one family.
Luke 15:7,10 – if the angels and saints experience joy in heaven over our repentance, then they are still connected to us and are aware of our behavior.
John 15:1-6 - Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. The good branches are not cut off at death. They are alive in heaven.
1 Cor. 4:9 – because we can become a spectacle not only to men, but to angels as well, this indicates that angels are aware of our earthly activity. Those in heaven are connected to those on earth.
1 Cor. 12:26 - when one member suffers, all suffer. When one is honored, all rejoice. We are in this together as one family.
1 Cor 13:12; 1 John 3:2 - now we see in a mirror dimly, but in heaven we see face to face. The saints are more alive than we are!
Heb. 12:1: we are surrounded by a great glory cloud (shekinah) of witnesses. The “cloud of witnesses” refers to the saints who are not only watching us from above but cheering us on in our race to heaven.
1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 20:6 - we are a royal family of priests by virtue of baptism. We as priests intercede on behalf of each other.
2 Peter 1:4 - since God is the eternal family and we are His children, we are partakers of His divine nature as a united family.
1 Cor. 1:2; Rom. 1:7 - we are called to be saints. Saints refer to both those on earth and in heaven who are in Christ. Proof:
Acts 9:13,32,41; 26:10; 1 Cor. 6:1-2; 14:33; 2 Cor. 1:1; 8:4; 9:1-2; 13:13; Rom. 8:27; 12:23; 15:25,26, 31; 16:2,15; Eph. 1:1,15,18; 3:8; 5:3; 6:18; Phil. 1:1; 4:22; Col 1:2,4,26; 1 Tm 5:10; Philemon 1:5,7; Heb. 6:10; 13:24; Jude 1:3; Rev. 11:18; 13:7; 14:12; 16:6; 17:6;18:20,24; Rev 19:8; 20:9 - in these verses, we see that Christians still living on earth are called "saints."
Matt. 27:52; Eph. 2:19; 3:18; Col. 1:12; 2 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 5:8; 8:3-4; 11:18; 13:10 - in these verses, we also see that "saints" also refer to those in heaven who united with us.
Dan. 4:13,23; 8:23 – we also see that the angels in heaven are also called “saints.” The same Hebrew word “qaddiysh” (holy one) is applied to both humans and angels in heaven. Hence, there are angel saints in heaven and human saints in heaven and on earth. Loving beings (whether angels or saints) are concerned for other beings, and prayer is the spiritual way of expressing that love.
II. God Desires and Responds to Our Subordinate Mediation / Intercessory Prayer
1 Tim 2:1-2 - because Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), many Protestants deny the Catholic belief that the saints on earth and in heaven can mediate on our behalf. But before Paul's teaching about Jesus as the "one mediator," Paul urges supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. Paul is thus appealing for mediation from others besides Christ, the one mediator. Why?
1 Tim 2:3 - because this subordinate mediation is good and acceptable to God our Savior. Because God is our Father and we are His children, God invites us to participate in Christ's role as mediator.
1 Tim. 2:5 - therefore, although Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and man, there are many intercessors (subordinate mediators).
1 Cor. 3:9 - God invites us to participate in Christ's work because we are God's "fellow workers" and one family in the body of Christ. God wants His children to participate. The phrase used to describe "fellow workers" is "sunergoi," which literally means synergists, or cooperators with God in salvific matters. Does God need fellow workers? Of course not, but this shows how much He, as Father, loves His children. God wants us to work with Him.
Mark 16:20 - this is another example of how the Lord "worked with them" ("sunergountos"). God cooperates with us. Out of His eternal love, He invites our participation.
Rom. 8:28 - God "works for good with" (the Greek is "sunergei eis agathon") those who love Him. We work as subordinate mediators.
2 Cor. 6:1 - "working together" (the Greek is "sunergountes") with him, don't accept His grace in vain. God allows us to participate in His work, not because He needs our help, but because He loves us and wants to exalt us in His Son. It is like the father who lets his child join him in carrying the groceries in the house. The father does not need help, but he invites the child to assist to raise up the child in dignity and love.
Heb. 12:1 - the “cloud of witnesses” (nephos marturon) that we are surrounded by is a great amphitheatre of witnesses to the earthly race, and they actively participate and cheer us (the runners) on, in our race to salvation.
1 Peter 2:5 - we are a holy priesthood, instructed to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. We are therefore subordinate priests to the Head Priest, but we are still priests who participate in Christ's work of redemption.
Rev. 1:6, 5:10 - Jesus made us a kingdom of priests for God. Priests intercede through Christ on behalf of God's people.
James 5:16; Proverbs 15:8, 29 - the prayers of the righteous (the saints) have powerful effects. This is why we ask for their prayers. How much more powerful are the saints’ prayers in heaven, in whom righteousness has been perfected.
1 Tim 2:5-6 - therefore, it is because Jesus Christ is the one mediator before God that we can be subordinate mediators. Jesus is the reason. The Catholic position thus gives Jesus the most glory. He does it all but loves us so much He desires our participation.
III. Specific Instructions to Mediate and Examples of Subordinate Mediation
New Testament
Matt. 5:44-45 - Jesus tells us to pray for (to mediate on behalf of) those who persecute us. God instructs us to mediate.
Matt. 17:1-3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30-31 – deceased Moses and Elijah appear at the Transfiguration to converse with Jesus in the presence of Peter, James and John (these may be the two “witnesses” John refers to in Rev. 11:3). Nothing in Scripture ever suggests that God abhors or cuts off communication between the living in heaven and the living on earth. To the contrary, God encourages communication within the communion of saints. Moses and Elijah’s appearance on earth also teach us that the saints in heaven have capabilities that far surpass our limitations on earth.
Matt. 26:53 – Jesus says He can call upon the assistance of twelve legions of angels. If Jesus said He could ask for the assistance of angel saints, then so can we, who are called to imitate Jesus in word and in deed. And, in Matt. 22:30, Jesus says we will be “like angels in heaven.” This means human saints (like the angel saints) can be called upon to assist people on earth. God allows and encourages this interaction between his family members.
Matt. 27:47,49; Mark 15:35-36 – the people believe that Jesus calls on Elijah for his intercession, and waits to see if Elijah would come to save Jesus on the cross.
Matt. 27:52-53 - at Jesus' passion, many saints were raised and went into the city to appear and presumably interact with the people, just as Jesus did after His resurrection.
Mark 11:24 - Jesus says that whatever we ask in prayer, we will receive it. It is Jesus, and also we through Jesus, who mediate.
John 2:3 - Jesus knew the wine was gone, but invites and responds to Mary's intercession. God desires our lesser mediation and responds to it because He is a living and loving God.
John 2:5 - Mary intercedes on behalf of those at the wedding feast and tells them to do whatever Jesus tells them. Because Mary is our perfect model of faith, we too intercede on behalf of our brothers and sisters.
John 2:11 - in fact, it was Mary's intercession that started Jesus' ministry. His hour had not yet come, yet Jesus responds to Mary's intercession. Even though He could do it all by Himself, God wants to work with His children.
Acts 12:7 – an angel strikes Peter on the side and wakes him up, freeing him from prison. The angel responds to Peter’s prayers.
Rom. 15:30 - Paul commands the family of God to pray for him. If we are united together in the one body of Christ, we can help each other.
2 Cor. 1:11 - Paul even suggests that the more prayers and the more people who pray, the merrier! Prayer is even more effective when united with other's prayers.
2 Cor. 9:14 - Paul says that the earthly saints pray for the Corinthians. They are subordinate mediators in Christ.
2 Cor. 13:7,9 - Paul says the elders pray that the Corinthians may do right and improve. They participate in Christ's mediation.
Gal. 6:2,10 - Paul charges us to bear one another's burdens, and to do good to all, especially those in the household of faith.
Eph. 6:18 - Paul commands the family of God to pray for each other.
Eph. 6:19 - Paul commands that the Ephesians pray for him. If there is only one mediator, why would Paul ask for their prayers?
Phil. 1:19 - Paul acknowledges power of Philippians' earthly intercession. He will be delivered by their prayers and the Holy Spirit.
Col. 1:3 - Paul says that he and the elders pray for the Colossians. They are subordinate mediators in the body of Christ.
Col. 1:9 - Paul says that he and the elders have not ceased to pray for the Colossians, and that, by interceding, they may gain wisdom.
Col. 4:4 - Paul commands the Colossians to pray for the elders of the Church so that God may open a door for the word. Why doesn't Paul just leave it up to God? Because subordinate mediation is acceptable and pleasing to God, and brings about change in the world. This is as mysterious as the Incarnation, but it is true.
1 Thess. 5:11 - Paul charges us to encourage one another and build one another up, in the body of Christ. We do this as mediators in Christ.
1 Thess. 5:17 - Paul says "pray constantly." If Jesus' role as mediator does not apply subordinately to us, why pray at all?
1 Thess. 5:25 - Paul commands the family of God to pray for the elders of the Church. He desires our subordinate mediation.
2 Thess. 1:11 - Paul tells the family of God that he prays for us. We participate in Christ's mediation because Christ desires this.
2 Thess. 3:1 - Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for Him, Silvanus and Timothy so that they may be delivered.
1 Tim. 2:1-3 - Paul commands us to pray for all. Paul also states that these prayers are acceptable in the sight of God.
2 Tim. 1:3 – Paul says “I remember you constantly in my prayers.”
Philemon 22 - Paul is hoping through Philemon's intercession that he may be able to be with Philemon.
Heb. 1:14 – the author writes, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?”
Hebrews 13:18-19 - the author strongly urges the Hebrews to pray for the elders so that they act desirably in all things.
James 5:14-15- James says the prayer of the priests over the sick man will save the sick man and forgive his sins. This is a powerful example of men forgiving sins and bringing a person to salvation with the sacrament of the sick.
James 5:16 - James instructs us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed.
James 5:17-18 - James refers to God's response to Elijah's fervent prayer for no rain. He is teaching us about the effectiveness of our earthly mediation.
1 John 5:14-15 - John is confident that God will grant us anything we ask of God according to His will.
1 John 5:16-17 - our prayers for others even calls God to give life to them and keep them from sinning. Our God is a personal and living God who responds to our prayers.
3 John 2 - John prays for Gaius' health and thus acts as a subordinate mediator.
Rev. 1:4 – this verse shows that angels (here, the seven spirits) give grace and peace. Because grace and peace only come from God, the angels are acting as mediators for God.
Rev. 5:8 - the prayers of the saints (on heaven and earth) are presented to God by the angels and saints in heaven. This shows that the saints intercede on our behalf before God, and it also demonstrates that our prayers on earth are united with their prayers in heaven. (The “24 elders” are said to refer to the people of God – perhaps the 12 tribes and 12 apostles - and the “four living creatures” are said to refer to the angels.)
Rev. 6:9-11 – the martyred saints in heaven cry out in a loud voice to God to avenge their blood “on those who dwell upon the earth.” These are “imprecatory prayers,” which are pleas for God’s judgment (see similar prayers in Psalm 35:1; 59:1-17; 139:19; Jer. 11:20; 15:15; 18:19; Zech.1:12-13). This means that the saints in heaven are praying for those on earth, and God answers their prayers (Rev. 8:1-5). We, therefore, ask for their intercession and protection.
Rev. 8:3-4 – in heaven an angel mingles incense with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne of God, and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God. These prayers “rise up” before God and elicit various kinds of earthly activity. God responds to his children’s requests, whether made by his children on earth or in heaven.
Old Testament
Gen. 20:17 - God responds to Abraham's intercession and heals Abimelech, and also his wife and slaves.
Gen. 27:29; Num. 24:9 - blessed be everyone who blesses you. If we bless others in prayer, we are also blessed.
Exodus 32:11-14, 30-34; 34:9; Num. 14:17-20; 21:7-9 - these are many examples of God's response to Moses' saintly intercession.
1 Sam. 12:23 - Samuel says that he would be sinning against God if he didn't continue to intercede for the people of Israel.
1 Sam. 28:7-20 – the deceased prophet Samuel appears and converses with Saul, which is confirmed by Sirach 46:13,20).
1 Sam. 28:7; 1 Chron. 10:13-14 - Saul practiced necromancy. He used a medium, not God, to seek the dead and was therefore condemned. Saul's practice is entirely at odds with the Catholic understanding of saintly mediation, where God is the source and channel of all communication, and who permits His children to participate in this power.
2 Chron. 30:27 - the prayers of the priests and Levites came before God's holy habitation in heaven and were answered.
Tobit 12:12,15 - angels place Tobit and Sarah's prayers before the Holy One. This teaches us that the angels are also our subordinate mediators. We pray to the angels to take up our prayers to God.
Job 42:7-9 - Job prayed for three friends in sin and God listened to Job as a result of these prayers.
Psalm 34:7 – the angel of the Lord delivers those who fear him.
Psalm 91:11 – God will give His angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 103:20-21; 148:1-2 – we praise the angels and ask for their assistance in doing God’s will.
Psalm 141:2 - David asks that his prayer be counted as incense before God. The prayers of the saints have powerful effects.
Isaiah 6:6-7 - an angel touches Isaiah's lips and declares that his sin is forgiven. The angel is a subordinate mediator of God who effects the forgiveness of sins on God’s behalf.
Jer. 7:16 - God acknowledges the people's ability to intercede, but refuses to answer due to the hardness of heart.
Jer. 15:1 – the Lord acknowledges the intercessory power of Moses and Samuel.
Jer. 37:3 - king Zedekiah sends messengers to ask Jeremiah to intercede for the people, that he might pray to God for them.
Jer. 42:1-6 - all the people of Israel went before Jeremiah asking for his intercession, that he would pray to the Lord for them.
Baruch 3:4 - Baruch asks the Lord to hear the prayers of the dead of Israel. They can intercede on behalf of the people of God.
Dan. 9:20-23 - Daniel intercedes on behalf of the people of Israel confessing both his sins and the sins of the people before God.
Zech. 1:12-13 - an angel intercedes for those in Judea and God responds favorably.
2 Macc. 15:12-16 – the high priest Onias and the prophet Jeremiah were deceased for centuries, and yet interact with the living Judas Maccabeas and pray for the holy people on earth.
IV. Veneration / Honor of the Saints
Matt. 18:10 - the angels in heaven always behold the face of God. We venerate them for their great dignity and union with God.
Matt. 15:4; Luke 18:20; Eph. 6:2-3 Exodus 20:12; Lev. 19:3; Deut. 5:16 - we are instructed to honor our father and mother.
Luke 1:28 - the angel Gabriel venerates Mary by declaring to her "Hail, full of grace." The heavenly angel honors the human Mary, for her perfection of grace exceeds that of the angels.
Romans 13:7 - we are to give honor where honor is due. When we honor God's children, we honor God Himself, for He is the source of all honor.
1 Cor. 4:16 - the most important form of veneration of the saints is "imitating" the saints, as Paul commands us to do.
1 Cor. 11:1 - again, Paul says, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." The ultimate objective of veneration is imitation.
Phil. 2:25-29 - Paul teaches us to honor Epaprhoditus who almost died for the faith. How much more honor is owed to the saints that did die for the faith!
Phil. 3:17 - Paul says to imitate him and others, which is the goal of veneration. Veneration is not worship.
1 Thess. 1:6 – Paul says to the Thessalonians, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord.” This is the goal of veneration.
2 Thess. 3:7 - Paul says that the Thessalonians should imitate him and the other bishops.
Hebrews 3:3 - Jesus is worthy of "more" glory and honor than Moses. This does not mean that the saints are worthy of no glory and honor. Instead, it proves that saintly people are worthy of glory and honor out of God's goodness.
Heb. 6:12 – the author teaches us to be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Heb. 13:7 - we must imitate the faith of our faithful leaders. We ask for their intercession and venerate them for their holiness.
James 5:10-11 – James teaches us to take heart in the examples of the prophets and Job, who endured suffering.
1 Peter 2:17 - Peter teaches us to honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor. Don't those living with Christ in heaven deserve honor? Catholics believe they do, and honor them with special feast days, just as we honor those living by celebrating their birthdays.
Gen. 19:1 - Lot venerates the two angels in Sodom, bowing himself with his face to the ground.
Gen. 42:6 - Joseph's brothers bow before Joseph with the face to the ground. This is veneration, not worship.
Exodus 28:2 - it is especially important to honor religious leaders. Sacred garments for Aaron give him dignity and honor.
Lev. 19:32- we should also honor "the face of an old man." When the elderly die in Christ, we should continue honoring them, because death does not separate them from us or the love of Christ.
1 Sam. 28:14 - Saul bows down before Samuel with his face to the ground in veneration.
2 Chron. 32:33 - Hezekiah was honored at his death. We honor our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Sir. 44:1-2 - we should praise and give honor to those who the Lord apportioned great glory. It is our family in Christ.
V. Posture in Prayer, Veneration and Worship
Deut. 5:9 - God's command, "you shall not bow down to them" means "do not worship them." But not all bowing is worship. Here God's command is connected to false worship.
Rev. 3:9 - Jesus said people would bow down before the faithful members of the church of Philadelphia. This bowing before the faithful is not worship, just as kissing a picture of a family member is not worship.
Gen. 19:1 - Lot bowed down to the ground in veneration before two angels in Sodom.
Gen. 24:52 - Abraham's servant bowed himself to the earth before the Lord.
Gen. 42:6 - Joseph's brothers bow before Joseph with the face to the ground.
Jos. 5:14 - Joshua fell to the ground prostrate in veneration before an angel.
1 Sam. 28:14 - Saul bows down before Samuel with his face to the ground in honor and veneration.
1 Kings 1:23 - the prophet Nathan bows down before King David.
2 Kings 2:15 - the sons of the prophets bow down to Elisha at Jericho.
1 Chron. 21:21 - Ornan the Jebusite did obeisance to king David with his face to the ground.
1 Chron. 29:20 - Israelites bowed down to worship God and give honor to the king.
2 Chron. 29:29-30 - King Hezekiah and the assembly venerate the altar by bowing down in worship before the sin offerings.
Tobit 12:16 - Tobiah and Tobit fell down to the ground in veneration before the angel Raphael.
Judith 14:7 - Achior the Ammonite kneels before Judith venerating her and praising God.
Psalm 138:2 - David bows down before God's Holy Temple.
Dan. 2:46 - the king fell down on his face paying homage to Daniel and commands that an offering be made to him.
Dan. 8:17 - Daniel fell down prostrate in veneration before the angel Gabriel.
1 Macc. 4:40,55 - Judas and the faithful fell face down to the ground to praise heaven and worship God.
2 Macc. 10:4,26; 13:12 - Maccabeus and his followers fall down prostrate praying to God.
TRADITION/ CHURCH FATHERS
I. Intercessory Power and Veneration of the Saints
"[T]hat it is neither possible for us ever to forsake Christ, who suffered for the salvation of such as shall be saved throughout the whole world (the blameless one for sinners), nor to worship any other. For Him indeed, as being the Son of God, we adore; but the martyrs, as disciples and followers of the Lord, we worthily love on account of their extraordinary affection towards their own King and Master, of whom may we also be made companions and fellow disciples! The centurion then, seeing the strife excited by the Jews, placed the body in the midst of the fire, and consumed it. Accordingly, we afterwards took up his bones, as being more precious than the most exquisite jewels, and more purified than gold, and deposited them in a fitting place, whither, being gathered together, as opportunity is allowed us, with joy and rejoicing, the Lord shall grant us to celebrate the anniversary of his martyrdom, both in memory of those who have already finished their course, and for the exercising and preparation of those yet to walk in their steps."Martyrdom of Polycarp 17,18 (A.D. 157).
"[Appealing to the three companions of Daniel] Think of me, I beseech you, so that I may achieve with you the same fate of martyrdom." Hippolytus of Rome, On Daniel, 11:30 (A.D. 204).
"As often as the anniversary comes round, we make offerings for the dead as birthday honours." Tertullian, The Crown, 3 (A.D. 211).
"Nor is that kind of title to glories in the case of Celerinus, our beloved, an unfamiliar and novel thing. He is advancing in the footsteps of his kindred; he rivals his parents and relations in equal honours of divine condescension. His grandmother, Celerina, was some time since crowned with martyrdom. Moreover, his paternal and maternal uncles, Laurentius and Egnatius, who themselves also were once warring in the camps of the world, but were true and spiritual soldiers of God, casting down the devil by the confession of Christ, merited palms and crowns from the Lord by their illustrious passion. We always offer sacrifices for them, as you remember, as often as we celebrate the passions and days of the martyrs in the annual commemoration. Nor could he, therefore, be degenerate and inferior whom this family dignity and a generous nobility provoked, by domestic examples of virtue and faith. But if in a worldly family it is a matter of heraldry and of praise to be a patrician, of bow much greater praise and honour is it to become of noble rank in the celestial heraldry! I cannot tell whom I should call more blessed,--whether those ancestors, for a posterity so illustrious, or him, for an origin so glorious. So equally between them does the divine condescension flow, and pass to and fro, that, just as the dignity of their offspring brightens their crown, so the sublimity of his ancestry illuminates his glory." Cyprian, To Clergy and People, Epistle 33(39):3 (A.D. 250).
"I am also of opinion that there were many persons of the same name with John the apostle, who by their love for him, and their admiration and emulation of him, and their desire to be loved by the Lord as he was loved, were induced to embrace also the same designation, just as we find many of the children of the faithful called by the names of Paul and Peter." Dionysius of Alexandria, Books of Promises, 5 (A.D. 257).
"Then we commemorate also those who have fallen asleep before us, first Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, that at their prayers and intercessions God would receive our petition. Then on behalf also of the Holy Fathers and Bishops who have fallen asleep before us, and in a word of all who in past years have fallen asleep among us, believing that it will be a very great benefit to the souls, for whom the supplication is put up, while that holy and most awful sacrifice is set forth." Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 23:9 (A.D. 350).
"Thus might you console us; but what of the flock? Would you first promise the oversight and leadership of yourself, a man under whose wings we all would gladly repose, and for whose words we thirst more eagerly than men suffering from thirst for the purest fountain? Secondly, persuade us that the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep has not even now left us; but is present, and tends and guides, and knows his own, and is known of his own, and, though bodily invisible, is spiritually recognized, and defends his flock against the wolves, and allows no one to climb over into the fold as a robber and traitor; to pervert and steal away, by the voice of strangers, souls under the fair guidance of the truth. Aye, I am well assured that his intercession is of more avail now than was his instruction in former days, since he is closer to God, now that he has shaken off his bodily fetters, and freed his mind from the clay which obscured it, and holds intercourse naked with the nakedness of the prime and purest Mind; being promoted, if it be not rash to say so, to the rank and confidence of an angel." John Chrysostom, On the Death of his Father, Oration 18:4 (A.D. 374).
"He voluntarily undertook all the toil of the journey; he moderated the energy of the faithful on the spot; he persuaded opponents by his arguments; in the presence of priests and deacons, and of many others who fear the Lord, he took up the relics with all becoming reverence, and has aided the brethren in their preservation. These relics do you receive with a joy equivalent to the distress with which their custodians have parted with them and sent them to you. Let none dispute; let none doubt. Here you have that unconquered athlete. These bones, which shared in the conflict with the blessed soul, are known to the Lord. These bones He will crown, together with that soul, in the righteous day of His requital, as it is written, 'we must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may give an account of the deeds he has done in the body.' One coffin held that honoured corpse. None other lay by his side. The burial was a noble one; the honours of a martyr were paid him. Christians who had welcomed him as a guest and then with their own hands laid him in the grave, have now disinterred him. They have wept as men bereaved of a father and a champion. But they have sent him to you, for they put your joy before their own consolation. Pious were the hands that gave; scrupulously careful were the hands that received. There has been no room for deceit; no room for guile. I bear witness to this. Let the untainted truth be accepted by you." Basil, To Ambrose bishop of Milan, Epistle 197 (A.D. 375).
"Furthermore, as to mentioning the names of the dead, how is there anything very useful in that? What is more timely or more excellent than that those who are still here should believe that the departed do live, and that they have not retreated into nothingness, but that they exist and are alive with the Master...Useful too is the prayer fashioned on their behalf...For we make commemoration of the just and of sinners: of sinners, begging God's mercy for them; of the just and the Fathers and Patriarchs and Prophets and Apostles and Evangelists and martyrs and confessors, and of bishops and solitaries, and of the whole list of them..." Epiphanius, Panarion, 75:8 (A.D. 377).
"Only may that power come upon us which strengthens weakness, through the prayers of him[i.e. St. Paul] who made his own strength perfect in bodily weakness." Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius, 1:1(A.D. 380).
"But God forbid that any in this fair assembly should appear there suffering such things! but by the prayers of the holy fathers, correcting all our offences, and having shown forth the abundant fruit of virtue, may we depart hence with much confidence." John Chrysostom, On Statues, Homily 6:19 (A.D. 387).
"As to our paying honor to the memory of the martyrs, and the accusation of Faustus, that we worship them instead of idols, I should not care to answer such a charge, were it not for the sake of showing how Faustus, in his desire to cast reproach on us, has overstepped the Manichaean inventions, and has fallen heedlessly into a popular notion found in Pagan poetry, although he is so anxious to be distinguished from the Pagans. For in saying that we have turned the idols into martyrs, be speaks of our worshipping them with similar rites, and appeasing the shades of the departed with wine and food…It is true that Christians pay religious honor to the memory of the martyrs, both to excite us to imitate them and to obtain a share in their merits, and the assistance of their prayers. But we build altars not to any martyr, but to the God of martyrs, although it is to the memory of the martyrs. No one officiating at the altar in the saints' burying-place ever says, We bring an offering to thee, O Peter! or O Paul! or O Cyprian! The offering is made to God, who gave the crown of martyrdom, while it is in memory of those thus crowned. The emotion is increased by the associations of the place, and. love is excited both towards those who are our examples, and towards Him by whose help we may follow such examples. We regard the martyrs with the same affectionate intimacy that we feel towards holy men of God in this life, when we know that their hearts are prepared to endure the same suffering for the truth of the gospel. There is more devotion in our feeling towards the martyrs, because we know that their conflict is over; and we can speak with greater confidence in praise of those already victors in heaven, than of those still combating here.” Augustine, Against Faustus, 20:21 (A.D. 400).
"We, it is true, refuse to worship or adore, I say not the relics of the martyrs, but even the sun and moon, the angels and archangels, the Cherubim and Seraphim and 'every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come.' For we may not "serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Still we honour the relics of the martyrs, that we may adore Him whose martyrs they are. We honour the servants that their honour may be reflected upon their Lord who Himself says:--'he that receiveth you receiveth me.' I ask Vigilantius, Are the relics of Peter and of Paul unclean? Was the body of Moses unclean, of which we are told (according to the correct Hebrew text) that it was buried by the Lord Himself? And do we, every time that we enter the basilicas of apostles and prophets and martyrs, pay homage to the shrines of idols? Are the tapers which burn before their tombs only the tokens of idolatry? I will go farther still and ask a question which will make this theory recoil upon the head of its inventor and which will either kill or cure that frenzied brain of his, so that simple souls shall be no more subverted by his sacrilegious reasonings. Let him answer me this, Was the Lord's body unclean when it was placed in the sepulchre? And did the angels clothed in white raiment merely watch over a corpse dead and defiled, that ages afterwards this sleepy fellow might indulge in dreams and vomit forth his filthy surfeit, so as, like the persecutor Julian, either to destroy the basilicas of the saints or to convert them into heathen temples?" Jerome, To Riparius, Epistle 109:1 (A.D. 404).
"For you say that the souls of Apostles and martyrs have their abode either in the bosom of Abraham, or in the place of refreshment, or under the altar of God, and that they cannot leave their own tombs, and be present there they will…And while the devil and the demons wander through the whole world, and with only too great speed present themselves everywhere; are martyrs, after the shedding of their blood, to be kept out of sight shut up in a coffin, from whence they cannot escape? You say, in your pamphlet, that so long as we are alive we can pray for one another; but once we die, the prayer of no person for another can be heard, and all the more because the martyrs, though they cry for the avenging of their blood, have never been able to obtain their request. If Apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, when they ought still to be anxious for themselves, how much more must they do so when once they have won their crowns, overcome, and triumphed? A single man, Moses, oft wins pardon from God for six hundred thousand armed men; and Stephen, the follower of his Lord and the first Christian martyr, entreats pardon for his persecutors; and when once they have entered on their life with Christ, shall they have less power than before? The Apostle Paul says that two hundred and seventy-six souls were given to him in the ship; and when, after his dissolution, he has begun to be with Christ, must he shut his mouth, and be unable to say a word for those who throughout the whole world have believed in his Gospel? Shall Vigilantius the live dog be better than Paul the dead lion? I should be right in saying so after Ecclesiastes, if I admitted that Paul is dead in spirit. The truth is that the saints are not called dead, but are said to be asleep. Wherefore Lazarus, who was about to rise again, is said to have slept. And the Apostle forbids the Thessalonians to be sorry for those who were asleep.” Jerome, Against Vigilantius, 6 (A.D. 406).
"Even if we make images of pious men it is not that we may adore them as gods but that when we see them we might be prompted to imitate them."Cyril of Alexandria, On Psalms 113 (115) (ante A.D. 444).
"The noble souls of the triumphant are sauntering around heaven, dancing in the choruses of the bodiless; and not one tomb for each conceals their bodies, but cities and villages divide them up and call them healers and preservers of souls and bodies, and venerate them a guardians and protectors of cities; and when they intervene as ambassadors before the Master of the universe the divine gifts are obtained through them; and though the body has been divided, its grace has continued undivided. And that little particle and smallest relic has the same power as the absolutely and utterly undivided martyr." Theodoret of Cyrus, The Cure of Pagan Maladies, 8:54 (A.D. 449).
" Thou gainest nothing, thou prevailest nothing, O savage cruelty. His mortal frame is released from thy devices, and, when Laurentius departs to heaven, thou art vanquished. The flame of Christ's love could not be overcome by thy flames, and the fire which burnt outside was less keen than that which blazed within. Thou didst but serve the martyr in thy rage, O persecutor: thou didst but swell the reward in adding to the pain. For what did thy cunning devise, which did not redound to the conqueror's glory, when even the instruments of torture were counted as part of the triumph? Let us rejoice, then, dearly-beloved, with spiritual joy, and make our boast over the happy end of this illustrious man in the Lord, Who is 'wonderful in His saints,' in whom He has given us a support and an example, and has so spread abroad his glory throughout the world, that, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the brightness of his deacon's light doth shine, and Rome is become as famous in Laurentius as Jerusalem was ennobled by Stephen. By his prayer and intercession we trust at all times to be assisted; that, because all, as the Apostle says, 'who wish to live holily in Christ, suffer persecutions,' we may be strengthened with the spirit of love, and be fortified to overcome all temptations by the perseverance of steadfast faith. Through our LORD Jesus Christ." Pope Leo the Great [regn. A.D. 440-461], On the Feast of Laurence the Martyr, Sermon 85:4 (ante A.D. 461).
"To the saints honour must be paid as friends of Christ, as sons and heirs of God: in the words of John the theologian and evangelist, As many as received Him, to them gave He power to became sons of God. So that they are no longer servants, but sons: and if sons, also heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ: and the Lord in the holy Gospels says to His apostles, Ye are My friends. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth. And further, if the Creator and Lord of all things is called also King of Kings and Lord of Lords and God of Gods, surely also the saints are gods and lords and kings. For of these God is and is called God and Lord and King. For I am the God of Abraham, He said to Moses, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And God made Moses a god to Pharaoh. Now I mean gods and kings and lords not in nature, but as rulers and masters of their passions, and as preserving a truthful likeness to the divine image according to which they were made (for the image of a king is also called king), and as being united to God of their own free-will and receiving Him as an indweller and becoming by grace through participation with Him what He is Himself by nature. Surely, then, the worshippers and friends and sons of God are to be held in honour? For the honour shown to the most thoughtful of fellow-servants is a proof of good feeling towards the common Master." John of Damascene, Orthodox Faith, 4:15 (A.D. 743).
"We, therefore, following the royal pathway and the divinely inspired authority of our Holy Fathers and the traditions of the Catholic Church (for, as we all know, the Holy Spirit indwells her), define with all certitude and accuracy that just as the figure of the precious and life-giving Cross, so also the venerable and holy images, as well in painting and mosaic as of other fit materials, should be set forth in the holy churches of God, and on the sacred vessels and on the vestments and on hangings and in pictures both in houses and by the wayside, to wit, the figure of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, of our spotless Lady, the Mother of God, of the honourable Angels, of all Saints and of all pious people. For by so much more frequently as they are seen in artistic representation, by so much more readily are men lifted up to the memory of their prototypes, and to a longing after them; and to these should be given due salutation and honourable reverence, not indeed that true worship of faith (latria) which pertains alone to the divine nature; but to these, as to the figure of the precious and life-giving Cross and to the Book of the Gospels and to the other holy objects, incense and lights may be offered according to ancient pious custom. For the honour which is paid to the image passes on to that which the image represents, and he who reveres the image reveres in it the subject represented. For thus the teaching of our holy Fathers, that is the tradition of the Catholic Church, which from one end of the earth to the other hath received the Gospel, is strengthened." Ecumenical Council of Nicea II, Action VII (A.D. 787).
(thank you, John Salza and Scripture Catholic)
Eph. 3:14-15- we are all one family ("Catholic") in heaven and on earth, united together, as children of the Father, through Jesus Christ. Our brothers and sisters who have gone to heaven before us are not a different family. We are one and the same family. This is why, in the Apostles Creed, we profess a belief in the "communion of saints." There cannot be a "communion" if there is no union. Loving beings, whether on earth or in heaven, are concerned for other beings, and this concern is reflected spiritually through prayers for one another.
Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23-32; Col. 1:18,24 - this family is in Jesus Christ, the head of the body, which is the Church.
1 Cor. 12:12,27; Rom. 12:5; Col. 3:15; Eph. 4:4 - we are the members of the one body of Christ, supernaturally linked together by our partaking of the Eucharist.
Rom. 8:35-39 - therefore, death does not separate the family of God and the love of Christ. We are still united with each other, even beyond death.
Matt. 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30 - Jesus converses with "deceased" Moses and Elijah. They are more alive than the saints on earth.
Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38 - God is the God of the living not the dead. The living on earth and in heaven are one family.
Luke 15:7,10 – if the angels and saints experience joy in heaven over our repentance, then they are still connected to us and are aware of our behavior.
John 15:1-6 - Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. The good branches are not cut off at death. They are alive in heaven.
1 Cor. 4:9 – because we can become a spectacle not only to men, but to angels as well, this indicates that angels are aware of our earthly activity. Those in heaven are connected to those on earth.
1 Cor. 12:26 - when one member suffers, all suffer. When one is honored, all rejoice. We are in this together as one family.
1 Cor 13:12; 1 John 3:2 - now we see in a mirror dimly, but in heaven we see face to face. The saints are more alive than we are!
Heb. 12:1: we are surrounded by a great glory cloud (shekinah) of witnesses. The “cloud of witnesses” refers to the saints who are not only watching us from above but cheering us on in our race to heaven.
1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 20:6 - we are a royal family of priests by virtue of baptism. We as priests intercede on behalf of each other.
2 Peter 1:4 - since God is the eternal family and we are His children, we are partakers of His divine nature as a united family.
1 Cor. 1:2; Rom. 1:7 - we are called to be saints. Saints refer to both those on earth and in heaven who are in Christ. Proof:
Acts 9:13,32,41; 26:10; 1 Cor. 6:1-2; 14:33; 2 Cor. 1:1; 8:4; 9:1-2; 13:13; Rom. 8:27; 12:23; 15:25,26, 31; 16:2,15; Eph. 1:1,15,18; 3:8; 5:3; 6:18; Phil. 1:1; 4:22; Col 1:2,4,26; 1 Tm 5:10; Philemon 1:5,7; Heb. 6:10; 13:24; Jude 1:3; Rev. 11:18; 13:7; 14:12; 16:6; 17:6;18:20,24; Rev 19:8; 20:9 - in these verses, we see that Christians still living on earth are called "saints."
Matt. 27:52; Eph. 2:19; 3:18; Col. 1:12; 2 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 5:8; 8:3-4; 11:18; 13:10 - in these verses, we also see that "saints" also refer to those in heaven who united with us.
Dan. 4:13,23; 8:23 – we also see that the angels in heaven are also called “saints.” The same Hebrew word “qaddiysh” (holy one) is applied to both humans and angels in heaven. Hence, there are angel saints in heaven and human saints in heaven and on earth. Loving beings (whether angels or saints) are concerned for other beings, and prayer is the spiritual way of expressing that love.
II. God Desires and Responds to Our Subordinate Mediation / Intercessory Prayer
1 Tim 2:1-2 - because Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), many Protestants deny the Catholic belief that the saints on earth and in heaven can mediate on our behalf. But before Paul's teaching about Jesus as the "one mediator," Paul urges supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. Paul is thus appealing for mediation from others besides Christ, the one mediator. Why?
1 Tim 2:3 - because this subordinate mediation is good and acceptable to God our Savior. Because God is our Father and we are His children, God invites us to participate in Christ's role as mediator.
1 Tim. 2:5 - therefore, although Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and man, there are many intercessors (subordinate mediators).
1 Cor. 3:9 - God invites us to participate in Christ's work because we are God's "fellow workers" and one family in the body of Christ. God wants His children to participate. The phrase used to describe "fellow workers" is "sunergoi," which literally means synergists, or cooperators with God in salvific matters. Does God need fellow workers? Of course not, but this shows how much He, as Father, loves His children. God wants us to work with Him.
Mark 16:20 - this is another example of how the Lord "worked with them" ("sunergountos"). God cooperates with us. Out of His eternal love, He invites our participation.
Rom. 8:28 - God "works for good with" (the Greek is "sunergei eis agathon") those who love Him. We work as subordinate mediators.
2 Cor. 6:1 - "working together" (the Greek is "sunergountes") with him, don't accept His grace in vain. God allows us to participate in His work, not because He needs our help, but because He loves us and wants to exalt us in His Son. It is like the father who lets his child join him in carrying the groceries in the house. The father does not need help, but he invites the child to assist to raise up the child in dignity and love.
Heb. 12:1 - the “cloud of witnesses” (nephos marturon) that we are surrounded by is a great amphitheatre of witnesses to the earthly race, and they actively participate and cheer us (the runners) on, in our race to salvation.
1 Peter 2:5 - we are a holy priesthood, instructed to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. We are therefore subordinate priests to the Head Priest, but we are still priests who participate in Christ's work of redemption.
Rev. 1:6, 5:10 - Jesus made us a kingdom of priests for God. Priests intercede through Christ on behalf of God's people.
James 5:16; Proverbs 15:8, 29 - the prayers of the righteous (the saints) have powerful effects. This is why we ask for their prayers. How much more powerful are the saints’ prayers in heaven, in whom righteousness has been perfected.
1 Tim 2:5-6 - therefore, it is because Jesus Christ is the one mediator before God that we can be subordinate mediators. Jesus is the reason. The Catholic position thus gives Jesus the most glory. He does it all but loves us so much He desires our participation.
III. Specific Instructions to Mediate and Examples of Subordinate Mediation
New Testament
Matt. 5:44-45 - Jesus tells us to pray for (to mediate on behalf of) those who persecute us. God instructs us to mediate.
Matt. 17:1-3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30-31 – deceased Moses and Elijah appear at the Transfiguration to converse with Jesus in the presence of Peter, James and John (these may be the two “witnesses” John refers to in Rev. 11:3). Nothing in Scripture ever suggests that God abhors or cuts off communication between the living in heaven and the living on earth. To the contrary, God encourages communication within the communion of saints. Moses and Elijah’s appearance on earth also teach us that the saints in heaven have capabilities that far surpass our limitations on earth.
Matt. 26:53 – Jesus says He can call upon the assistance of twelve legions of angels. If Jesus said He could ask for the assistance of angel saints, then so can we, who are called to imitate Jesus in word and in deed. And, in Matt. 22:30, Jesus says we will be “like angels in heaven.” This means human saints (like the angel saints) can be called upon to assist people on earth. God allows and encourages this interaction between his family members.
Matt. 27:47,49; Mark 15:35-36 – the people believe that Jesus calls on Elijah for his intercession, and waits to see if Elijah would come to save Jesus on the cross.
Matt. 27:52-53 - at Jesus' passion, many saints were raised and went into the city to appear and presumably interact with the people, just as Jesus did after His resurrection.
Mark 11:24 - Jesus says that whatever we ask in prayer, we will receive it. It is Jesus, and also we through Jesus, who mediate.
John 2:3 - Jesus knew the wine was gone, but invites and responds to Mary's intercession. God desires our lesser mediation and responds to it because He is a living and loving God.
John 2:5 - Mary intercedes on behalf of those at the wedding feast and tells them to do whatever Jesus tells them. Because Mary is our perfect model of faith, we too intercede on behalf of our brothers and sisters.
John 2:11 - in fact, it was Mary's intercession that started Jesus' ministry. His hour had not yet come, yet Jesus responds to Mary's intercession. Even though He could do it all by Himself, God wants to work with His children.
Acts 12:7 – an angel strikes Peter on the side and wakes him up, freeing him from prison. The angel responds to Peter’s prayers.
Rom. 15:30 - Paul commands the family of God to pray for him. If we are united together in the one body of Christ, we can help each other.
2 Cor. 1:11 - Paul even suggests that the more prayers and the more people who pray, the merrier! Prayer is even more effective when united with other's prayers.
2 Cor. 9:14 - Paul says that the earthly saints pray for the Corinthians. They are subordinate mediators in Christ.
2 Cor. 13:7,9 - Paul says the elders pray that the Corinthians may do right and improve. They participate in Christ's mediation.
Gal. 6:2,10 - Paul charges us to bear one another's burdens, and to do good to all, especially those in the household of faith.
Eph. 6:18 - Paul commands the family of God to pray for each other.
Eph. 6:19 - Paul commands that the Ephesians pray for him. If there is only one mediator, why would Paul ask for their prayers?
Phil. 1:19 - Paul acknowledges power of Philippians' earthly intercession. He will be delivered by their prayers and the Holy Spirit.
Col. 1:3 - Paul says that he and the elders pray for the Colossians. They are subordinate mediators in the body of Christ.
Col. 1:9 - Paul says that he and the elders have not ceased to pray for the Colossians, and that, by interceding, they may gain wisdom.
Col. 4:4 - Paul commands the Colossians to pray for the elders of the Church so that God may open a door for the word. Why doesn't Paul just leave it up to God? Because subordinate mediation is acceptable and pleasing to God, and brings about change in the world. This is as mysterious as the Incarnation, but it is true.
1 Thess. 5:11 - Paul charges us to encourage one another and build one another up, in the body of Christ. We do this as mediators in Christ.
1 Thess. 5:17 - Paul says "pray constantly." If Jesus' role as mediator does not apply subordinately to us, why pray at all?
1 Thess. 5:25 - Paul commands the family of God to pray for the elders of the Church. He desires our subordinate mediation.
2 Thess. 1:11 - Paul tells the family of God that he prays for us. We participate in Christ's mediation because Christ desires this.
2 Thess. 3:1 - Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for Him, Silvanus and Timothy so that they may be delivered.
1 Tim. 2:1-3 - Paul commands us to pray for all. Paul also states that these prayers are acceptable in the sight of God.
2 Tim. 1:3 – Paul says “I remember you constantly in my prayers.”
Philemon 22 - Paul is hoping through Philemon's intercession that he may be able to be with Philemon.
Heb. 1:14 – the author writes, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?”
Hebrews 13:18-19 - the author strongly urges the Hebrews to pray for the elders so that they act desirably in all things.
James 5:14-15- James says the prayer of the priests over the sick man will save the sick man and forgive his sins. This is a powerful example of men forgiving sins and bringing a person to salvation with the sacrament of the sick.
James 5:16 - James instructs us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed.
James 5:17-18 - James refers to God's response to Elijah's fervent prayer for no rain. He is teaching us about the effectiveness of our earthly mediation.
1 John 5:14-15 - John is confident that God will grant us anything we ask of God according to His will.
1 John 5:16-17 - our prayers for others even calls God to give life to them and keep them from sinning. Our God is a personal and living God who responds to our prayers.
3 John 2 - John prays for Gaius' health and thus acts as a subordinate mediator.
Rev. 1:4 – this verse shows that angels (here, the seven spirits) give grace and peace. Because grace and peace only come from God, the angels are acting as mediators for God.
Rev. 5:8 - the prayers of the saints (on heaven and earth) are presented to God by the angels and saints in heaven. This shows that the saints intercede on our behalf before God, and it also demonstrates that our prayers on earth are united with their prayers in heaven. (The “24 elders” are said to refer to the people of God – perhaps the 12 tribes and 12 apostles - and the “four living creatures” are said to refer to the angels.)
Rev. 6:9-11 – the martyred saints in heaven cry out in a loud voice to God to avenge their blood “on those who dwell upon the earth.” These are “imprecatory prayers,” which are pleas for God’s judgment (see similar prayers in Psalm 35:1; 59:1-17; 139:19; Jer. 11:20; 15:15; 18:19; Zech.1:12-13). This means that the saints in heaven are praying for those on earth, and God answers their prayers (Rev. 8:1-5). We, therefore, ask for their intercession and protection.
Rev. 8:3-4 – in heaven an angel mingles incense with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne of God, and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God. These prayers “rise up” before God and elicit various kinds of earthly activity. God responds to his children’s requests, whether made by his children on earth or in heaven.
Old Testament
Gen. 20:17 - God responds to Abraham's intercession and heals Abimelech, and also his wife and slaves.
Gen. 27:29; Num. 24:9 - blessed be everyone who blesses you. If we bless others in prayer, we are also blessed.
Exodus 32:11-14, 30-34; 34:9; Num. 14:17-20; 21:7-9 - these are many examples of God's response to Moses' saintly intercession.
1 Sam. 12:23 - Samuel says that he would be sinning against God if he didn't continue to intercede for the people of Israel.
1 Sam. 28:7-20 – the deceased prophet Samuel appears and converses with Saul, which is confirmed by Sirach 46:13,20).
1 Sam. 28:7; 1 Chron. 10:13-14 - Saul practiced necromancy. He used a medium, not God, to seek the dead and was therefore condemned. Saul's practice is entirely at odds with the Catholic understanding of saintly mediation, where God is the source and channel of all communication, and who permits His children to participate in this power.
2 Chron. 30:27 - the prayers of the priests and Levites came before God's holy habitation in heaven and were answered.
Tobit 12:12,15 - angels place Tobit and Sarah's prayers before the Holy One. This teaches us that the angels are also our subordinate mediators. We pray to the angels to take up our prayers to God.
Job 42:7-9 - Job prayed for three friends in sin and God listened to Job as a result of these prayers.
Psalm 34:7 – the angel of the Lord delivers those who fear him.
Psalm 91:11 – God will give His angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 103:20-21; 148:1-2 – we praise the angels and ask for their assistance in doing God’s will.
Psalm 141:2 - David asks that his prayer be counted as incense before God. The prayers of the saints have powerful effects.
Isaiah 6:6-7 - an angel touches Isaiah's lips and declares that his sin is forgiven. The angel is a subordinate mediator of God who effects the forgiveness of sins on God’s behalf.
Jer. 7:16 - God acknowledges the people's ability to intercede, but refuses to answer due to the hardness of heart.
Jer. 15:1 – the Lord acknowledges the intercessory power of Moses and Samuel.
Jer. 37:3 - king Zedekiah sends messengers to ask Jeremiah to intercede for the people, that he might pray to God for them.
Jer. 42:1-6 - all the people of Israel went before Jeremiah asking for his intercession, that he would pray to the Lord for them.
Baruch 3:4 - Baruch asks the Lord to hear the prayers of the dead of Israel. They can intercede on behalf of the people of God.
Dan. 9:20-23 - Daniel intercedes on behalf of the people of Israel confessing both his sins and the sins of the people before God.
Zech. 1:12-13 - an angel intercedes for those in Judea and God responds favorably.
2 Macc. 15:12-16 – the high priest Onias and the prophet Jeremiah were deceased for centuries, and yet interact with the living Judas Maccabeas and pray for the holy people on earth.
IV. Veneration / Honor of the Saints
Matt. 18:10 - the angels in heaven always behold the face of God. We venerate them for their great dignity and union with God.
Matt. 15:4; Luke 18:20; Eph. 6:2-3 Exodus 20:12; Lev. 19:3; Deut. 5:16 - we are instructed to honor our father and mother.
Luke 1:28 - the angel Gabriel venerates Mary by declaring to her "Hail, full of grace." The heavenly angel honors the human Mary, for her perfection of grace exceeds that of the angels.
Romans 13:7 - we are to give honor where honor is due. When we honor God's children, we honor God Himself, for He is the source of all honor.
1 Cor. 4:16 - the most important form of veneration of the saints is "imitating" the saints, as Paul commands us to do.
1 Cor. 11:1 - again, Paul says, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." The ultimate objective of veneration is imitation.
Phil. 2:25-29 - Paul teaches us to honor Epaprhoditus who almost died for the faith. How much more honor is owed to the saints that did die for the faith!
Phil. 3:17 - Paul says to imitate him and others, which is the goal of veneration. Veneration is not worship.
1 Thess. 1:6 – Paul says to the Thessalonians, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord.” This is the goal of veneration.
2 Thess. 3:7 - Paul says that the Thessalonians should imitate him and the other bishops.
Hebrews 3:3 - Jesus is worthy of "more" glory and honor than Moses. This does not mean that the saints are worthy of no glory and honor. Instead, it proves that saintly people are worthy of glory and honor out of God's goodness.
Heb. 6:12 – the author teaches us to be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Heb. 13:7 - we must imitate the faith of our faithful leaders. We ask for their intercession and venerate them for their holiness.
James 5:10-11 – James teaches us to take heart in the examples of the prophets and Job, who endured suffering.
1 Peter 2:17 - Peter teaches us to honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor. Don't those living with Christ in heaven deserve honor? Catholics believe they do, and honor them with special feast days, just as we honor those living by celebrating their birthdays.
Gen. 19:1 - Lot venerates the two angels in Sodom, bowing himself with his face to the ground.
Gen. 42:6 - Joseph's brothers bow before Joseph with the face to the ground. This is veneration, not worship.
Exodus 28:2 - it is especially important to honor religious leaders. Sacred garments for Aaron give him dignity and honor.
Lev. 19:32- we should also honor "the face of an old man." When the elderly die in Christ, we should continue honoring them, because death does not separate them from us or the love of Christ.
1 Sam. 28:14 - Saul bows down before Samuel with his face to the ground in veneration.
2 Chron. 32:33 - Hezekiah was honored at his death. We honor our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Sir. 44:1-2 - we should praise and give honor to those who the Lord apportioned great glory. It is our family in Christ.
V. Posture in Prayer, Veneration and Worship
Deut. 5:9 - God's command, "you shall not bow down to them" means "do not worship them." But not all bowing is worship. Here God's command is connected to false worship.
Rev. 3:9 - Jesus said people would bow down before the faithful members of the church of Philadelphia. This bowing before the faithful is not worship, just as kissing a picture of a family member is not worship.
Gen. 19:1 - Lot bowed down to the ground in veneration before two angels in Sodom.
Gen. 24:52 - Abraham's servant bowed himself to the earth before the Lord.
Gen. 42:6 - Joseph's brothers bow before Joseph with the face to the ground.
Jos. 5:14 - Joshua fell to the ground prostrate in veneration before an angel.
1 Sam. 28:14 - Saul bows down before Samuel with his face to the ground in honor and veneration.
1 Kings 1:23 - the prophet Nathan bows down before King David.
2 Kings 2:15 - the sons of the prophets bow down to Elisha at Jericho.
1 Chron. 21:21 - Ornan the Jebusite did obeisance to king David with his face to the ground.
1 Chron. 29:20 - Israelites bowed down to worship God and give honor to the king.
2 Chron. 29:29-30 - King Hezekiah and the assembly venerate the altar by bowing down in worship before the sin offerings.
Tobit 12:16 - Tobiah and Tobit fell down to the ground in veneration before the angel Raphael.
Judith 14:7 - Achior the Ammonite kneels before Judith venerating her and praising God.
Psalm 138:2 - David bows down before God's Holy Temple.
Dan. 2:46 - the king fell down on his face paying homage to Daniel and commands that an offering be made to him.
Dan. 8:17 - Daniel fell down prostrate in veneration before the angel Gabriel.
1 Macc. 4:40,55 - Judas and the faithful fell face down to the ground to praise heaven and worship God.
2 Macc. 10:4,26; 13:12 - Maccabeus and his followers fall down prostrate praying to God.
TRADITION/ CHURCH FATHERS
I. Intercessory Power and Veneration of the Saints
"[T]hat it is neither possible for us ever to forsake Christ, who suffered for the salvation of such as shall be saved throughout the whole world (the blameless one for sinners), nor to worship any other. For Him indeed, as being the Son of God, we adore; but the martyrs, as disciples and followers of the Lord, we worthily love on account of their extraordinary affection towards their own King and Master, of whom may we also be made companions and fellow disciples! The centurion then, seeing the strife excited by the Jews, placed the body in the midst of the fire, and consumed it. Accordingly, we afterwards took up his bones, as being more precious than the most exquisite jewels, and more purified than gold, and deposited them in a fitting place, whither, being gathered together, as opportunity is allowed us, with joy and rejoicing, the Lord shall grant us to celebrate the anniversary of his martyrdom, both in memory of those who have already finished their course, and for the exercising and preparation of those yet to walk in their steps."Martyrdom of Polycarp 17,18 (A.D. 157).
"[Appealing to the three companions of Daniel] Think of me, I beseech you, so that I may achieve with you the same fate of martyrdom." Hippolytus of Rome, On Daniel, 11:30 (A.D. 204).
"As often as the anniversary comes round, we make offerings for the dead as birthday honours." Tertullian, The Crown, 3 (A.D. 211).
"Nor is that kind of title to glories in the case of Celerinus, our beloved, an unfamiliar and novel thing. He is advancing in the footsteps of his kindred; he rivals his parents and relations in equal honours of divine condescension. His grandmother, Celerina, was some time since crowned with martyrdom. Moreover, his paternal and maternal uncles, Laurentius and Egnatius, who themselves also were once warring in the camps of the world, but were true and spiritual soldiers of God, casting down the devil by the confession of Christ, merited palms and crowns from the Lord by their illustrious passion. We always offer sacrifices for them, as you remember, as often as we celebrate the passions and days of the martyrs in the annual commemoration. Nor could he, therefore, be degenerate and inferior whom this family dignity and a generous nobility provoked, by domestic examples of virtue and faith. But if in a worldly family it is a matter of heraldry and of praise to be a patrician, of bow much greater praise and honour is it to become of noble rank in the celestial heraldry! I cannot tell whom I should call more blessed,--whether those ancestors, for a posterity so illustrious, or him, for an origin so glorious. So equally between them does the divine condescension flow, and pass to and fro, that, just as the dignity of their offspring brightens their crown, so the sublimity of his ancestry illuminates his glory." Cyprian, To Clergy and People, Epistle 33(39):3 (A.D. 250).
"I am also of opinion that there were many persons of the same name with John the apostle, who by their love for him, and their admiration and emulation of him, and their desire to be loved by the Lord as he was loved, were induced to embrace also the same designation, just as we find many of the children of the faithful called by the names of Paul and Peter." Dionysius of Alexandria, Books of Promises, 5 (A.D. 257).
"Then we commemorate also those who have fallen asleep before us, first Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, that at their prayers and intercessions God would receive our petition. Then on behalf also of the Holy Fathers and Bishops who have fallen asleep before us, and in a word of all who in past years have fallen asleep among us, believing that it will be a very great benefit to the souls, for whom the supplication is put up, while that holy and most awful sacrifice is set forth." Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 23:9 (A.D. 350).
"Thus might you console us; but what of the flock? Would you first promise the oversight and leadership of yourself, a man under whose wings we all would gladly repose, and for whose words we thirst more eagerly than men suffering from thirst for the purest fountain? Secondly, persuade us that the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep has not even now left us; but is present, and tends and guides, and knows his own, and is known of his own, and, though bodily invisible, is spiritually recognized, and defends his flock against the wolves, and allows no one to climb over into the fold as a robber and traitor; to pervert and steal away, by the voice of strangers, souls under the fair guidance of the truth. Aye, I am well assured that his intercession is of more avail now than was his instruction in former days, since he is closer to God, now that he has shaken off his bodily fetters, and freed his mind from the clay which obscured it, and holds intercourse naked with the nakedness of the prime and purest Mind; being promoted, if it be not rash to say so, to the rank and confidence of an angel." John Chrysostom, On the Death of his Father, Oration 18:4 (A.D. 374).
"He voluntarily undertook all the toil of the journey; he moderated the energy of the faithful on the spot; he persuaded opponents by his arguments; in the presence of priests and deacons, and of many others who fear the Lord, he took up the relics with all becoming reverence, and has aided the brethren in their preservation. These relics do you receive with a joy equivalent to the distress with which their custodians have parted with them and sent them to you. Let none dispute; let none doubt. Here you have that unconquered athlete. These bones, which shared in the conflict with the blessed soul, are known to the Lord. These bones He will crown, together with that soul, in the righteous day of His requital, as it is written, 'we must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may give an account of the deeds he has done in the body.' One coffin held that honoured corpse. None other lay by his side. The burial was a noble one; the honours of a martyr were paid him. Christians who had welcomed him as a guest and then with their own hands laid him in the grave, have now disinterred him. They have wept as men bereaved of a father and a champion. But they have sent him to you, for they put your joy before their own consolation. Pious were the hands that gave; scrupulously careful were the hands that received. There has been no room for deceit; no room for guile. I bear witness to this. Let the untainted truth be accepted by you." Basil, To Ambrose bishop of Milan, Epistle 197 (A.D. 375).
"Furthermore, as to mentioning the names of the dead, how is there anything very useful in that? What is more timely or more excellent than that those who are still here should believe that the departed do live, and that they have not retreated into nothingness, but that they exist and are alive with the Master...Useful too is the prayer fashioned on their behalf...For we make commemoration of the just and of sinners: of sinners, begging God's mercy for them; of the just and the Fathers and Patriarchs and Prophets and Apostles and Evangelists and martyrs and confessors, and of bishops and solitaries, and of the whole list of them..." Epiphanius, Panarion, 75:8 (A.D. 377).
"Only may that power come upon us which strengthens weakness, through the prayers of him[i.e. St. Paul] who made his own strength perfect in bodily weakness." Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius, 1:1(A.D. 380).
"But God forbid that any in this fair assembly should appear there suffering such things! but by the prayers of the holy fathers, correcting all our offences, and having shown forth the abundant fruit of virtue, may we depart hence with much confidence." John Chrysostom, On Statues, Homily 6:19 (A.D. 387).
"As to our paying honor to the memory of the martyrs, and the accusation of Faustus, that we worship them instead of idols, I should not care to answer such a charge, were it not for the sake of showing how Faustus, in his desire to cast reproach on us, has overstepped the Manichaean inventions, and has fallen heedlessly into a popular notion found in Pagan poetry, although he is so anxious to be distinguished from the Pagans. For in saying that we have turned the idols into martyrs, be speaks of our worshipping them with similar rites, and appeasing the shades of the departed with wine and food…It is true that Christians pay religious honor to the memory of the martyrs, both to excite us to imitate them and to obtain a share in their merits, and the assistance of their prayers. But we build altars not to any martyr, but to the God of martyrs, although it is to the memory of the martyrs. No one officiating at the altar in the saints' burying-place ever says, We bring an offering to thee, O Peter! or O Paul! or O Cyprian! The offering is made to God, who gave the crown of martyrdom, while it is in memory of those thus crowned. The emotion is increased by the associations of the place, and. love is excited both towards those who are our examples, and towards Him by whose help we may follow such examples. We regard the martyrs with the same affectionate intimacy that we feel towards holy men of God in this life, when we know that their hearts are prepared to endure the same suffering for the truth of the gospel. There is more devotion in our feeling towards the martyrs, because we know that their conflict is over; and we can speak with greater confidence in praise of those already victors in heaven, than of those still combating here.” Augustine, Against Faustus, 20:21 (A.D. 400).
"We, it is true, refuse to worship or adore, I say not the relics of the martyrs, but even the sun and moon, the angels and archangels, the Cherubim and Seraphim and 'every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come.' For we may not "serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Still we honour the relics of the martyrs, that we may adore Him whose martyrs they are. We honour the servants that their honour may be reflected upon their Lord who Himself says:--'he that receiveth you receiveth me.' I ask Vigilantius, Are the relics of Peter and of Paul unclean? Was the body of Moses unclean, of which we are told (according to the correct Hebrew text) that it was buried by the Lord Himself? And do we, every time that we enter the basilicas of apostles and prophets and martyrs, pay homage to the shrines of idols? Are the tapers which burn before their tombs only the tokens of idolatry? I will go farther still and ask a question which will make this theory recoil upon the head of its inventor and which will either kill or cure that frenzied brain of his, so that simple souls shall be no more subverted by his sacrilegious reasonings. Let him answer me this, Was the Lord's body unclean when it was placed in the sepulchre? And did the angels clothed in white raiment merely watch over a corpse dead and defiled, that ages afterwards this sleepy fellow might indulge in dreams and vomit forth his filthy surfeit, so as, like the persecutor Julian, either to destroy the basilicas of the saints or to convert them into heathen temples?" Jerome, To Riparius, Epistle 109:1 (A.D. 404).
"For you say that the souls of Apostles and martyrs have their abode either in the bosom of Abraham, or in the place of refreshment, or under the altar of God, and that they cannot leave their own tombs, and be present there they will…And while the devil and the demons wander through the whole world, and with only too great speed present themselves everywhere; are martyrs, after the shedding of their blood, to be kept out of sight shut up in a coffin, from whence they cannot escape? You say, in your pamphlet, that so long as we are alive we can pray for one another; but once we die, the prayer of no person for another can be heard, and all the more because the martyrs, though they cry for the avenging of their blood, have never been able to obtain their request. If Apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, when they ought still to be anxious for themselves, how much more must they do so when once they have won their crowns, overcome, and triumphed? A single man, Moses, oft wins pardon from God for six hundred thousand armed men; and Stephen, the follower of his Lord and the first Christian martyr, entreats pardon for his persecutors; and when once they have entered on their life with Christ, shall they have less power than before? The Apostle Paul says that two hundred and seventy-six souls were given to him in the ship; and when, after his dissolution, he has begun to be with Christ, must he shut his mouth, and be unable to say a word for those who throughout the whole world have believed in his Gospel? Shall Vigilantius the live dog be better than Paul the dead lion? I should be right in saying so after Ecclesiastes, if I admitted that Paul is dead in spirit. The truth is that the saints are not called dead, but are said to be asleep. Wherefore Lazarus, who was about to rise again, is said to have slept. And the Apostle forbids the Thessalonians to be sorry for those who were asleep.” Jerome, Against Vigilantius, 6 (A.D. 406).
"Even if we make images of pious men it is not that we may adore them as gods but that when we see them we might be prompted to imitate them."Cyril of Alexandria, On Psalms 113 (115) (ante A.D. 444).
"The noble souls of the triumphant are sauntering around heaven, dancing in the choruses of the bodiless; and not one tomb for each conceals their bodies, but cities and villages divide them up and call them healers and preservers of souls and bodies, and venerate them a guardians and protectors of cities; and when they intervene as ambassadors before the Master of the universe the divine gifts are obtained through them; and though the body has been divided, its grace has continued undivided. And that little particle and smallest relic has the same power as the absolutely and utterly undivided martyr." Theodoret of Cyrus, The Cure of Pagan Maladies, 8:54 (A.D. 449).
" Thou gainest nothing, thou prevailest nothing, O savage cruelty. His mortal frame is released from thy devices, and, when Laurentius departs to heaven, thou art vanquished. The flame of Christ's love could not be overcome by thy flames, and the fire which burnt outside was less keen than that which blazed within. Thou didst but serve the martyr in thy rage, O persecutor: thou didst but swell the reward in adding to the pain. For what did thy cunning devise, which did not redound to the conqueror's glory, when even the instruments of torture were counted as part of the triumph? Let us rejoice, then, dearly-beloved, with spiritual joy, and make our boast over the happy end of this illustrious man in the Lord, Who is 'wonderful in His saints,' in whom He has given us a support and an example, and has so spread abroad his glory throughout the world, that, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the brightness of his deacon's light doth shine, and Rome is become as famous in Laurentius as Jerusalem was ennobled by Stephen. By his prayer and intercession we trust at all times to be assisted; that, because all, as the Apostle says, 'who wish to live holily in Christ, suffer persecutions,' we may be strengthened with the spirit of love, and be fortified to overcome all temptations by the perseverance of steadfast faith. Through our LORD Jesus Christ." Pope Leo the Great [regn. A.D. 440-461], On the Feast of Laurence the Martyr, Sermon 85:4 (ante A.D. 461).
"To the saints honour must be paid as friends of Christ, as sons and heirs of God: in the words of John the theologian and evangelist, As many as received Him, to them gave He power to became sons of God. So that they are no longer servants, but sons: and if sons, also heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ: and the Lord in the holy Gospels says to His apostles, Ye are My friends. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth. And further, if the Creator and Lord of all things is called also King of Kings and Lord of Lords and God of Gods, surely also the saints are gods and lords and kings. For of these God is and is called God and Lord and King. For I am the God of Abraham, He said to Moses, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And God made Moses a god to Pharaoh. Now I mean gods and kings and lords not in nature, but as rulers and masters of their passions, and as preserving a truthful likeness to the divine image according to which they were made (for the image of a king is also called king), and as being united to God of their own free-will and receiving Him as an indweller and becoming by grace through participation with Him what He is Himself by nature. Surely, then, the worshippers and friends and sons of God are to be held in honour? For the honour shown to the most thoughtful of fellow-servants is a proof of good feeling towards the common Master." John of Damascene, Orthodox Faith, 4:15 (A.D. 743).
"We, therefore, following the royal pathway and the divinely inspired authority of our Holy Fathers and the traditions of the Catholic Church (for, as we all know, the Holy Spirit indwells her), define with all certitude and accuracy that just as the figure of the precious and life-giving Cross, so also the venerable and holy images, as well in painting and mosaic as of other fit materials, should be set forth in the holy churches of God, and on the sacred vessels and on the vestments and on hangings and in pictures both in houses and by the wayside, to wit, the figure of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, of our spotless Lady, the Mother of God, of the honourable Angels, of all Saints and of all pious people. For by so much more frequently as they are seen in artistic representation, by so much more readily are men lifted up to the memory of their prototypes, and to a longing after them; and to these should be given due salutation and honourable reverence, not indeed that true worship of faith (latria) which pertains alone to the divine nature; but to these, as to the figure of the precious and life-giving Cross and to the Book of the Gospels and to the other holy objects, incense and lights may be offered according to ancient pious custom. For the honour which is paid to the image passes on to that which the image represents, and he who reveres the image reveres in it the subject represented. For thus the teaching of our holy Fathers, that is the tradition of the Catholic Church, which from one end of the earth to the other hath received the Gospel, is strengthened." Ecumenical Council of Nicea II, Action VII (A.D. 787).
(thank you, John Salza and Scripture Catholic)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Twaddle-free Tuesdays: Gibran on Freedom ( Sur la Liberté)
In English:
And an orator said, "Speak to us of Freedom."
And he answered:
At the city gate and by your fireside I have seen you prostrate yourself and worship your own freedom,
Even as slaves humble themselves before a tyrant and praise him though he slays them.
Ay, in the grove of the temple and in the shadow of the citadel I have seen the freest among you wear their freedom as a yoke and a handcuff.
And my heart bled within me; for you can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment.
You shall be free indeed when your days are not without a care nor your nights without a want and a grief,
But rather when these things girdle your life and yet you rise above them naked and unbound.
And how shall you rise beyond your days and nights unless you break the chains which you at the dawn of your understanding have fastened around your noon hour?
In truth that which you call freedom is the strongest of these chains, though its links glitter in the sun and dazzle the eyes.
And what is it but fragments of your own self you would discard that you may become free?
If it is an unjust law you would abolish, that law was written with your own hand upon your own forehead.
You cannot erase it by burning your law books nor by washing the foreheads of your judges, though you pour the sea upon them.
And if it is a despot you would dethrone, see first that his throne erected within you is destroyed.
For how can a tyrant rule the free and the proud, but for a tyranny in their own freedom and a shame in their won pride?
And if it is a care you would cast off, that care has been chosen by you rather than imposed upon you.
And if it is a fear you would dispel, the seat of that fear is in your heart and not in the hand of the feared.
Verily all things move within your being in constant half embrace, the desired and the dreaded, the repugnant and the cherished, the pursued and that which you would escape.
These things move within you as lights and shadows in pairs that cling.
And when the shadow fades and is no more, the light that lingers becomes a shadow to another light.
And thus your freedom when it loses its fetters becomes itself the fetter of a greater freedom.
En français: Je vous ai vus vous prosterner aux portes de la cité et dans vos foyers, et vous vouer au culte de votre propre liberté,
Comme les esclaves qui s’humilient devant un tyran et le louent, alors qu’il les anéantit.
Oui, dans le bosquet du temple et dans l’ombre de la citadelle, j’ai vu les plus libres d’entre vous porter leur liberté comme un joug ou des menottes.
Et mon cœur saigna en moi ; car vous ne pouvez être libre lorsque vous forgez une chaîne du désir même de la liberté, et quand vous ne cessez de parler de la liberté comme d’un but et un accomplissement.
Vous serez libre en vérité non pas quand vous jours seront sans tourments et vos nuits sans un désir ou un chagrin,
Mais davantage quand ces choses étrangleront votre vie, et que pourtant vous vous élèverez au-dessus d’elles, nu et sans entraves.
Et comment vous élèverez-vous au-delà de vos jours et de vos nuits, à moins que vous ne rompiez les chaînes que vous-même, à l’aurore de votre entendement, avez fixées autour de votre âge mûr ?
En vérité ce que vous appelez liberté est la plus solide de ces chaînes, bien que ses anneaux scintillent au soleil et éblouissent vos yeux.
Et à quoi voulez-vous renoncer dans votre quête de la liberté, si ce n’est à des parcelles de vous-même ?
S’il existe une loi injuste que vous voudriez abolir, cette loi fut écrite de votre propre main sur votre propre front.
Vous ne pouvez l’effacer en brûlant vos tables de la loi, ni en lavant le front de vos juges, même si vous déversiez sur eux la mer toute entière.
Et s’il existe un despote que vous voudriez détrôner, voyez d’abord si l’image de son trône érigée en vous est détruite.
Car comment le tyrant peut-il régner sur les affranchis et les fiers, s’il n’existe une tyrannie dans leur propre liberté et une honte dans leur propre fierté ?
Et s’il existe un tourment que vous voudriez dissiper, le siège de cette crainte est dans votre cœur et non dans la main du tourment.
Vraiment, toutes les choses se meuvent dans votre être en une continuelle étreinte fatale ; ce que vous désirez et ce que vous redoutez, ce qui vous attire et ce qui vous répugne, ce que vous poursuivez et ce que vous voulez fuir.
Ces choses se meuvent en vous comme la lumière et l’ombre, en couples enlacés.
Et quand l’ombre se dissipe et disparaît, la lumière qui persiste devient l’ombre d’une autre lumière.
Et telle est votre liberté qui, quand elle perd ses entraves, devient l’entrave d’une plus grande liberté.
----Khalil Gibran, the Prophet (Le Prophète)
S’il existe une loi injuste que vous voudriez abolir, cette loi fut écrite de votre propre main sur votre propre front.
Vous ne pouvez l’effacer en brûlant vos tables de la loi, ni en lavant le front de vos juges, même si vous déversiez sur eux la mer toute entière.
Et s’il existe un despote que vous voudriez détrôner, voyez d’abord si l’image de son trône érigée en vous est détruite.
Car comment le tyrant peut-il régner sur les affranchis et les fiers, s’il n’existe une tyrannie dans leur propre liberté et une honte dans leur propre fierté ?
Et s’il existe un tourment que vous voudriez dissiper, le siège de cette crainte est dans votre cœur et non dans la main du tourment.
Vraiment, toutes les choses se meuvent dans votre être en une continuelle étreinte fatale ; ce que vous désirez et ce que vous redoutez, ce qui vous attire et ce qui vous répugne, ce que vous poursuivez et ce que vous voulez fuir.
Ces choses se meuvent en vous comme la lumière et l’ombre, en couples enlacés.
Et quand l’ombre se dissipe et disparaît, la lumière qui persiste devient l’ombre d’une autre lumière.
Et telle est votre liberté qui, quand elle perd ses entraves, devient l’entrave d’une plus grande liberté.
----Khalil Gibran, the Prophet (Le Prophète)
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