Intercession Made Simple

 Hello friends! And welcome to the Catholic Made Simple blog! With this blog, I am just attempting to make Catholic teachings as simple and interesting as I can! They are not meant to be exhaustive defenses, just enough information to clarify things! I hope to help you discover the truth of the faith, especially as it is laid out in Scripture.

Want clarification and Biblical support on a Catholic topic? Leave a comment!

What's the Scoop?

Today's topic is "Intercession." The Catholic Church teaches that in prayer, "The pilgrim Church is associated with that of the Saints, whose intercession she asks" (CCC 2692). This just means that the Church believes that those who have died and gone to Heaven, are still accessible and in communion to those on earth (the pilgrim Church). The Church believes it is good to ask for their prayers in the exact same way one would ask an earthly friend to pray for them!

Some non-Catholics disagree with Intercession because they believe that those in Heaven can't hear or see us. Some also don't believe it because they don't think it makes a difference, when they could go directly to God himself rather than a saint.

Is it in the Bible?

Yes! In fact, Intercession is one topic that can be found from the first stories of the Old Testament all the way to Revelation, the last book in the Bible. To "intercede" for someone just means to "speak on their behalf." In the Bible, we see intercessors in many stories. For example, Abraham intercedes for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to try to save those cities from complete destruction (Gen 18). In Exodus 32, Moses intercedes to God for the Israelite people and their sins- even asking God to blot his name from the Book of Life if God will not forgive them. In the book of Job, God tells Job's friends that the only way they will escape punishment is if Job prays for them. Why wouldn't God ask the friends to pray for themselves?

There is one reason, and the book of James tells us: "The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful" (James 5). God hears and answers the prayers of the just more than he listens to the prayers of the wicked. We know this from various stories throughout Scripture, but especially by Psalm 66, which states: "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened."

Soo... It would make sense for us to ask righteous people to pray for us, right? In a very literal sense, would you rather ask a faithful grandmother or an evil dictator to pray for you? Probably the grandmother! Now take it to an extreme! Would you rather have a sinful friend on earth or a completely-purified saint in Heaven like St. Peter praying for you? Probably Peter!

We should still ask our earthly friends to pray for us, however. James 5 tells us to confess our sins and pray for one another so that we may be healed! Paul writes in Colossians 1 that he doesn't cease praying for his brothers and sisters in Christ. With verses like these, we know it is paramount to our faith to be praying for one another!

The question, is, then... When we die, do we stop praying for one another? The Bible says no! Paul writes in Romans 8 that neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God. In perhaps the most convincing Biblical chapter for the proof of heavenly Intercession, the author of Hebrews writes about many of the heroes of the Old Testament, including Abraham, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, and Samson. Then, to start Chapter 12, the author writes this: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus..." In the original Greek language, the word "cloud" in this verse implies a large audience. The author is stating that these heroes of the Old Testament are watching us and cheering us on as an audience cheers on athletes in a race! There are also other verses in Scripture detailing those in Heaven being aware of what's happening on earth, such as the Transfiguration (Luke 9) and especially the martyrs in Heaven awaiting justice (Revelation 6).

For these reasons and many others, the Church's position is, and has always been, that those in Heaven are aware of what's happening on earth, and that they are up there praying for us. And that we can ask the Saints in Heaven to pray for us and bring our intentions to God, just like we'd ask a friend on earth to pray for us!

Did Early Christians Agree?

Yes! Clement of Alexandria wrote this in 208 AD, only about 113 years after the apostle John wrote Revelation: "The Christian... prays in the society of angels, as being already of angelic rank, and he is never out of their holy keeping; and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him."

Likewise, early Church Father Origen wrote this in 233 AD: "But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep."

So What Am I Supposed To Do Now?

Now, you should think of a Saint in Heaven who you'd like to ask to pray for you! If you're having a hard time thinking of one, your guardian angel is always a good place to start! Jesus says in the Bible that our guardian angels are always in Heaven looking upon the face of our Father God (Matthew 18)! If you need help with a prayer, I've written one here! Feel free to pray it. I've addressed my prayer to my patron saint, St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, but you can address it to any saint you want!

Dear St. Jose, I know that you are in Heaven and are very close to God right now. I have been struggling a lot with stresses and anxieties in my life lately. Would you pray for me and bring these intentions to Jesus for me? I know he can heal me of these things and every other thing that plagues me in this world. I also ask that you give me the gift of your courage, to be strong in the face of evil. Thank you, dear Jose! You are truly an inspiration to me! I love you.

I hope this blog post made Intercession simple for you! Let me know your thoughts! Looking forward to seeing you next time, with our very important post on... Mary!