“Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrew 10:25 La vision et l’inspiration, Louis-Maurice Boutet de Montvel, (1851-1913)

When I was a Calvinist, I would defer to Calvin when there was doctrinal or exegetical ambiguity. This became problematic, however, when I began my journey ascending the theological candle given that Calvin was the conduit that inevitably made me Catholic. It was Calvin’s work that eventually led me to Early Patristics and consequently, forced me to transition from Baptist to Anglican…as opposed to the normative path to Presbyterianism. It was actually infant baptism that started my accent, but it wasn’t the most potent doctrine that ultimately changed my perspective of Christianity. It was actually the encounter of another French saint that would upset the natural flow of my neat and clean systematic theology that was so finely polished by Calvin’s expertise; and that was… you guessed it, St. Joan of Arc.



If infant baptism is the theological gateway drug into Catholicism, then the Intercession of the Saints is probably the equivalent of Breaking Bad.



And I love Bryan Cranston…



Now I’ve mentioned St. Joan several times before but she is rather important to the story surrounding my transition. Needless to say, it was the Intercession of the Saints that really began a paradigm shift that would lead me into what many would consider an early form of Catholicism. I guess I should also mention that I am not Roman Catholic, but I do sympathize with those who are. Nevertheless, I have noticed that the Intercession of the Saints is a rather contentious subject for many, particularly protestants, so I figured I would give a synopsis of how one who held so firmly to Reformation tenants and was so well versed in Calvin’s Institutes could fall victim to such papist doctrine (laughs).



As with any theological shift, it begins with an emotional openness. This will be relative to the individual but it’s something God will have to do. It’s like a splash of cold water. It’s kind of like baptism.. It really does change (save) you. Most protestants are stuck in a very modern idea of what Christianity is which sort of prevents them from seeing anything outside their theological safe space as credible. This usually manifests in most Reformed guys doing the philosophical word game that eventually leads every conversation back to a doctrine that they suppose originates with Calvin and tossing every text they can at it for validation. Take it from me, we have a tendency to read the bible with a “but” mentality meaning when something seems contradictory you add a “but it can’t mean that” interpretation to the text. Not to mention Reformers love to play around with which parts of Christian tradition they will accept. But it could be worse, they could simply hate history and everything to do with the ancient church…they could be baptist or mormon, so I’m not complaining. Some history is better than none I guess. But back to my point…



The Intercession of the Saints, or simply praying to the saints, is contentious because praying is seen by most protestants as the ultimate form of intimacy between that which is physical and that which is metaphysical. Despite many attempts by St. Augustine…yes the one protestant adore for some odd reason…and others to draw a rational line between giving honour and giving worship, protestants still seem to understand prayer as worship. Hence why you’ll constantly hear protestant’s protest that Roman Catholic’s worship Mary, which is laughable for anyone who has studied RC Mariology. Nevertheless, the Intercession of the Saints has a logic behind it which is rooted deeply in both scripture and history. Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, if true, this doctrine is simply a game changer.



Let’s first cover some biblical ground and try to clear up some of the difficulty individuals have with said doctrine. I’ll be the first to admit the difficulty here is simply that some protestant have a very strange understanding of Sola Scriptura, or at the very least have no idea how consistency works. For example, if something is not explicitly said and detailed in the bible it is said that this must mean it is not Christian. Which is false. Now excluding the fact that no Christian believed this for the first 1500 years of the Christian faith…this idea would inevitably work out in funny ways. For example, the bible doesn’t give any prescription to allow women to partake of the Eucharist. Sorry ladies…don’t be protestant I guess! Furthermore, I have also noticed that this approach typically means that “if the doctrine in question makes me uncomfortable then it must be unbiblical.” Naturally, any text that is offered is immediately explained away. But the Bible has always functioned within the framework of the Traditions and hence an objective interpretation must come from those early sources. This is very important.



We do see something of an example of how fluid communication could function between two parties in different metaphysical plains in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (see the Gospel of St. Luke), however the objection could easily be this is not a literal representation. Granted this is how I would have approached the subject, despite now knowing how uninformed that response would be. I should also mention there are a number of other text to cover that directly related to the topic, but I wasn’t aware of them when I was first exposed to this doctrine due to the limitations of my protestant bible. (Not enough books)



I would suggest the most convincing text here would be Revelation 8:4, “And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel.” However, even this text, though pivotal for guys like Thomas Aquinas, may still cause concern with protestants due to its ambiguity. But once again, the problem seems to lie in the doctrine of Sola Scriptura…there is a different meaning to this doctrine depending on which protestant you are engaging. This isn’t an article on Sola Scriptura, but it’s clear Sola Scriptura seems to be the source of a great deal of heresy, including the rejection of the Intercession of the Saints. But the Bible will always be extremely ambiguous to its meaning when divorced from Tradition. Furthermore there is logic to all of this. Contra Reformed assumptions about those who preceded their faith…the Early Church was replete with solid Biblical exegesis. Moreover, the Father’s were fantastic at piecing the whole story together and looking at the Bible as a whole. Notice in James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” There is not only an early idea of confession, though maybe not exactly as Roman Catholics practice, and with it this idea that the more righteous an individual is the more effective their prayers become. No wonder guys like St. Jerome could exclaim, “”If the Apostles and Martyrs, while still in the body, can pray for others, at a time when they must still be anxious for themselves, how much more after their crowns, victories, and triumphs are won.”



Yet, I can still hear the heckling voices stating, “But the saints are dead! They can’t hear your prayers!” Now this statement usually functions as an insult, not an argument, but it does raise a rather pressing issue concerning the post mortem nature of those who die in a state of grace. My first point is that the bible is pretty clear that God is the god of the living, not the dead. (Matt. 22) So the Saints are alive in Christ, but not physically present with us. “Ah…But how can one person hear all of those prayers?” This is typically lobbed at prayers offered up to Mary, but all intercessory prayers are under the same scheme of questioning. Which brings me to my second point. 2 Peter 1:4 makes it quite clear that those who die in a state of grace will be made partakers in the divine nature, or as St. Athanasius saw it “God became man so that men might become god.” I already know that last line is gonna ruffle some feathers, but Christianity is a strange religion and despite modern attempts to make it palatable…the Gospel is offensive and weird. Nevertheless, I imagine the reader can piece together the implications of deification, or as it sometimes called, Theosis. Hearing all those prayers is not difficult for God and therefore won’t be difficult for someone who is by grace made like Him who is divine by nature.



The Apostle Creed even makes reference to the Intercession of the Saints thus verifying its authenticity as an ancient and central practice of the Christian faith,



I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of the saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.



Notice the creed’s separation of “communion of saints” from “the holy, catholic church” signifying that it is not a reference to an ecclesiastical gathering. Ironically, the Saints Intercession was a simple idea that was a derivative of one being a member of Christ’s mystical body which transcends the bounds of life and death.



In my own experience, this piece of Christianity came to life as I became more and more drawn to St. Joan of Arc despite having no prior interest or connection to her life. There were eerie moments that I recall where it was becoming more and more apparent that she was very involved in my life and, even till this day, when I find myself doubting or troubled in faith I call out to her. But here is something important before I draw this to a close. Notice how up to this point, nothing so far sounds anything like worship. I don’t worship St. Joan. Given her character, she’d probably be very upset if I did. However, when I do pray to her, it’s as if I was asking any other person to pray for me, with one rather major caveat. St. Joan has been perfected. She lived a righteous life, she died in the name of Christ, she has endured purgatory…and there is no question she is more righteous than I. Her prayers have gotten me through some very troubling times and I believe that she will see me through to the end. Yes, that includes praying for me while I also go through purgatory. We get a small picture of this when both the spiritual and the physical interact during participation in the eucharist. Which brings me to my closing point….



Recall that I mentioned the real issue that confuses most protestants with their understanding of the Intercession of the Saints stems from their misunderstanding of prayer and worship. I believe it is because prayer is the deepest mode of intimacy that exists between God and Protestants and therefore it is damn near impossible for one to understand the difference between praying to a saint and committing idolatry. The reason prayer exists as the Protestant’s ultimate form of piety is due to their rejection of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and graces infused therein. Therefore, I hope to take up the topic of the Eucharist in the following article but until then allow me to leave you with these haunting works of St. Ignatius that had a real impact on me during my formative years,



“Consider how contrary to the mind of God are the heterodox in regard to the grace of God which has come to us. They have no regard for charity, none for the widow, the orphan, the oppressed, none for the man in prison, the hungry or the thirsty. They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His graciousness, raised from the dead.”

