He Sees

One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then some men came, carrying a paralysed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, ‘Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the one who was paralysed—‘I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.’ Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.
Luke 5:17-25 (all emphasis mine)

The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
James 5:16 

Someone asked me recently why I pray to the saints. My response is that their faith is so much greater than mine. Their prayers are right there, before the Lord. "In His face" so to speak. The faith of the saints is visible to Him and mine is so small and weak sometimes. I don't pretend to be a giant of faith because I know very well that I am not. I have so many doubts and misunderstandings that sometimes I am fairly certain my prayers just rebound off the ceiling. Knowing I don't have to rely only upon myself but can call upon the collective prayers of these holy ones makes me feel so much more secure when things in my life go awry, or I can't control what is going on.

I ask for the prayers of the Theotokos for my son, especially when he is away from me. I ask for her prayers and that of his patron and guardian angel, the Archangel Gabriel, for his safety, protection and guidance. I always pray for him to love God and the Church and for him to know that he always has a place he can call home. I ask for her prayers for myself also, so that I will be a good mother and that she would keep me ever before God.I ask for her prayers for my family and friends as well. I don't recite what I think God should do for them or anything but lift their names up for Him to remember in His kingdom and for the Theotokos to remember them in her prayers as well.

There are saints whose stories resonate with me and I see how they lived their lives and know how inadequate I am in comparison. I don't know if I would be able to watch my son be put to a painful death without compromising or face some of the horrors the saints faced without "looking back". These days I get put out by a faulty internet connection or my a/c going out, let alone having my skin pulled off in strips or hot irons applied to my body. So I ask for their prayers because they truly did finish the course well. And don't get me wrong, I ask my mom and grandmother and great-grandmother to pray for me, because they, too, are in that great cloud of witnesses!

I guess I no longer understand the point of view that asking the saints to pray for me is "idolatry". I mean, is it idolatry to ask my friend or priest to pray for me? (James 5:16) Are we not all a part of the great communion of saints, known and unknown? (Nicene Creed)  Is not God the God of the living? (Mark 12:27, Luke 20:38) Do they not witness us in a great cloud? (Hebrews 12:1) For me the answer is an obvious and resounding YES. And so I ask for their prayers because I need them.

When Christians depart this life, they aren't separated from the Church, they are still part of the Body of Christ. They are alive with the Lord in heaven (Hebrews 12:23), worshiping God (Revelation 4:10) and inhabit His heavenly dwelling places (John 14:2).We join them communion with the saints in our worship of God (Hebrews 12:22). And we should imitate them in running "the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1). Rejecting or ignoring the saints is simply a denial that those who have died in Christ are still part of His Holy Church. 


Holy saints of God, pray to God for us!

Lord have mercy on me, a sinner!

Relevant Reading
Mark 12:27
Luke 5:17-25
Luke 20:38
John 14:2 
Hebrews 12:1
Hebrews 12:22-24
James 5:16 
Revelation 4:10
Prayer to the Saints
Canonization