The Church of the Saints - Isn't Christ sufficient for us? and other questions…

The Church of the Saints (8)

Isn't Christ sufficient for us? and other questions…

 

Thomas:  Hey, Man!

 

Mark: Hey, man! Whoa, who's this I hear? Long time no hear your voice!

 

Thomas: Sorry about that. Been home for a couple of days, recovering from the tea you've been serving me. 😏😀

 

Mark: Alright, no more tea. Let's have coffee today.

 

Thomas: Honestly, I've got a few questions today. We need two well-prepared cups of coffee because this time, questions are in the air.

 

Mark: Lord help us!

 

Thomas: Here's an idea that crossed my mind. When we ask for the intercession of the saints, doesn't that imply that our Lord is not sufficient?

 

Mark: Oh dear, because our Lord is sufficient for us, and in Him, we have all we need, drowning in Him, we believe in intercession.

 

Thomas: It's not clocking..How so?

 

Mark: It's like the "I give glory to no other" mindset we discussed before (link to the article here)... Our relationship (the Church of the Saints) with Christ is a union (not a competitive relationship where you might ask me if Christ is sufficient for me or not). The greatness of Christ's divinity lies not in Him doing something we cannot (because the devil can perform miracles and do things humans cannot), but in the greatness of Christ's divinity making His Church members like Him. We draw His characteristics, live in His Spirit, think with His mind (we become partners in the divine nature, but Christ remains the origin and source of grace and qualities, and the Holy Spirit takes from Christ and nourishes the Church).

 

In other words, Christ has all sufficiency, and sufficiency in Christ requires visualizing Christ in those believers content with Him. Christ performs the work of intercession, visualized in them, and as He intercedes for them, they intercede (believers) for one another through the Christ within them.

 

Denying intercession is a denial of the presence of Christ within us and our union with Him.

 

Thomas: Alright, aren't we all saints alike? Why do we intercede for people like us?

 

Mark: Being like us is evidence of their eligibility for intercession, not a reason to deny it. Intercession is the work of those like us, those who cannot intercede for others do not resemble them. When Christ wanted to perform His intercessory work for humanity, He took our image. The Bible says, "The Word became flesh" and "became like us in all things." Without this, intercession would not be possible.

 

Thomas: Why are all the intercessors we mention dead?

 

Mark: Your questions have become very deep, by the way! 😊 Believers do not experience death at all. Whoever believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. How can my faith tell me that Christ lives within me, and I say believers, and the answer is in the liturgy, our prayers. We believe very much in the intercession of the living and the dead.

 

We mention the names of the departed saints by name, following the Bible's saying, "Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith" (Heb 13:7). Because there is so much benefit in it. First, it reminds me of the life of the saint and the work of the Lord with him. Consequently, it gives me confidence that as the Lord stood with this saint, He will stand with me because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Second, the saint's light illuminates in front of me, and I imitate his faith. For example, suppose I am struggling with the sin of anger. The Lord, in His providence, gives me a manager from their midst, and I stand praying for this problem. It is natural that I remember Saint Moses the Black, who managed to fight his desires and control his feelings until he reached the holiness we know. These are his deeds that light up in front of me, and I represent his faith. Firstly, I realize that the Holy Spirit that helps him will help me too. And that he will feel my weakness and the difficulty of the experience, so he will pray for me. Finally, I will imitate his conduct, and I will ask the Lord to give me patience and support me in my experience, rather than asking Him to kill the manager! 😊😊

 

Thomas: True, you're right!

 

Mark: Before we wrap up, I'll read with you the response of Saint Jerome to Vigilantius, who denied the possibility of the deceased praying for the warriors, based on the phrase: "A living dog is better than a dead lion."

 

" If the apostles and martyrs, even after death in the flesh, can pray for others while still being concerned for themselves, how much more can they do this when they receive their crowns and are triumphant? Moses, one man, often obtained pardon from God for six hundred thousand armed men (Exodus 32:30, etc.). Stephen, the first Christian martyr, prayed for forgiveness for his persecutors. When they entered into their life with Christ, did they become less powerful than they were before? The Apostle Paul says that 276 souls were given to him by God on the ship (Acts 27:37). After the dissolution of his body, and now that he is with Christ, would he close his mouth and become unable to speak a word for those all over the world who believe in his Gospel? Is Vigilantius, the living dog, better than Paul, the dead lion...? The truth is, saints do not cease to pray even after their repose."

 

Thomas:  Saint Jerome was quite harsh! But honestly, he summarised what you have been explaining in that last two hours, in two fruitful lines! 😜

 

Mark: Hey... Behave!! 😃 Now, go make us a cup of tea, to recover from the headache you gave me!

 

Thomas:  Hahahahahaha Bet.

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