The Intercession of Saints

The Catholic doctrine of the intercession of saints holds that saints who have passed on from this life can pray on behalf of the living and intercede with God for their benefit. This belief is based on a number of passages from the Bible that demonstrate the power of the saints to act as intercessors between God and humanity.

One of the most important examples of this doctrine can be found in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 5:8, John describes a vision of the saints in heaven offering prayers to God on behalf of those on earth: “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

This passage shows that the saints in heaven are not only aware of what is happening on earth, but also actively offering prayers on behalf of the living. The “golden bowls full of incense” symbolize the prayers of the saints, which are then presented to God as a form of intercession.

Another example of the intercession of saints can be found in the story of Job. In Job 42:8, God tells Job’s friends that they must seek the intercession of Job in order to be forgiven: “Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly.”

This passage shows that Job, even though he was still alive, had the power to intercede with God on behalf of others. This power was granted to him by God, who recognized Job’s righteousness and was willing to accept his prayers as a form of intercession.

A third example of the intercession of saints can be found in the story of the Transfiguration. In Matthew 17:1-9, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up to a high mountain where he is transfigured before them. Moses and Elijah also appear and talk with Jesus, demonstrating their continued existence and involvement in the affairs of the living.

This passage shows that the saints are not only aware of what is happening on earth, but are also active in the spiritual realm. Moses and Elijah were both long dead at the time of the Transfiguration, but they were still able to appear and interact with Jesus and his disciples.
These and other passages from the Bible demonstrate the power of the saints to act as intercessors between God and humanity. The Catholic Church recognizes the importance of these intercessors and encourages the faithful to seek their prayers and guidance.

However, it is important to note that the intercession of saints is not the same as worshiping them. The Catholic Church teaches that only God is worthy of worship, and that the saints are merely fellow members of the Church who have been elevated to a higher spiritual state. The intercession of saints is simply a way to ask for their prayers and assistance in our spiritual journey.

In conclusion, the Catholic doctrine of the intercession of saints is based on a number of passages from the Bible that demonstrate the power of the saints to act as intercessors between God and humanity. These passages show that the saints are not only aware of what is happening on earth, but are also actively involved in the spiritual realm. The Catholic Church recognizes the importance of these intercessors and encourages the faithful to seek their prayers and guidance. However, it is important to remember that the intercession of saints is not the same as worshiping them, and that only God is worthy of worship.

The Apologetic Dimension Of Misa De Gallo

Misa De Gallo is celebrated in countries heavily influenced by Spanish missionaries over a hundred years ago. In Misa De Gallo 9 consecutive Masses are celebrated at dawn in anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ on the 25th of December.

This serves as a form of preparation by the people in welcoming the Incarnation of the Son of God on earth. However, such a pious and jubilant celebration is without misconceptions, some people have the idea that once you completed the 9 dawn masses your wish, especially temporal wishes, will be granted by God. This is far from what the intention of the Church in celebrating Misa De Gallo.

In order to understand the importance of Misa De Gallo one has to go back to the fundamentals of the Christian faith. The second person of the Holy Trinity, in the person of Jesus Christ, came to earth and entered the history of mankind through the process of Incarnation.

On The True Church Part 1: Jesus Christ As The Sole Founder Of The Church

Since the start of the Protestant reformation, we have seen the never-ending emergence of various “churches” that claims to be “Christian” but were not personally and historically founded by Jesus Christ. A quick glance at the Almanac, we can see who are the different founders of these “churches” are. For example, the Lutheran church was founded by Martin Luther, a former priest, who was excommunicated because of his heretical teachings.

The Latter-day Saints, whose founder was Joseph Smith, or the Iglesia Ni Cristo, a local cult founded by Felix Manalo in 1914 in the Philippines, and the various Born again sects whose origins can be traced back into 1970’s.

Of all these churches who claimed to be the true church, they all hold two things in common:

• Their origin can be traced back to their human founders.
• They cannot establish a historical connection with the church that Jesus Christ founded 2000 years ago.

If we are to read the Sacred scriptures it clearly tells us that the true Christian church must first and foremost be founded by Jesus Christ himself.

And now I say to you: You are Peter; and on this Rock I will build my church; and never will the powers of death overcome it. Mt. 16:18

Not Asserting The Catholic Faith For The Fear Of “Offending” Non-Catholics?

In one of the discussion boards, online someone stated that we should not assert the fact that the Catholic Church is the true church Jesus Christ founded because it would offend non-Catholics, by non-Catholics he meant the protestants.

This line of reasoning is typical of those engaging in ecumenical dialogue with non-Catholic Christians. They are more concerned about not offending Protestants so that their “ecumenical” relationship will not be broken. Their aim in ecumenism is to establish a common ground; indeed any assertion that puts the Catholic faith above the Protestant faith is seen as something that is counterproductive.

While we are encouraged to cooperate with other religions for our common good, we must not shy away from asserting the fact that the Catholic Church is the only church that Jesus Christ personally and historically founded.

Those who are engaged in constant dialogue with non-Catholics are at odds in choosing between offending the feelings of protestants or subtly denying the faith by not professing and asserting it in front of others.

In the gospel of Matthew, we were told to “make disciples in all nations” (Mt. 28:19), how can we fulfill this mandate of Jesus Christ if we are to shy away in asserting and professing our faith for the fear of “offending” others? Should we not profess the fact that Jesus Christ is God so that we will not offend the Buddhists and Muslims? Should we not profess that the Catholic Church is the true Church of Jesus Christ and that Mary is the mother of God so that we will not offend the Protestants? Doing so would lead us to watering down our own faith just for the sake of “not offending”.

During the public ministry of Jesus Christ, he did not suppress the truth of his divine nature, rather he explicitly claimed in front of the Jews that he is God. which lead to some Jews to stone him and call him a blasphemer. (John 8:58).

Jesus Christ himself stated the truth about his nature despite knowing how the Jews would react. In like manner we too should not shy away in emphasizing the facts of our faith in from of non-Catholics.

Religion Not Necessary For Salvation?

A video of a born-again street preacher went viral for preaching that religion is not necessary for salvation and that all you need in order to be saved is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and personal savior.

Anyone who antagonizes religion from faith in Jesus Christ simply isn’t reading the sacred scriptures clearly. Not a single verse in the Bible ever says that religion is not important; if you notice the girl in the video did not cite even a single passage from the bible which says that we do not need religion or that religion is not necessary for salvation.

The word religion is derived from the Latin word “Religare” which means “to reconnect with God”. Therefore by definition itself, religion leads us back to God or “reconnects” us back to God.