One of the things I've been working on with my congregation is increasing their comfort level with the idea of the communion of saints.
I'm not sure how it happened; that we who believe in a God of the living, grew to think that interacting with those who precede us in achieving the beatific vision is somehow wrong.
Taboo.
Not simply impossible, though some do stop there. But bad.
Why are Paul's words to us in his first letter to the Corinthians (6:2-3) so easily dismissed?
The gospel of Matthew tells us that we will be put in charge of many things once we enter into the joy of the Lord.
How did this concept of an actionless, powerlessness eternity come about? Do we really think that those who the Father chooses to sit at the right and left hand of Jesus will do nothing and have no authority? We are told that the kingdom of heaven is a kingdom; are we so unfamiliar of what positions near the king mean?
But back to my point.
I've been working on raising awareness about the saints slowly and steadily over the past few years. More on that in future posts. My latest idea is to have a St. Patrick's Day fellowship meal for our congregation and our neighborhood, and include a short bit of catechesis about who St. Patrick is, and what we might ask him for intercession about.
Perhaps we'll even have a visit from a wee St. Patrick, dressed in the finery of his Bishopric.
Slow and steady, slow and steady...
Taking back the ground that the enemy has stolen must be done with patience, and sometimes, with whimsy.
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I'm just learning about the saints now and am loving it; however, where in the Bible does it say anything about praying to the deceased and/or asking the deceased to act as our intercessors? I mean that sincerely. Is it stated anywhere?
ReplyDeleteI have been pondering the same thought. I just found this one in Tobit
ReplyDeletethought I'd share:
Tobit 12:12– Angel Raphael says, "I can now tell you that when you, Tobit, and Sara prayed, it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord..."
now... to search the new testament.any leads sojourner??
Job 5:1......"Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?"
ReplyDeleteThat is still a good question. To whom will you turn for help? I'm afraid saints are not able to help us. Apparently the patriarchs had already gone on at the time of Job. Probably Abraham and Isaac had died, possibly Jacob was still living. Abraham wasn't able to to help.....Isaac wasn't able to help......no one who had lived in the past was able to help.