What is Saint intercession?

Saintly intercession, or intercessory prayer, is an ancient practice in the Eastern Orthodox church. But what is it?

Unlike popular belief, saintly intercession, at its simplest, is asking a Saint or Angel to pray for you just as you would ask your friends and family on earth to.

To first understand why this is done, we must understand the theology behind it. Saints are not mediators, and most definitely couldn't do what they did without the help and guidence of God themselves. The Eastern Orthodox church believes that when canonizing Saints, we are lead by the Holy Spirit, so no canon saint is unrighteous.

In Christ, we all have eternal life. Saints are not "dead" or "can't hear us", as we see in verses John 10:28-30 as well as Luke 15:10.

Secondly, sin hinders the power of our prayers. In James 4:3, Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 28:9, and Isaiah 59:2 this is proven. Since there is no sin in Heaven (Revelations 21:27), Saints can therefore not commit sin any longer, and their prayers are much stronger than the sinner on earth's.

Finally, Proverbs is a book of prayers. In Proverbs 103:20-21, the prayer is speaking to Angels in Heaven to bless the LORD. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between men and God, yes, but that does not mean we cannot ask those in His Heavenly Kingdom to pray for us or with us.

This is a very simple explanation, but many other places around the internet go into much greater and finer detail.

But, please do not be mistaken. We can and must pray to the one and only, Immortal, All Almighty God! If we repent and do not allow sin to enter our prayers or motives, you shall recieve in accordance to His will.

Is Jesus one with God and the Holy Spirit/Is Jesus God?

Some will say Jesus never claimed or declared Himself as God; but indeed, He did! In verse John 10:30, Jesus clearly states His divinity and being one with the LORD. In John 10:33, the Jews make it clear what He was saying and what they KNEW He was saying; He was the divine God and the Word of God in flesh. 

In Luke 1:43, Elizabeth is seen honoring the Theotokos (Ever Virgin Mary and God Bearer) as the Mother of the LORD. In Mark 2:5-7, a Jewish person claims that only God can forgive sins, but Jesus had just forgiven the paralytic of his trespasses. This means that Jesus, the Son of the Trinity, is indeed the God who humbly came down from Heaven, took on flesh without change, and died for all of our sins before resurrecting on the third day.

John 20:27-29 puts a spotlight on the point that Christian worship is reserved exclusively for the Glorious God alone. Christians worship Jesus as God, and there is nothing prohibiting this because Jesus is, in fact, the LORD!

What is a patron Saint?

A patron saint, according to the Eastern Orthodox church, is a heavenly advocate for a particular thing, person, nation, and more. They can be very specific or very broad. Their names are also given to people (either infants or converts) during baptism. This name is what the priest will call them during the Holy Eucharist.

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