Praying to the Saints - Can I do that?

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question: What do I say to someone who criticizes the Catholic belief in praying to saints and who quotes 1 Timothy 2:5? It says that there is only one mediator (Christ Jesus) between God and the human race.

Answer: 1 Tim 2:5 reads as follows: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus...” “You see,” we Catholics are told, “there is only one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ. Therefore, praying to the saints goes against the Bible because you are making them mediators between God and man, you are diminishing Jesus’ role as the sole mediator!”

How can we respond to this argument? Let’s look to the Bible and see. We see in Exodus 17, that Moses interceded on behalf of the Israelites in their battle with the Amalekites...that’s mediating between God and man. In Genesis, Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrha (chapter 18).... that’s mediating between God and man. In the Book of Job, ch. 42, verses 7-10, we see that God is upset with Job’s friends and basically tells them He won’t accept their prayers. He says to them, “Let my servant Job pray for you, for his prayer I will accept.” It goes on to say, “And the Lord accepted the intercession of Job,”...that’s mediating between God and man. We know, from the New Testament, that it is okay to ask others here on earth to pray and intercede for us....that’s mediating between God and man.

So, I think, once again, we have a situation where a passage of the Bible is being misinterpreted and misunderstood. As Catholics, we agree that there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ. You can find that stated quite clearly in the Catechism. Only Jesus Christ is true God and true man. Not Mary, not any of the saints. We are saved only by the blood of Jesus Christ. Not by Mary’s blood, not by the blood of the saints.

Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and man. However, as members of the Body of Christ, on Earth or in Heaven, He allows us to share in His mediation - how else do we have the examples of intercession in the situations with Moses and Abraham and Job? And with our fellow Christians praying for us?

And in case you have any doubt, here are a couple of Scripture passages regarding the role of angels and saints as mediators. Matthew 18:10, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in Heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in Heaven.” Jesus’ implication here is very apparent: don’t mess with these children, because their guardian angels, who always behold the face of the Father, will tell on you, and that won’t be a good thing. In other words, the angels are acting as mediators, as intercessors, between God and man.

In the Book of Revelation, Rev 5:8, it says, “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 with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints...” The “saints” being the members of the church on earth. And, again, Rev 8:3-4, “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.” So, who is holding the bowls filled with the prayers of the saints and presenting them before the throne of our Lord? The angels and the saints in Heaven. They are mediating between God and man.

Praying to the angels...to the saints...is not contrary to the Bible. It does not take away from the role of Jesus as mediator between God and man. The saints in Heaven are alive. They love us and pray for us just as they loved us and prayed for us while on earth, but even more so. They are members of the Body of Christ and, as such, they can and do - by the grace, authority, and power of Jesus Christ - share in His role as mediator between God and man.

About John Martignoni John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice.  If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org.  And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.

Multiplication of the Loaves - where's the miracle?

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question: Not too long ago was the Gospel reading of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes [Matthew 14:13-21]. We had a visiting priest that day, and in his homily, he said that the real “miracle” of the story was not some miraculous multiplication of the loaves and the fishes, but that Jesus was able to get the people who did have food, to share it with those who did not. Is that what really happened?

Answer: There is absolutely no reason to believe that anything other than a miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fishes is what really happened. According to the Church, “The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through His disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of His Eucharist,” (Catechism, #1335).

The Church calls the multiplication of the loaves and fishes a miracle. With all due respect, getting people to share with one another, is not a miracle, unless of course one has a very dim view of human nature. Furthermore, there is not one shred of evidence, either from the text itself, or from any early Christian writings, that even hints that what actually happened was Jesus got people to share, or that this story was in any way intended to convey a message of sharing. This story was so important, that it is one of the few that is mentioned in all four Gospels. It makes no sense that the Gospel writers put as much importance on Jesus getting people to share as they did on His Baptism, on the Eucharist, and on the Crucifixion. What has happened in the last several generations, beginning with some Lutheran theologians in Germany in the 19th century, is that the theological disciplines have been infected with a notion that there really is nothing miraculous in the Bible. The “miracles” of the Old Testament are just the explanations of a superstitious people for events they can’t explain and the “miracles” of the New Testament are simply stories told by the Matthean community or the Johannine community or such to help people better accept the message and teaching of Jesus, but they didn't really happen.

The seeds of this notion eventually were planted in the minds of a number of Catholic theologians as well, and this notion grew throughout the 20th century and came to full fruition in the 60's and 70's. That’s when we really start seeing Catholic theologians pushing ideas like the multiplication of the loaves and fishes was really Jesus getting people to share. Or, that Jesus didn't really walk on water, He was actually walking on a sand bar that apparently no one but He knew about. Or, that Jesus wasn't really resurrected, He was really buried in a shallow grave and His body was eaten by dogs, that’s why no one could find it. And, unfortunately, there was much more where that came from.

Such has been the unfortunate state of way too much of Catholic theology in the last 40 years or so, but the good news is that the tide is starting to turn and that notion of there being nothing of the miraculous in Scripture, which was planted back in the 19th century and saw its full flowering in the 70's, seems to be on its last legs.

About John Martignoni John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice.  If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org.  And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.

Mary: Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix.

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question: My brother, who has left the faith, is particularly hung up on Catholic teaching about Mary. He gets really irritated by all of the various titles we give Mary: Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix, Ark of the New Covenant, and so on. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can say to him about all of this?

Answer: This week I’ll speak about Mary as Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), it states the following: “This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation…Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix,” (CCC #969).

Mary is called Mediatrix because she continually aids us, her children, through her prayers and intercession. Lest anyone should think, however, that by calling Mary “Mediatrix” we are putting her on an equal par with Jesus, the Mediator, the Catechism specifically addresses that complaint: “Mary’s function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power…No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer, but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful…so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source,” (CCC #970).

In other words, Mary cooperates with the unique mediation of Christ between God and man, as do many others. Mary is given the special title of “Mediatrix,” though, because of her unique role in that cooperation with her Son. It was, after all, her, “Yes,” to God that allowed Jesus to become the one Mediator between God and man.

And that is the reason she is also referred to by many as Co-Redemptrix. This is the title that I have found most often offends the sensibilities of other Christians, and is most often misunderstood by many Catholics. I had a Catholic caller to my radio program last week (2:00-4:00 PM, Mondays, on 1480 AM in Birmingham), who objected to calling Mary “Co-Redemptrix” because “that puts her on an equal footing with Jesus.” I asked her one simple question: “Does the co-pilot of an airplane have the same standing and authority as the pilot of the plane?”

She thought for a second and then said, “No.” The same logic applies to the title of Co-Redemptrix.” The prefix “co,” means “with.” It does not mean “is equal to.” In a few of Paul’s letters he mentions his “co-workers.” These people do not, however, have equal authority and standing with Paul, rather they are simply working with him. Neither does Mary have the same standing or authority as Jesus. Rather she worked with Him, she cooperated with Him, in a unique way, in His role as Redeemer. Thus the title, Co-Redemptrix – “with” the Redeemer.

Mary played a unique role in our redemption. God gave us His Son, through Mary. Salvation…Redemption…came into the world through Mary. That can be said of no one else in the history of mankind. That fact of salvation history is what the title, Co-Redemptrix, reflects. That title in no way declares, or even implies, that Mary is equal to Jesus.

About John Martignoni
John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice.  If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org.  And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.

What About Mary?

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question:  My brother, who has left the faith, is particularly hung up on Catholic teaching about Mary.  He gets really irritated by all of the various titles we give Mary: Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix, Ark of the New Covenant, and so on.  Do you have any suggestions as to what I can say to him about all of this?

Answer:  I’ve touched on two of those titles in this column in the past – Queen of Heaven and Mother of God – so I’ll talk about Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant in this column and look at Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix maybe next week.

To demonstrate to your brother that Mary is indeed the Ark of the New Covenant, you need to make him aware of a fascinating parallel in Scripture that is found in 2 Samuel, chapter 6, and Luke, chapter 1.  When you compare these two passages, it is readily apparent that Luke indeed intended to make the connection between the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament, and the Ark of the New Covenant, Mary.

Let’s look at those parallel passages.  First, 2 Sam 6:2, “And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God.”  The parallel verse in Luke is: Luke 1:39, “Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah.”

Now, at first glance, the parallel in those two verses is not readily apparent, but when you realize that Baale-judah is a city in the hill country of Judah, the parallel is obvious.  David arose.  Mary arose.  The ark of God was being kept in the hill country, in a city of Judah.  Mary went into the hill country, to a city of Judah.

2 Sam 6:9, “And [David] said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”  The parallel verse is: Luke 1:43, “[Elizabeth said] And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  

2 Sam 6:10, “David took [the ark] aside to the house of Obededom the Gittite.  Parallel verse: Luke 1:40, “And [Mary] entered the house of Zechariah.”

2 Sam 6:11, “And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months.”  Parallel verse: Luke 1:56, “And Mary remained with her about three months.”

2 Sam 6:12, “So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom to the city of David with rejoicing.”  Parallel verse: Luke 1:47, “And my spirit rejoices.”

2 Sam 6:15, “So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting.”  Parallel verse: Luke 1:42, “And [Elizabeth] exclaimed with a loud cry.”

2 Sam 6:16, “And saw King David leaping and dancing.”  Parallel verse: Luke 1:41, “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.”  David leaps before the Ark of the Lord.  Elizabeth’s baby, John the Baptist, leaps before the New Ark of the Lord.

To read those two passages, side-by-side, and deny that Luke is making a connection between the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament and Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, one would have to pretty much suspend logic and common sense.  But, there is still another passage that makes the connection, and that is Revelation 11:19 and 12:1-5.  The Ark of the Covenant is seen in God’s temple in Heaven in Rev 11:19, and in the very next verse, Rev 12:1, a woman is seen in Heaven.  What woman?  The woman who brought forth the male child Who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron – Mary.  Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant.

About John Martignoni
John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice.  If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org.  And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.