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.
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. |
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