If we look at the many beliefs that Catholics and most Protestants hold in common, it is surprising that so much attention is paid to those areas of faith where we disagree.  However, at least from a Catholic perspective, these areas are very important.  Teachings on the Eucharist, the role of Mary, and the intercession of the saints seem to be the biggest of these dividing issues. Catholics sometimes feel put on the defensive when asked about these issues and can become flustered, not knowing how to respond.  Today we will look at the historical teaching regarding saintly intercession and hopefully will grow in understanding of this teaching; gain confidence in this practice; and continue to pray for the intercession of the saints in heaven.

It wasn’t until the Council of Trent in 1545 that the teaching on saintly intercession was officially laid down. The Council declared that

...the saints who reign together with Christ offer up their own prayers to God for men. It is good and useful suppliantly to invoke them, and to have recourse to their prayers, aid, and help for obtaining benefits from God, through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, Who alone is our Redeemer and Savior.”[1]  

Some may see this late date as problematic in establishing the validity of this teaching throughout history. However, the delay in making an official statement it is actually a good sign for us as Catholics. 

Often, the Catholic Church does not lay down teachings on a subject until those teachings become challenged.  For example, nowhere is it specifically taught that Jesus Christ was a man and not a woman.  This is simply because this has never been challenged.  If it were to be challenged, it would be defined as an explicit teaching; but that does not mean it was not believed before it was defined.  The same is true with regard to the Eucharist being the real presence of the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.  This too was not specifically defined until 1545 (at the same Council—the Council of Trent), as it had not been challenged in any serious way until the Protestant Reformation. Thus we have the history of our tradition with us on saintly intercession.  The fact that the Catholic Church didn’t define this teaching until the 1500s suggests that it was a commonly held belief for 1500 years before being challenged.  But, is this really the case?  Did Church fathers really hold this view?  Does scripture really talk about it at all?  If we look at the implications of one Gospel passage along with some quotes from Church Fathers we can see that the practice was, indeed, in place for over 1500 years, and is still held as a valid belief today by Catholics.

In the Gospel of Luke we have the story of Lazarus and the rich man (16: 19-31).  This is not the Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, but rather a fictional character in a parable that Jesus tells.  As a brief summary: the rich man always ignored Lazarus, a poor beggar, who would lie by his door begging. When men die, Lazarus goes to heaven and the rich man does not.  From hell the rich man asks Abraham if Lazarus could be sent to his family to warn them not to be like him.  The rich man and Abraham go back and forth about what will or will not cause people to repent on earth, but that is not the point I wish to make.  It is significant that Jesus chose a parable that involves an individual pleading from outside of heaven to one who is in heaven, asking them to perform some action for those on earth. Jesus’ audience does not question the scenario; and if Jesus is using this example in a parable it suggests that this belief was widely held.  That those in heaven could act on behalf of those living is simply assumed in Jesus’ story and posed no problem to his followers.