Prayer - Communion of Saints

Communion of Saints

All Christians are connected through the Body of Christ. The bible says saints are alive in heaven conscious of us and praying for us. All of the early Churches (Assyrian, Orthodox, and Catholic) believe in praying to Saints.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Unity and Diversity in the Body

This includes those in heaven.

Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

First prayers from saints will be shown supported by the Bible; and at
end of this page are writings from early Church Fathers affirming it.

Prayer of the Righteous:

Ephesians 6:18

Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God's people.

1 Timothy 2:1-2

2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

James 5

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Proverbs 15:8
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: But the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Psalms 66:18
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;

Souls in heaven after death conscious:

Luke 15:7

7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Hebrews 11 speaks of those who have died after running their race of faith, leading them to being witnesses in heaven:

Hebrews 12:1 - We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
Hebrews 12:22 - You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. To thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly. The church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.

Souls in heaven Praying:

Luke 2:13-14
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

Revelation 5:8-13
8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.

Revelation 8:3-4
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.

1 Samuel 28

Saul calls up and speaks with the soul of Samuel.

Upon death and awaiting resurrection the Righteous go to heaven, and the wicked to Sheol. (Anti soul sleep.)

John 5:24

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

John 8:51-52

Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10
1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,
8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Philippians 1:21-23
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far

Romans 8:10

Yet, even though Christ lives within you, your body will die because of sin; but your spirit will live, for Christ has pardoned it

Ecclesiastes 12:7
7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Luke 20

34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

Luke 23:43

Thief on the cross.
Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”

Psalm 9:17.

The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.

Revelation 6:9-11

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

Revelation 7:9-17
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.

Revelation 19:1
Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon’s Fall
19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

Icons:
in the Bible God commands making images and statues of angels (cherubim) on the tabernacle, Solomon's temple, Moses to erect a serpent, and also a fiery serpent in chapter numbers.

Veneration:

There are various places in the Bible where bowing to show respect is allowed. The church distinguishes between the type of worship reserved for God alone called Latria, and Dulia which is veneration for saints and martyrs. Veneration is definitely shown to Martyrs in Revelation 20:4–5 because they are resurrected first with Christ and reign. The Bible also distinguishes of certain men more holy than others and their prayers for us have more power in James 5:14–16.

Bowing:

Genesis 23:7
Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites.

Genesis 33:3
Jacob bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother.

1 Samuel 24:8
David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage to Saul.

1 Kings 2:19
The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her.

ARK

Joshua 7:6
Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening…

1 Samuel 4:3–4

(context: Israel brings the ark into the camp as a sign of God’s presence.)
2 Samuel 6:14–15
David dances before the Lord as the ark is brought to Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 16:29
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. (in the context of the ark being placed in the tent)

More on veneration and different degrees of glory and reward:

Luke 19:16-19
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

Matthew 5:11–12
Blessed are you when others revile you for your reward is great in heaven.

Matthew 5:19
“Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:4
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:41–42
There is one glory of the sun… another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians 3:8
Each will receive his wages according to his labor.

Luke 19:16–19 (Parable of the Minas)
Faithfulness leads to greater authority and reward (“have authority over ten cities”).

Icons:

in the Bible God commands making images and statues of angels (cherubim) on the tabernacle, Solomon's temple, Moses to erect a serpent, and also a fiery serpent in chapter numbers. There is nothing wrong with having paintings of biblical figures, saints, and martyrs.

More examples of souls & angels appearing and praying:

Mark 9:4
4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

2 Tobit

Archangels Raphael
"when you and Sarah prayed to the Lord, I was the one who brought your prayers into his glorious presence."

Mathew 18:10
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

Zechariah 1:12

12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?”

Daniel 10:12

“From the first day that you set your mind… your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.”

Genesis 15:15
15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.
Genesis 25 - Abraham burried with wife, not ancestors.
Luke 16:19-31 - 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 27 “I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

2 Maccabees 15:12-16

Onias the High Priest who has been dead for several decades, and the Prophet Jeremiah who had been dead for centuries, appears to Judas:
12 He told them that he had seen a vision of Onias, the former High Priest, that great and wonderful man of humble and gentle disposition, who was an outstanding orator and who had been taught from childhood how to live a virtuous life. With outstretched arms Onias was praying for the entire Jewish nation. 13 Judas then saw an impressive white-haired man of great dignity and authority. 14 Onias said:
This is God's prophet Jeremiah, who loves the Jewish people and offers many prayers for us and for Jerusalem, the holy city.

Jewish Culture has actually prayed to saints and for the dead for thousands of years:

From the earliest centuries, Christians inscribed on tombs: “Pray for me.”

St. Augustine prayed for his mother, St. Monica, because she begged him:

“Lay this body anywhere … but remember me at the altar of the Lord.”

Every early church after Christ asked saints to pray for them.
People are healed from serious diseases asking prayers from mary in front of her statues

Prayers for the dead in purgatory:

2 Timothy 1:16-18

16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, 17 but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— 18 may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

Job 1:5

5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.

2 Maccabees 12:44-46

44 (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead,)

45 And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them.

46 It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.

Testament of Abraham
“And Abraham said to the Commander-in-chief, ‘Come, Commander-in-chief Michael, let us offer a prayer on behalf of this soul and see if God will heed us.’ And the Commander-in-chief said, ‘Amen, let it be so.’ And they offered supplication and prayer on behalf of the soul, and God heeded them, and when they arose from prayer they did not see the soul standing there... ‘It was saved through your righteous prayer, and behold a light-bearing angel took it and carried it up to Paradise.’”

— paraphrased from Testament of Abraham 14.5–8

Unlike the brief biblical account in Deuteronomy 34:5-6, The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan adds significant midrashic details, elaborating on the circumstances of Moses's death.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QHodayot & 4QShirShabb) — some hymns depict angels and heavenly beings being addressed in worship, showing that the line between praying with and praying to was blurry in some Jewish sects.

Apocalypse of Zephaniah (1st century BC–1st century AD) — the writer asks angels and patriarchs in heaven to remember him and help him in his trials.

Earliest inscriptions of intercession of saints before Roman canonization:

1. Catacomb of San Sebastiano (Rome)

PETRE ET PAULE, MEMOR ESTOTE MARCELLINI

Peter and Paul, remember Marcellinus.

2. Catacomb of Commodilla (Rome)

PAULE, VIVAS IN DEO, ORA PRO VICTORE

Paul, live in God, pray for Victor.

3. Catacomb of Callixtus (Rome)

ATTICE, COMMENDA BASSUM

Atticus, commend Bassus [to God].

4. Catacomb of Santa Tecla (Rome, Greek inscription)

ΠΑΥΛΕ, ΜΝΗΣΘΗΤΙ ΕΜΟΥ

Paul, remember me.

5. Catacomb of Priscilla (Rome)

ORATE PRO VIVIS ET DEFUNCTIS

Pray for the living and the dead.

6. Catacomb of San Sebastiano

VIVAS IN DEO

Live in God.

(Often inscribed next to martyrs’ tombs, implying they are alive in Christ and able to intercede.)

7. Catacomb of Domitilla (Rome)

ORA PRO NOBIS MARCELLUS

Pray for us, Marcellus.

8. Catacomb of Commodilla

MEMENTO MEI, SANCTE MARTYR

Remember me, holy martyr.

9. Catacomb of Priscilla

CONSERVA ANIMAM MEAM IN PACE

Keep my soul in peace [through your prayers].

10. Catacomb of Callixtus

SANCTE PETRE, ORA PRO CHRISTIANIS

Holy Peter, pray for the Christians.

Phrases like memento mei (“remember me”) and ora pro nobis (“pray for us”) clearly indicate asking for active help.

Saints are described as “alive in God,” reinforcing the belief that they could mediate before God.

More on the intercession of saints and Early Church Fathers Writings.

Polycarp (A direct disciple of the apostles)
The apostles are [now] in their due place in the presence of the Lord

Clement of Alexandria

“In this way is he [the true Christian] always pure for prayer. He also prays in the society of angels, as being already of angelic rank, and he is never out of their holy keeping; and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him [in prayer]” (Miscellanies 7:12 [A.D. 208]).

Origen

“But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep” (Prayer 11 [A.D. 233]).

Cyprian of Carthage

“Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides [of death] always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father’s mercy” (Letters 56[60]:5 [A.D. 253]).

Anonymous

“Atticus, sleep in peace, secure in your safety, and pray anxiously for our sins” (funerary inscription near St. Sabina’s in Rome [A.D. 300]). “Pray for your parents, Matronata Matrona. She lived one year, fifty-two days” (ibid.). “Mother of God, [listen to] my petitions; do not disregard us in adversity, but rescue us from danger” (Rylands Papyrus 3 [A.D. 350]).

Methodius

“Hail to you for ever, Virgin Mother of God, our unceasing joy, for to you do I turn again. . . . Hail, you treasure of the love of God. Hail, you fount of the Son’s love for man” (Oration on Simeon and Anna 14 [A.D. 305]). “Therefore, we pray [ask] you, the most excellent among women, who glories in the confidence of your maternal honors, that you would unceasingly keep us in remembrance. O holy Mother of God, remember us, I say, who make our boast in you, and who in august hymns celebrate the memory, which will ever live, and never fade away” (ibid.). “And you also, O honored and venerable Simeon, you earliest host of our holy religion, and teacher of the resurrection of the faithful, do be our patron and advocate with that Savior God, whom you were deemed worthy to receive into your arms. We, together with you, sing our praises to Christ, who has the power of life and death, saying, ‘You are the true Light, proceeding from the true Light; the true God, begotten of the true God’” (ibid.).

Cyril of Jerusalem

“Then [during the Eucharistic prayer] we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition” (Catechetical Lectures 23:9 [A.D. 350]).

Hilary of Poitiers

“To those who wish to stand [in God’s grace], neither the guardianship of saints nor the defenses of angels are wanting” (Commentary on the Psalms 124:5:6 [A.D. 365]).

Ephraim the Syrian
“You victorious martyrs who endured torments gladly for the sake of the God and Savior, you who have boldness of speech toward the Lord himself, you saints, intercede for us who are timid and sinful men, full of sloth, that the grace of Christ may come upon us, and enlighten the hearts of all of us so that we may love him” (Commentary on Mark [A.D. 370]).

“Remember me, you heirs of God, you brethren of Christ; supplicate the Savior earnestly for me, that I may be freed through Christ from him that fights against me day by day” (The Fear at the End of Life [A.D. 370]).

The Liturgy of St. Basil
“By the command of your only-begotten Son we communicate with the memory of your saints . . . by whose prayers and supplications have mercy upon us all, and deliver us for the sake of your holy name” (Liturgy of St. Basil [A.D. 373]).

Pectorius
“Aschandius, my father, dearly beloved of my heart, with my sweet mother and my brethren, remember your Pectorius in the peace of the Fish [Christ]” (Epitaph of Pectorius [A.D. 375]).

Gregory of Nazianz
“May you [Cyprian] look down from above propitiously upon us, and guide our word and life; and shepherd this sacred flock . . . gladden the Holy Trinity, before which you stand” (Orations 17[24] [A.D. 380]).

“Yes, I am well assured that [my father’s] intercession is of more avail now than was his instruction in former days, since he is closer to God, now that he has shaken off his bodily fetters, and freed his mind from the clay that obscured it, and holds conversation naked with the nakedness of the prime and purest mind” (ibid., 18:4).

Gregory of Nyssa
“[Ephraim], you who are standing at the divine altar [in heaven] . . . bear us all in remembrance, petitioning for us the remission of sins, and the fruition of an everlasting kingdom” (Sermon on Ephraim the Syrian [A.D. 380]).

John Chrysostom
“He that wears the purple [i.e., a royal man] . . . stands begging of the saints to be his patrons with God, and he that wears a diadem begs the tentmaker [Paul] and the fisherman [Peter] as patrons, even though they be dead” (Homilies on Second Corinthians 26 [A.D. 392]).

“When you perceive that God is chastening you, fly not to his enemies . . . but to his friends, the martyrs, the saints, and those who were pleasing to him, and who have great power [in God]” (Orations 8:6 [A.D. 396]).

Ambrose of Milan
“May Peter, who wept so efficaciously for himself, weep for us and turn towards us Christ’s benign countenance” (The Six Days Work 5:25:90 [A.D. 393]).

Jerome
“You say in your book that while we live we are able to pray for each other, but afterwards when we have died, the prayer of no person for another can be heard. . . . But if the apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, at a time when they ought still be solicitous about themselves, how much more will they do so after their crowns, victories, and triumphs?” (Against Vigilantius 6 [A.D. 406]).

Augustine
“A Christian people celebrates together in religious solemnity the memorials of the martyrs, both to encourage their being imitated and so that it can share in their merits and be aided by their prayers” (Against Faustus the Manichean [A.D. 400]).

“At the Lord’s table we do not commemorate martyrs in the same way that we do others who rest in peace so as to pray for them, but rather that they may pray for us that we may follow in their footsteps” (Homilies on John 84 [A.D. 416]).

“Neither are the souls of the pious dead separated from the Church which even now is the kingdom of Christ. Otherwise there would be no remembrance of them at the altar of God in the communication of the Body of Christ” (The City of God 20:9:2 [A.D. 419]).

Augustine's mom asked for prayers for after she was dead.

Hermas

“[The Shepherd said:] ‘But those who are weak and slothful in prayer, hesitate to ask anything from the Lord; but the Lord is full of compassion, and gives without fail to all who ask him. But you, [Hermas,] having been strengthened by the holy angel [you saw], and having obtained from him such intercession, and not being slothful, why do not you ask of the Lord understanding, and receive it from him?’” (The Shepherd 3:5:4 [A.D. 80]).

What to pray for and God's will.

Matthew 5:44

"love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

James 4
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Psalms 143:10
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Matthew 6:9-13
Pray then like this:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."

1 John 5:14-15
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Ephesians 5:17-18
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

1 Thessalonians 5:18
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

John 6:10
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Matthew 7:7-8
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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