Communion with the Saints

I don't mean to take sides here in a debate between freedom and authority. I'm neither Catholic nor Orthodox, but the Protestant denial of our doctrine of the "Communion of Saints" just seems too shallow to me. A lot of things changed from the Mosaic era of the Tanakh to the Messianic times of the New Testament. Admittedly, it is true that Saul was not supposed to request a seer to conjure up Samuel for questioning, but he did so, and he suffered for it. It was common practice among the heathen in ancient times to consult with seers to bring up the spirits of the dead for various reasons. Therefore, the Israelites were forbidden to follow such practices because it could also be used to contact more powerful spirits, demons, to seek augury of the future. God's chosen people were only supposed to pray for such wisdom directly to Him. No demon should ever be asked for advice.

By contrast, the doctrines of Mary are safe. They are not an accretion of dogma invented by the Catholic Church. They are old and secure, long predating any schism in the Church. They begin with the writings of the Apostles and the Evangelists, John and Luke, and presumably James, Paul and Peter, and they are found in Scripture: John's gospel and Revelations. When Paul went to Jerusalem, they agreed on what would be the kerygma, and then everyone taught about the virgin birth and such from then onward. Mary was still alive then, and Luke would come back to interview her. 

The Church has always presupposed that the saints are aware of things going on here on Earth, and so we can talk to them. There have been hundreds of visions of Mary contacting us. You can cut away too much by refusing the long-held teachings of the Apostolic deposit in the Early Church. From the very first ecumenical council in 50 AD, we have venerated Mary as the Mother of all the believers. And it is ancient custom, from the millennium before Christ, that the mother of the King is the recognized Queen. It reduced rivalries and infighting when the King had many wives. Further, more than one person who went on to become a saint has claimed to receive visions of other saints who went before them.

We do not hold seánces to bring up the dead or speak to demons. That most definitely IS forbidden in Scripture. There is no parallel in that with praying to Mary or the saints. They stay where they are, and we don't ask for boons, only for intercession. We do believe that God listens to their requests, and takes their faith and ours into consideration. Thus, the "communion of saints" can help us to become better disciples of Jesus. We have no need to ask them to tell us "secrets" of the future, or hidden mysteries, nor to suggest what choices or actions we should make. As believers in Christ filled with the Holy Spirit, we pray directly for such wisdom, and if we receive such from our patron saints, we may choose to confirm it with Jesus in prayer for ourselves. As always, we must be cautious, for the Adversary would be happy to trip us up. Yet all the same, a holy vision should not be rebuffed.

One could wonder why reports of speaking with the saints have become so rare among the Protestants of today. It cannot be due to a lack of infilling by the Holy Spirit. There are plenty of Churches that teach about the gifts and fruits of the Spirit. But nowhere do we see either a statue of Mary or an icon of any saint. It must be that the Commandment to avoid any sort of "graven image" has been taken too far to include the depiction of prior holy believers whom we might do well to remember and emulate. Without any images to remind us of the saints, we are far more likely to forget about them and neglect their examples. Sadly, that seems a shame. It is like forgetting who our ancestors were, and neglecting to pray for our parents and grandparents to be well and rewarded in Heaven. Our forebears may indeed be quite comfortable, and the saints surely are, but their remembrance can only rebound to our own good as we so honor them.

We never worship these images of the great leaders of our faith. They would be affronted and quick to rebuff such idolatry if we did. The statue or icon of a saint is not an idol. It is not a dwelling place of a spirit to whom we can make an offering. Veneration is not of this kind, but rather a calling to mind of a person who deserves respect and honor. We recognize the saints as persons whom we would benefit to learn from, and we recall the lessons they taught. We do not dedicate our lives to their service, because that kind of consecration belongs only to God: Our Father, his Son, and the Holy Spirit. If we touch or kiss them, it is a sign of respect and a token of our desire to meet them one day in Heaven. 

Surely, you can see that such admiration and "veneration" of the saints is nothing like the conjuring of dead spirits that is forbidden in the Bible. We want no part of the counsel of demons. But a prayer offered to a holy resident of the halls of Heaven, requesting a petition to Our Lord upon his Throne, can hardly be equated with those ancient vile practices. The "Communion of Saints" is a worthy practice observed by all Christians right up until the second Schism of the Reformation, and it deserves recognition from everyone who aspires to rise to a place in their ranks.