Prayer, worship and the communion of saints

This topic is a major stumbling block for many (perhaps most) non-Catholics. The problem arises because for most non-Catholics (with the exception of Eastern Orthodox and other schismatic churches and groups which retain valid priestly orders), the highest form of worship is prayer.

At a typical Evangelical Protestant worship service, for example, there are periods of singing, communal prayer (led by the pastor or some other minister), perhaps a time for some silent personal prayer, and the sermon (into which is usually incorporated some scriptural passages). During the service, the prayers are directed to the Heavenly Father, to Jesus, and perhaps on a rare occasion to the Holy Spirit—but always to God. Most Protestants would never dream of praying to anyone but God, because prayer is worship.

And a Catholic would agree—prayer directed to God is a form of worship. But for the Catholic, prayer is not the highest form of worship. The highest form of worship, as ordained by God Himself, is sacrifice. This was true of the Old Covenant with the Jews (which is why God (through Moses) went to such lengths to train the Jews in how to do it), and it is true of the New Covenant with the Church (in the holy sacrifice of the Mass, or the Eucharist). The Eucharistic sacrifice, we believe, is the same one, pure, eternal Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, offered “once, for all” (Rom 6:10; Heb 10:10; 1 Pet 3:18), and re-presented for us by the priest in an un-bloody manner, thus fulfilling the command of Christ, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24-25). (If there are any questions or comments on this, I can go deeper into the theology of the Eucharist, but this is enough for the moment.)

Protestants, on the other hand, have no sacrifice, since the Reformation did away (for the most part) with the ministerial priesthood. (The main function of a priest is to offer sacrifice.) So when it comes to worship, all they have is prayer.

But sometimes Catholics “pray to” Mary or another saint (or angel), and it is understandable that someone who doesn’t have the Catholic understanding of prayer might confuse this act with the act of worship. And of course worship (latria) of anyone or anything other than God constitutes the grave sin of idolatry.

We communicate with other human beings on earth by means of speech or some kind of writing or signals. We communicate with spirits by means of prayer (which can be either verbal [audible] or mental). God is spirit, but so too are the angels and the saints in heaven.

When we “pray” to a saint or one of the good angels, we are simply asking him (or her) either to pray to God on our behalf (i.e. to intercede for us), or to pray along with us to God. The New Testament enjoins us (or gives us an example) to pray for one another, and to ask others to pray for us (1 Thes 5:25; 2 Thes 3:1; Heb 13:18; James 5:16; etc.) Nowhere does the Bible say that those who have died in Christ (i.e., who are commonly called saints) are prevented from praying for us, or that we shouldn’t ask for their prayers. In fact, Revelation 5:8 and 8:3-4 depict the prayers of the saints being offered like incense by angels and the holy ones in heaven before the throne of God. These are the prayers of those on earth offered to God through the mediation of the angels and saints already in heaven. This mediation in no way detracts from the One Mediatorship of Christ (1 Tim 2:5), but rather participates in it, for we are members of His Body, the Church (1 Cor 12:25, 27). Each member of the body (whether on earth or in heaven) works together with the other members for the benefit of the whole body. The Church is also the family of God, and like the members of any family, we all communicate freely with one another and help each other any way we can.

I can’t imagine any Christian who, if asked, would simply refuse to pray for another Christian (or anyone else, for that matter). We here on earth are still hindered by the effects of our sinfulness. Those in heaven, however, are not. There is no sin in heaven and no sinful thing can enter it (cf. Rev 21:27). Those who have died in the grace of God are freed (or are in the process of being freed) from all sin and all its effects and see God face to face in unadulterated love. This love extends also to all He created, including the souls still struggling on earth with sin and its effects. We know, too, that the prayers of the just (or righteous) are very powerful (James 5:16). Those in heaven are more righteous than anyone still on earth. The pure prayers of the saints before the throne of God are of tremendous help to us here below. Why would they, now perfected in charity, not ardently desire to continue praying for us? Why should we not avail ourselves of their powerful intercession and assistance?

Catholic Devotion to Mary

A few weeks ago (Feb. 16th) I received from Ebenezer Scrooge (who sometimes posts comments here) a suggestion for a new post. Here’s what he wrote:

Mary, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus, should be the most esteemed of all women in the hearts and minds of all who follow God’s Son.

Figuratively speaking, as Eve is the Mother of all who physically live and then die, so Mary, because of her trust in and obedience to God, is the Mother of all who trust and obey God after hearing the Good News, receiving eternal life, now and forever.

The adoration should go no further than this. She was the same as the rest of humanity: a human being, conceived and born in sin, thus having a sinful nature. She desperately needed God’s redemption and received it in the manner as the rest of Adam’s offspring can and do.

Eb explained further that he wrote that as a “discussion starter” and was really just asking about the basis of Catholic Marian devotion in general, how the whole doctrine developed, especially what are its sources in Scripture and the writings of the early Church Fathers and the like.

He makes some very good points. It must be understood, however, that the Church never taught that our love and devotion to Mary should ever involve “adoration,” but this is a common misconception among many Protestants and non-Christians alike, so let’s deal with that first.

The Church makes a distinction between three levels or kinds of honor in Catholic piety. The first and highest is called latria and is that worship or adoration that is due to God alone. The lowest of the three forms is called dulia and can refer to the honor and reverence of a disciple for his master, a child for his parents or a subject for his sovereign lord. In Catholic devotion it specifically refers to the veneration we show to the angels and other saints as friends of God. Between these two Catholic theology places hyperdulia, an elevated form of dulia reserved for the Blessed Virgin Mary on account of her unique place in God’s plan of salvation for all mankind. It is closely associated with but subordinate to that of her divine Son.

It is possible to find references in some old Catholic sources to the “worship of Mary,” but remember that languages change over time, that such citations are generally old, and that worship in such cases should therefore be understood in a broader, more archaic sense of that English word (i.e., a high degree of honor, respect, reverence, esteem or homage) rather than our narrower modern sense (adoration reserved exclusively for God in His divine majesty). It might help to think of how the British call certain magistrates “Your Worship” but we Americans would address such officials as “Your Honor.” Words more commonly used today in reference to the proper attitude toward Mary are veneration and devotion. We venerate sacred persons and things, as Protestants do the saints in heaven, the Holy Bible and representations of the cross, and we show devotion to those people we hold especially dear (such as one’s parents, spouse or children). (Sometimes, too, we have to consider the possibility that the intended usage might have been more poetic than literal. Did Frank Sinatra truly "worship and adore" the women in some of his love songs? Not any more than Tony Bennett actually wanted to visit that celestial body when he sang "fly me to the moon.")

Similarly, one sometimes comes across the phrase “the cult of Mary [or some other saint],” but this too is simply an adoption of the Latin word cultus, meaning a system of ceremonial or religious honor or devotion. This is entirely different than the way the word is commonly used today in reference to a tightly controlled religious sect holding exotic or unorthodox beliefs (frequently bound closely around a single charismatic leader or small leadership group).

The document Lumen Gentium (The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) was produced at the Second Vatican Council and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964. The final chapter of that document (Chapter VIII—paragraphs 52 through 69) is titled “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God in the Mystery of Christ and the Church.” (The Council debated whether it ought to make a separate document on Mary, but in the end decided it more appropriate to incorporate this examination of the Church’s teaching on Mary in the context of the Church’s overall understanding of its own nature, mission and purpose, so integral is her role in the entire life of the Church.)

Everything the Church believes and teaches about the Blessed Virgin must be understood as deriving from her relationship to her divine Son, Jesus Christ, and her unique role in the history of salvation. As this fact becomes more and more clearly seen, it begins to dawn on the believer that, while she was indeed redeemed by the one sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, she was NOT “just like everyone else.” Permit me to quote par. 53 from the Introduction to that chapter in its entirety to put it all into perspective.

The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer. Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth. At the same time, however, because she belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all those who are to be saved. She is “the mother of the members of Christ … having cooperated by charity that faithful might be born in the Church, who are members of that Head” (St. Augustine). Wherefore she is hailed as a pre-eminent and singular member of the Church, and as its type and excellent exemplar in faith and charity. The Catholic Church, taught by the Holy Spirit, honors her with filial affection and piety as a most beloved mother.

“… Mary, a daughter of Adam, consenting to the divine Word, became the mother of Jesus, the one and only Mediator. Embracing God’s salvific will with a full heart and impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally as a handmaid of the Lord to the person and work of her Son, under Him and with Him, by the grace of almighty God, serving the mystery of redemption. Rightly therefore the holy Fathers [of the early Church] see her as used by God not merely in a passive way, but as freely cooperating in the work of human salvation through faith and obedience. For as St. Irenaeus says, she ‘being obedient, became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.’…” (from par. 56)

“… [Mary] faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan (cf. Jn 19:25), grieving exceedingly with her only begotten Son, uniting herself with a maternal heart with His sacrifice, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth …” (from par. 58).

Mary was indeed correct when she spoke of “God my Savior” (Lk 1:47). In the classic explanation, if there is a pit in the middle of a pathway, one can be saved from it in one of two ways: one can be pulled out after having fallen into it, or one can be prevented from falling into it in the first place. Both are possible ways of being saved from the pit. Mankind was stuck in the pit of sin. But man was not originally created in sin. Adam and Eve were created sinless, but fell into sin. Mary was likewise created sinless, saved by a singular (miraculous) act of God, in virtue of her intended divine motherhood, so that she would be a fitting (immaculate) tabernacle for His Son at the appointed time in human history. When the time came for her to give her consent to being the human mother of God’s Son, thus giving Him His human nature, she needed the moral capacity to do so in complete and perfect freedom. This includes freedom from sin, which would otherwise limit or taint the free exercise of her will in making such a momentous decision that would affect not only herself but all mankind.

The angel Gabriel bore witness to this sinless state when he addressed her as “full of grace” (Lk 1:28). If the box is full of salt, as Archbishop Sheen used to say, there is no room for pepper. We are given to understand that the Greek word used here by Luke implies an absolute fullness (“to the brim” and overflowing with God’s grace), not just a relative fullness (participating more in grace than sin, or even possessing more grace than anyone else).

Some will object, “How could Mary have been saved by Jesus’ sacrifice before it happened?” Well, Abraham and Moses were also saved by the one same sacrifice of Jesus. They also lived before it happened. The conceptual difficulty arises because our perception is conditioned by our experience of time. We are stuck in time (hampered in that we have no other experience). God is not. Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary was an eternal act, and therefore not limited by time, and is made accessible to all men (in one way or another by God’s design) through His grace. God dispenses His grace to each man, woman and child in history, in His infinite mercy and wisdom, as He deems best. Who are we to quibble about His chosen methods?

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