Chapter II

Ought we to appeal to the Saints to intercede for us?

In the Book of Job,[277] it is said: _Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and turn to some of the Saints_. And on this S. Gregory says: "It is our business to call, and to beseech God in humble prayer."[278] When, then, we desire to pray to God, we ought to turn to the Saints that they may pray for us.

Further, the Saints who are in the Fatherland are more acceptable in the sight of God than they were when upon earth. But we ought to ask the Saints even when on earth to be our intercessors with God, as the Apostle shows us by his example when he says: _I beseech you, therefore, brethren, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the charity of the Holy Ghost, that you help me in your prayers for me to God_.[279] Much more, then, should we ask the Saints who are in our Fatherland to help us by their prayers to God.

Moreover, the common custom of the Church confirms this, since in her Litanies she asks the prayers of the Saints.

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In the words of Denis,[280] "there is this Divinely established harmony in things--that they which hold the lowest place should be brought to God through them that come between them and God." Since, then, the Saints who are in our Fatherland are most nigh to God, the harmony of the Divine Government demands that we who, abiding in the body, are "absent from the Lord," should be led to Him by the Saints who stand midway; and this is secured when through their means the Divine Goodness pours out Its effects upon us. And since our return to God ought to correspond to the orderly way in which His goodnesses flow upon us--for His benefits flow out upon us through the intervention of the Saints' suffrages for us--so also ought we to be brought back to God through the intervention of the Saints, and thus once more receive His benefits. Whence it is that we make them our intercessors for us with God--and, as it were, mediators--by begging them to pray for us.

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But some say that we should not ask the Saints to pray for us, thus:

1. No one asks a man's friends to intercede for him except in so far as he thinks that he can obtain a favour more easily through them. But God is infinitely more merciful than any Saint, and consequently His Will is more readily inclined to hear us than is the will of any Saint. Whence it would seem superfluous to make the Saints mediators between ourselves and God, and so ask them to intercede for us.

But just as it is not by reason of any deficiency on the part of
the Divine Power that It works through the mediumship of
secondary causes, whereas it rather tends to the fulfilment of
the harmony of the universe that His Goodness should be more
copiously diffused upon things, so that things not only receive
from Him their own peculiar goodness, but themselves become a
source of goodness to other things as well; so in the same way
it is not by reason of any lack of mercy on His part that appeal
to His mercy by means of the prayers of the Saints is fitting;
but this is done in order that the aforesaid harmony may be
preserved.

2. If we ought to ask the Saints to pray for us, it can only be because we know that their prayers are acceptable to God. But the more saintly is a Saint, the more acceptable is his prayer to God. Consequently we ought always to make the greater Saints our intercessors with God, and never the lesser ones.

Yet although the greater Saints are more acceptable to God than
are the lesser ones, it is still useful to pray sometimes to the
lesser Saints. And this for five reasons: Firstly, because a man
sometimes has a greater devotion to some lesser Saint than to
one who is greater; and the efficacy of our prayers depends very
much on our devotion. Secondly, in order to avoid weariness; for
unremitting application to one thing begets distaste; but when
we pray to various Saints fresh devotional fervour is stirred up
in practically each case. Thirdly, because certain Saints are
appointed the patrons of certain particular cases, so S. Antony
for the avoidance of hell-fire. Fourthly, that so we may show
due honour to them all. Fifthly, because sometimes a favour may
be gained at the prayer of many which would not be gained at the
prayer of one alone.

3. Christ, even as man, is termed _the Saint of Saints_;[281] and it belongs to Him, as man, to pray. Yet we never ask Christ to pray for us. Hence it is superfluous to make the Saints our intercessors with God.

But prayer is an act. And acts belong to individual beings.
Consequently, if we were to say, _Christ, pray for us_, we
should appear, unless we added something, to be referring this
to Christ's Person, and thus we might seem to fall into the
error of Nestorius who regarded the Person of the Son of Man as
distinct in Christ from the Person of the Son of God; or
perhaps, too, into the error of Arius who regarded the Person of
the Son as less than the Father. In order, then, to avoid these
errors, the Church does not say, _Christ, pray for us_, but
_Christ, hear us_, or _Christ, have mercy on us_.

4. Once more, when one is asked to intercede for another, he presents the latter's prayers to him with whom he has to intercede. But it is superfluous to present anything to Him to Whom all things are present. Hence it is superfluous to make the Saints our intercessors with God.

But the Saints are not said to present our prayers to God as
though they were manifesting to Him something which He did not
know, but in the sense that they ask that these prayers may be
heard by God, or that they consult the Divine Truth concerning
them, so as to know what, according to His providence, ought to
be done.

5. Lastly, that must be held superfluous which is done for the sake of something which, whether the former were done or not, would yet take place--or not take place--all the same. But similarly, the Saints would pray for us or not pray for us whether we asked them to do so or not. For if we deserve that they should pray for us, they would pray for us, even though we did not ask them to do so; if, on the other hand, we are not deserving that they should pray for us, then they do not pray for us--even though we ask them to do so. Hence to ask them to pray for us seems altogether superfluous.

But a man becomes deserving that some Saint should pray for him
from the very fact that with pure-hearted devotion he has
recourse to him in his needs. Hence it is not superfluous to
pray to the Saints.