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Saints and their special intercession.
My mum was telling me when u Lose something always mention Aba-Nofer, and this got me thinking. Which saints do we intercede when we have a problem, as in wen u lose something u mention Aba-Nofer, or wen u are studying, u intercede to Pope Kirollos. So which saints do we intercede to wen we have different problems. Sorry if the wording of this question isnt clear, i didnt know how to put this question into words.
Pray for Me the sinner.
Pray for Me the sinner.
Comments
pray for me
joe
Forever,
Coptic Servent
:o
or like does God listen to one saint more?
it doesn't matter ..does it?
:o
or like does God listen to one saint more?
God is all about equality, although since St. Mary is his mom, won't she be more compatible for God listening to her more??
Forever,
Coptic Servent
epresvia - this means intercession and is exclusively reserved for St.Mary and the heavenly hosts, and St.John the Baptist. These are the people closest to him, and have a very personal relationship with God, making their intercessions more powerful.
evshee - these are prayers, and are resserved for the rest of the saints. They are not as powerful as intercessions.
I am not saying here that the prayers of saints are not as powerful as the intercessions of St. Mary, St.John the Baptist and the heavenly hosts, I am merely saying that the intercessions thing makes them closer to God
Pray for me
joe
I once heard that in upper egypt if you lost somthing then you ask a saint (can't remember who) does anybody know who? He isn't very famous though.
I'm guessing St. Mary of Egypt, correct me if I'm wrong!!
Forever,
Coptic Servent
Forever,
Coptic Servent
Forever,
Coptic Servent
My mum was telling me when u Lose something always mention Aba-Nofer, and this got me thinking. Which saints do we intercede when we have a problem, as in wen u lose something u mention Aba-Nofer, or wen u are studying, u intercede to Pope Kirollos. So which saints do we intercede to wen we have different problems. Sorry if the wording of this question isnt clear, i didnt know how to put this question into words.
Pray for Me the sinner.
I was thinking of this question myself, but did not know quite how to explain it.
I think it must be important to pray to certain Saints for different things. I think the Saints all have their different 'strengths' or 'dutys' like the Heavenly hosts. St. Gebriel is known for his swiftness. St. Pope Kyrillos "has the power to solve problems, to hea l sickness, and to cast out devils. St. Barbara is the patron Saint in time of danger, death by artillery, explosions or lightening. She is also the patron of artillerymen, ammunition workers, architects, armourers, boatman, bomb technicians, brass workers, builders, carpenters, construction workers, firefighters, geologists, gunners, military engineers, miners, stonecutter and mariners. Wow!
I'm not saying that our prayers will not be answered if we just pray to our favorite Saint for whatever, but it is probably a good thing to know our Saints and their strengths.
Does anyone know more about the countless Saints and their powers? Maybe a book dedicated to such a subject.
Thanks and Praises
It seems to me that it is much better to have a few of the saints whose lives we find particularly inspiring, and whom we turn to for their intercessions in our needs. St Severus, for instance, does not appear on any Western list of saints for particular needs because he is not a Roman Catholic saint. Yet he is one of the most important saints in the history of the Syrian and Coptic Orthodox Churches and every Orthodox should know him and venerate him.
Likewise St Athanasius and St Cyril are not usually on such lists but these are also among the very greatest and most important of saints.
I do not believe that the saints have particular duties. How could St Barbara, for instance, be the patron saint of firefighters in the patristic period since there were no firefighters or bomb technicians. These are all late Roman Catholic associations, and it is the Roman Catholics who have tended to associate saints with activities. Within Orthodoxy it is proper to have a close relationship and deep veneration for particular saints, but these should be those who have become meaningful to each of us. In my case I always seek the intercessions of St Severus, St Cyril, St Athanasius, St Dioscorus and St Timothy among others, not least because I am always studying their writings and wish their prayers to be for my studies.
It is certainly true that we could ask the intercessions of those saints who have a clear association with some aspect of Church life during their own lives, but many of the saints do not have such obvious associations and the Roman Catholics over hundreds of years have made sometimes rather fanciful connections.
It would be appropriate to learn about the lives of and venerate those saints whose relics are present in our church buildings, the saints who are the patrons of our chuches, and the saint whose name we bear. Over the course of our lives we will also find ourselves attracted to certain saints. But I do think that it is not wise to consider the saints as being too specifically tied to specific 'jobs'. This has not been the patristic view of the Church. It is always better to turn to those few saints who mean most to you and your family and your congregation and develop a lasting relationship with them. They will be our constant help in all circumstances and situations.
God bless you
Father Peter
Something is lost and must be found
My co-worker who is a Roman catholic swears that the above little poem works when you lose things.I don't think saints are assigned particular tasks in orthodox faith.I always recite the virgin mary's prayer in any type of streneous situation .
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
I say this and it comforts and helps me .In Geez though
I am not really sure that this is true. It is certainly a popular idea, but many of the associations have developed because of the stories of the lives of the saints and these are not always meant to be historical in the modern sense in any case. Many of the associations of saints with particular groups of people are medieval Roman Catholic traditions and not Orthodox.
It seems to me that it is much better to have a few of the saints whose lives we find particularly inspiring, and whom we turn to for their intercessions in our needs. St Severus, for instance, does not appear on any Western list of saints for particular needs because he is not a Roman Catholic saint. Yet he is one of the most important saints in the history of the Syrian and Coptic Orthodox Churches and every Orthodox should know him and venerate him.
Likewise St Athanasius and St Cyril are not usually on such lists but these are also among the very greatest and most important of saints.
I do not believe that the saints have particular duties. How could St Barbara, for instance, be the patron saint of firefighters in the patristic period since there were no firefighters or bomb technicians. These are all late Roman Catholic associations, and it is the Roman Catholics who have tended to associate saints with activities. Within Orthodoxy it is proper to have a close relationship and deep veneration for particular saints, but these should be those who have become meaningful to each of us. In my case I always seek the intercessions of St Severus, St Cyril, St Athanasius, St Dioscorus and St Timothy among others, not least because I am always studying their writings and wish their prayers to be for my studies.
It is certainly true that we could ask the intercessions of those saints who have a clear association with some aspect of Church life during their own lives, but many of the saints do not have such obvious associations and the Roman Catholics over hundreds of years have made sometimes rather fanciful connections.
It would be appropriate to learn about the lives of and venerate those saints whose relics are present in our church buildings, the saints who are the patrons of our chuches, and the saint whose name we bear. Over the course of our lives we will also find ourselves attracted to certain saints. But I do think that it is not wise to consider the saints as being too specifically tied to specific 'jobs'. This has not been the patristic view of the Church. It is always better to turn to those few saints who mean most to you and your family and your congregation and develop a lasting relationship with them. They will be our constant help in all circumstances and situations.
God bless you
Father Peter
I beg to differ Father Peter,
The sources I quoted from are all books I received from the Coptic Orthodox Church library.
The is no limit to Gods Power.
Thank you,
God bless you too!!!
It is a matter of fact though that Orthodox have never categorised saints for lists of intercessions.
A few saints, especially those who were doctors, have become associated with prayers for healing. But nothing exists such as is the case in Roman Catholicism and if there are such lists in any Orthodox book then they reflect Roman Catholic influence.
Father Peter
i am not sure what you mean about limiting God's power.
It is a matter of fact though that Orthodox have never categorised saints for lists of intercessions.
A few saints, especially those who were doctors, have become associated with prayers for healing. But nothing exists such as is the case in Roman Catholicism and if there are such lists in any Orthodox book then they reflect Roman Catholic influence.
Father Peter
Father Peter,
Saints are eternal......thats why they have been elevated to become Saints. Why would you limit St. Barbara to a certain time period and not also the Saints you "seek the intercessions of".....??
I think all of the Church's have been hurt by heretical teachings, but I do not think those heretical teachings were veneration of Saints.
As I learned in the second Sunday of Lent Sermon we should despise the sin not the sinner.
I am so glad for Pope Shenouda III who is trying to bridge the gap that separates Orthodox Christians all over the world. All shouldn't be lost because of a few heretics.
I pray for One Universal Apostolic and Catholic Church. As it was in the beginning so shall it be in the end.
Glory be to God who gives power and strength eternal....limitless, not 'just in our lifetimes'.
Also today I would like to give honor to St. Elizabeth. Honor and power to the righteous womb that 'brings forth fruit in due season'. Thank u for keeping the faith holy mother!
World without end!!!
Who is limiting the intercessions of the saints? Surely those who say 'This saint deal with these problems', 'that saint deals with those problems'.
This is not the approach generally taken by Orthodoxy. It is the approach taken by some elements of Roman Catholicism.
As I say, I am not really sure what you are saying. I don't see how anything I have said could be taken as saying we should not seek the intercession of the saints.
God bless you
Father Peter
Also many saints can bear specific attributes with their names, e.g. St Mar Mina the Wonder Maker. Also like St Mary for healing many sick eyes, St George for swift answering, for helping girls in distress, and often appearing as an officer, St Raphael the Archangel for caring for children, youth and teens, like Father Peter says the doctor saints for healing the sick, St Abu Nofer St Wanas and St Anthony for finding lost things or belongings, etc. even when these saints do perform many other various miracles.
I've also heard that the Lord made promises to some saints and martyrs that whoever asks Him in their names, sometimes in specific situations vs. generally, they will be granted these requests (it may be wrong though).
GBU