Our beloved Mom- A Study on the Theotokos- Series-II; Part-IV (Seeking the intercession of St Mary and the saints) In the last part we saw how God respected the intercessions of the living people for the sake of other living brethren. In this part we will see how the departed ones have found favor with the Lord and if those departed ones have found favor with Him; imagine if they intercede, would the Lord turn a blind eye? Late Lamented Pope Shenouda III has written a beautiful aspect on intercession of the departed ones in his book ‘Comparative Theology’. Below are the excerpts: “As for the departed, they have greater favor with God to the extent that He has mercy on people for their sake even without them praying. How much more then, if they do pray for someone? Examples of this are the merciful and compassionate works God did for the sake of His servant David. When Solomon sinned, God decided to tear his kingdom away from him, but He said about the division of the kingdom: Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen (1Kings 11: 12,13). The Lord repeated the same words in His speech to Jeroboam: Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel). However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes (1Kings11: 31,32,34). In one chapter the Lord repeats the phrase for the sake of My servant David three times. That is why the Psalmist prayed to Him, saying: For Your servant Davids sake, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed (Psalms 132: 10). If David has such favour with God, how much more favor have the Virgin Mary, the angels, John the Baptist who is the greatest born of women, and the martyrs who were tortured and tasted death for the sake of the Lord, have found?” (We will continue our study further..) May the prayers of our holy Mom-St Mary-the Theotokos be a strong refuge for us! (Ref: LL His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Comparative Theology, Pg 81-82, Coptic Orthodox Publishers Association, ed 1988)
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 17:58:33 +0000