Why do Orthodox Christinas Include Saints in our Prayers?

iiiiiIn our Prayer Rule we can also ask the saints to intercede for us and to help us in our worldly struggles.
iiiiiSaints are those holy individuals who have died as martyrs, who have made a fearless confession of
iiiiifaith often with the threat of death, who have demonstrated self-sacrificing service, who have a special
iiiiigift of healing and perform miracles after their death when remembered in prayer.

iiiiiThese holy people the Lord calls His friends. "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No
iiiiilonger do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you
iiiiifriends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15:14-15)

iiiiiThey are those He has received in His heavenly mansions in fulfillment of His words: "Where I am, there
iiiiiyou may be also." (John 14:3) Instead of praying for forgiveness of their sins, we praise them for their
iiiiistruggles in Christ. We make petitions to them asking them to pray for us and the remission of our sins
iiiiiand spiritual growth, seeking their help in our spiritual needs. The saints are near the Throne of God.

iiiii"Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the
iiiiielders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
iiiiiwho praised the Lord." (Rev 5:11)

iiiiiOur communion in prayer with the saints is the realization of the bond between Christians on earth and
iiiiithe Heavenly Church. (Heb 12:22-23)

iiiiiSacred scripture presents numerous examples that the righteous, while still living can see and hear and
iiiiiknow much that is inaccessible to the ordinary understanding. The saints while they were still on earth
iiiiiwe able to penetrate in spirit into the world above.

iiiiiFrom the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (luke 16:10-31) we know that Abraham, being in heaven,
iiiiicould hear the cry of the rich man who was suffering in hell, despite the great unbridgeable gulf that
iiiiiseparates them.

iiiiiThe Church has always taught the invocation of the saints, convinced they intercede for us before God
iiiiiin heaven. Having a prayer relationship with a saint is another way that we can gain help in our spiritual
iiiiipath to salvation in the Church.

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