The Saints are Alive and Working

Many Christians struggle with praying to the Saints for help. Some say that praying to Christ is enough. Others insist we should pray to the Father ‘in the name of Jesus’ and our prayers will be answered. As Orthodox we know all prayers, even the prayers of the saints, help.

Today is the Feast of Saint Euphemia the Great Martyr. She lived in the fourth century, but long after that, she was still working for the truth of Christ. During the Fourth Ecumenical Council, her relics were the vehicle of God’s wisdom. This is what we celebrate today.

What should one marvel at first: your martyric contests and accomplishments? Or your virginity and blameless life? You gladdened the Father, by wedding the Son and adorning yourself by the Holy Spirit. Who is capable of lauding these things? Who can tell of the many virtues that shine all around you and never fade? Like the sun, you rose from the east out of the grave, and you shine on all, and with your rays you illumine land and sea, and sanctify every continent, and make fragrant the ends of the earth. Therefore, you received from the six hundred thirty God-bearing Fathers the Definition of the Faith and guarded it.

Oikos from Orthros

The Oikos is read during the Orthros for today and expresses our love and devotion to her help in protecting the truth of God. If she can ‘still be working’ for the truth more than a hundred hears after her death, why should we continue to pray for the saints’ (all the saints) help?

The saints are not dead, but alive in Christ. Today’s commemoration is just another example of how the saints interact with the Church. There are incorrupt saints whose relics do not decay. There are saints who inspire us through dreams. They are alive and working.

I understand that we may find it difficult to pray to saints for help. We can’t see them, but we can’t see God either. That is, we can’t see God or the saints with our eyes. We can see them with our heart and soul if we have faith and love. That doesn’t mean we don’t pray to God.

We pray to the saints for help like we ask our friends for help. The more prayers the better, right? It isn’t that we ask the saints to ‘do’ something. We ask the saints to pray to God for us. We also recognize holiness in someone, which is why we ask them to pray in the first place.

When the Fathers included Saint Euphemia, they prayed to God for the answer. She was already revered by the Church, just as we already revere certain friends in our life. Admit it. There are friends you ask to pray for you, and there are friends you don’t.

You might be asking by now, “Which Saints should I pray to?” For starters, I always suggest building a relationship with the Panagia who is our Mother. She is the greatest of the Saints. The second is your patron saint followed by the protector of your local parish.

Saints are more than just friends. They are our family. Get to know them by learning about their lives. A ‘bit of extra credit’ could be to say a prayer to saints on their feast as part of your daily discipline. However you do it, get to know the saints around you. The are alive and working.