Intercession of Saints

THE VENERATION OF THE SAINTS

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, a saint by definition is anyone who is in Heaven, whether recognized here on earth or not. By this definition, Adam and Eve, Moses, the prophets, given the title of "Saint" and does not include angels and archangels.

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Sainthood in the Syriac Orthodox Church does not necessarily reflect a moral model, but the communion with God: there are countless examples of people who lived in great sin and became saints by humility and repentance, such as Mary of Egypt, Moses the Ethiopian, and of course Dysmas, the repentant thief crucified alongside Jesus. A complete definition of what a saint is has to do with the way that saints, through their humility and their love of humankind, saved inside them the entire Church, and loved all people.

Syriac Orthodox belief considers that God reveals his saints through answered prayers and other miracles. Saints are usually recognized by a local community, often by people who directly knew them. As their popularity rises, they are often then recognized by the entire church.

The recognition of a saint involves deliberation by a synod consisting of bishops. A day on the church calendar is decided for the saint by the entire church. It is a day of celebration in honor of the saint. It does not, however, make the person a saint; the person already was a saint, and the Church ultimately recognized it.

The belief is that one of the ways the holiness (sanctity) of a person is through the condition of their relics (remains). In some Orthodox countries (such as Greece, but not in Russia) graves are often reused after 3 to 5 years because of limited space. Bones are washed and placed in an ossuary, often with the name of the person written on the skull.

Miracles are supposed to have happened when bodies got exhumed. Traditionally, the Orthodox do not embalm the dead. Although the bodies do not get embalmed before burial, there are claims that bones gave out the smell of flowers, and the body reported as having remained free of decay after years.

The reason relics are considered sacred is because, for the Orthodox, the separation of body and soul is unnatural. A person comprises of both body and soul. The body and soul get reunited at the end. Therefore, the body of a saint shares in the “Holiness” of the soul of the saint. As a general rule, only the clergy will touch relics to move them or carry them in procession. In veneration, the faithful will kiss the relic to show love and respect toward the saint. Every altar in every Orthodox Church contains relics, usually of martyrs. The interiors of the churches are covered and lined with the Icons of saints.

Because the Church shows no distinction between the living and the dead (The saints are alive in Heaven), saints are referred to as if they were still alive. Saints are venerated but not worshipped. They can intercede for salvation and help humanity either through direct communion with God or by personal intervention.

St.Mary

St.Mary

"Henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed." Luke. 1:48 "Blessed art thou amongst women." (Elizabeth) A certain woman cried: Blessed is the womb that carried Thee and the paps that fed thee."

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The Apostles had a deep sense of veneration towards the Mother of God. Tradition says that St. Mark's house was the first church in Christendom and that, in the name of St. Mary. St. John at Ephesus had a parchment, signed by all the Apostles and 72 preachers that say that the Holy Mother passed away in 63 AD. It also instructs the commemoration of the Holy Mother three times a year.

Maryam, more commonly referred to as Saint Mary, Mother Mary, or (Blessed) Virgin Mary, was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee. She is identified in the New Testament as the mother of Jesus Christ through divine intervention.

The New Testament begins its account of Mary's life with the Annunciation when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her divine selection to be a mother of Jesus. Church tradition and early non-biblical writings state that her parents were an elderly couple, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. The Bible records Mary's role in key events of the life of Jesus from his conception to his Ascension.

The New Testament account of Mary's humility and obedience to the message of God has made her an exemplar for all ages of Christians. The details are available in the Gospels of the New Testament.

In The Maid of Galilee by the Christian piety and theology, a picture of Mary that fulfills the prediction ascribed to her in the Magnificat (Luke 1:48): "Henceforth all generations will call me blessed.".

St. Thomas

St. Thomas

Tradition has it that the Apostle of our Lord landed at Muziria (Cranganore) in 52 AD and preached the Gospel to the Jews and others and converted many to Christianity. He founded seven Churches in Cranganore, Palur, Kottakavil, Gokamangalam, Kurakeni, Kollam, and Chayal. He ordained priests from four converted Brahmin families of Kalli, Kalikavu, Shankarapuri, and Pakalomotttom.

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This tradition has been handed down from generation to generation through ancient songs such as Veeradiyan Pattu, Margomkalipattu, Rembanpattu, etc. It is worth noting that no other place in the whole of Christianity can claim the Apolostic Mission of St. Thomas.

St.Thomas, the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus (meaning "Twin" was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for disbelieving Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in St.John 20:28. He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel. He is supposed to have crossed the largest area, which includes the Parthian Empire and India.

St.Thomas is considered a saint by the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church, and the Church of the East.

According to The Passing of Mary, by Joseph of Arimathaea. St. Thomas was the only witness of the Assumption of St.Mary into heaven. The other Apostles were miraculously transported to Jerusalem to witness her death.

St.Thomas was in India, but after her burial, miraculously transported to her tomb, where he witnessed her bodily assumption into heaven, from which she dropped her girdle. In an inversion of the story of His doubts, the other apostles are skeptical of the story until they see the empty tomb and the girdle. The receipt of the girdle by St. Thomas is a common theme in medieval and pre-Tridentine Renaissance art.

St.Thomas next proceeded overland to Coromandel Coast, where he ministered in what is now the Chennai (Madras) area, where he converted a local king and many people. One tradition related that he went from there to China via Malacca and, after spending some time there, returned to the Madras area (Breviary of the Mar Thoma Church in Malabar).

His renewed ministry outraged the Brahmins, who were fearful lest Christianity undermined their social structure, based on the caste system. The Syriac version of the Acts of St.Thomas, Masdai, mentions that the local king at Mylapore condemned him to death after questioning around the year AD. 72. The king was anxious to avoid trouble, ordered to take him to a nearby mountain. After allowing him to pray, he was stoned and stabbed to death with a lance by an angry Brahmin. By this time, many nobles had also believed in our Lord.

The persecution of Christians was common. When they refused to apostatize, their properties got confiscated. Some sixty-four families eventually fled to Malabar and joined that Christian community.

St. John the Baptist

St. John the Baptist

St.John the Baptist was a historical figure mentioned in each of the Canonical gospels, Aramaic Matthew and by the Jewish historian Josephus. He followed the example of previous Hebrew prophets, living austerely, challenging sinful rulers, calling for repentance, and promising God's justice.

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All four Gospels record St.John the Baptist's ministry. They depict him as proclaiming Christ's arrival. In the Synoptic Gospels (St.Mark, St.Matthew, and St.Luke), the baptism of Jesus by St.John. In St.Matthew and St.John, St.John the Baptist recognizes Jesus as the one he had foretold.

The Gospel of St.Luke includes an account of John's infancy, introducing him as the son of Zachariah, who was old, and his wife Elizabeth, who was sterile. According to this account, the birth of St.John the Baptist was foretold by the angel Gabriel to Zachariah. Zachariah was performing his functions as a priest in the temple of Jerusalem at that time.

The lineage of priest Zachariah and his Elizabeth is from Aron is explained. John is now a descendant of Aaron on both his father's and mother's side. The Gospel of St.Luke states that Jesus was conceived by Holy Mary when Elizabeth was about six months pregnant. When her cousin Mary - Holy Mother of God came to tell her about her news, Elizabeth's unborn child 'jumped for joy' in her womb.

St. Peter

St. Peter

St.Peter was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus from his first disciples. He was a fisherman assigned a leadership role by Jesus. He was with Jesus during events witnessed by only a few apostles, such as the Transfiguration.

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St.Peter was the son of John and was from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee. His brother Andrew was also an apostle. Simon Peter is venerated in multiple churches and is regarded as the first Patriarch by the Syrian Orthodox Church.

St.Peter worked to establish the church of Antioch for seven years and presided as the city's bishop. He preached to scattered communities of believers (Jews and Hebrew Christians), in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia Minor, and Bithynia and went to Rome. In the second year of Claudius, he overthrew Simon Magus and held the Sacerdotal Chair for 25 years. He was crucified with his head down and martyred during Nero's reign.

St. Paul

St. Paul

St. Paul was a zealous Jew who persecuted the early followers of Jesus Christ. However, after his "Resurrection experience", he became a Christian and referred to himself as the "Apostle to the Gentiles".

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According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul's conversion to faith in Jesus took place in a profound life-changing experience on the road to Damascus. Together with Simon Peter and James the Just, he is among the most notable of early Christian leaders. He was also a Roman citizen—a fact that afforded him a privileged legal status concerning laws, property, and governance.

Thirteen epistles, or letters, in the New Testament, are attributed to St. Paul. His influence on Christian thinking arguably has been more significant than any other New Testament author. St. Paul's conversion dramatically changed the course of his life. Through his missionary activity and writings, he eventually transformed religious belief and philosophy throughout the Mediterranean basin.

St.Paul's leadership, influence, and legacy led to the formation of communities dominated by Gentile groups. They worshipped the God of Israel, adhered to the Judaic "moral code" but relaxed or abandoned the "ritual" and dietary obligations of the Mosaic law. His teachings are based on the life and works of Jesus Christ, and the New Covenant established through Jesus' death and resurrection. These communities eventually formed Christianity, in the split of early Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism following the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem.

Neither the Bible nor other history says how or when St.Paul died. According to Christian tradition, St.Paul was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero around the mid-60s.

St. John the Apostle

St. John the Apostle

St. John was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of St.James, another of the Twelve Apostles. Christian tradition holds he was the last surviving of the Twelve Apostles and died around the age of 94—the only apostle to die naturally.

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The Church Fathers identify him as the author of several New Testament works. The Gospel of St.John, the Epistles of St.John, and the Book of Revelation.

The Eastern Orthodox tradition gives his mother's name as Salome. They originally were fishermen and fished with their father in the Lake of Genesareth. He was first a disciple of St.John the Baptist and later one of the twelve apostles of Jesus.

St.John held a prominent position in the Apostolic body. St. Peter, St.James and St.John were the only witnesses of the raising of Jairus' daughter of the Transfiguration and the Agony in Gethsemane. Only he and St.Peter were sent into the city to prepare the final Passover meal (the Last Supper). At the meal itself, his place has been next to Jesus on whose chest he leaned if he is indeed the "disciple whom Jesus loved."

According to one interpretation, St.John was the "other disciple" who followed Jesus after the arrest into the palace of the high-priest. St. John alone remained near Jesus at the foot of the cross on Calvary with Jesus’ mother, St.Mary, and other pious women, who took St.Mary the Mother of God unto his care.

After the Resurrection, St.John and St.Peter were the first of the disciples to run towards the tomb. St.John was the first of the apostles to believe that Jesus had risen. The author of the Gospel of John usually identified himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". After the ascension of Jesus, and descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. St.John, together with St.Peter, took a prominent part in the founding and guiding the church. He was with St.Peter at the time of healing of the lame man in the Temple. With St.Peter he is also thrown into prison. He is also with St.Peter visiting the newly converted in Samaria.

St George

St.George

St. George was born on 23 April 303. According to tradition, he was a Roman soldier and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian. He is venerated as a Christian martyr. Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic (Western and Eastern Rites), Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox churches.

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He is immortalized in the tale of Saint George and the Dragon and is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. His memorial is celebrated on 23 April, and he is regarded as one of the most prominent military saints.

The traditional legends have offered a narration of St.George's encounter with a dragon.

The episode of St George and the Dragon was a legend brought back with the Crusaders and retold with the courtly appurtenances belonging to the genre of Romance. The earliest known depiction of the legend is from early eleventh-century Cappadocia. St.George was portrayed as a soldier since the seventh century, in the iconography of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The oldest narrative text is an eleventh-century Georgian text.

In the Western version, a dragon or Crocodile makes its nest at the spring that provides water for the city of "Silene" (perhaps modern Cyrene) in Libya or the city of Lydda, depending on the source.

This one evolved as part of the Golden Legend. Consequently, the citizens have to dislodge the dragon from its nest for a time, to collect water. To do so, every day, they offer the dragon at first a sheep. If there was no sheep, then a maiden must go instead of the sheep. The victim is chosen by drawing lots. One day, this happens to be the princess. The monarch begs for her life but to no avail. When he had to offer her to the dragon, there appears Saint George on his travels. He faces the dragon, protects himself with the sign of the cross, slays the dragon, and rescues the princess. The grateful citizens abandon their ancestral paganism and convert to Christianity.

Saint George is likely born to a Christian noble family in Lod, Syria Palaestina, during the late third century between about 275 AD and 285 AD, and he died in Nicomedia. His father, Gerontius, was a Roman army official from Cappadocia and his mother was from Palestine. They were both Christians and from noble families of Anici, so by this, they raised the child with Christian beliefs. They decided to call him Georgius (Latin) or Geōrgios (Greek), meaning "worker of the land". At the age of 14, St.George lost his father; a few years later, George's mother, Polychronia, died. Eastern accounts give the names of his parents as Anastasius and Theobaste.

In the year AD 302, Diocletian (influenced by Galerius) issued an edict that all Christian soldiers be arrested. Every other soldier should offer a sacrifice to the Pagan gods. But St.George refused to obey, and Diocletian had no choice but to have him executed for his refusal. Before the execution, St.George gave his wealth to the poor and prepared himself for his fate. After he was tortured continuously, on April 23, 303 St.George was executed by decapitation near Nicomedia's city wall. A witness of his suffering convinced Empress Alexandra and Athanasius, a pagan priest, to become Christians as well, and so they joined St.George in martyrdom. His body was returned to Lydda for burial, where Christians soon came to honor him as a martyr.