On this Feast of All Saints, Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity share comments from Fr. Kevin Harmon, associate pastor at St. Mary Immaculate Conception and St. Frances Cabrini Parishes, West Bend, Wisconsin on the topic of saints and their intercession in our lives. If you missed Father’s earlier post in this All Saints Series, click here. Photos: Dti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Why are prayers of intercession important for young adults today?
It is important to find people in life that we can look up to. That is what the saints can be for us. As Paul says, Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). The saints give us concrete examples of imitating Christ. Thus, we can imitate them, as they imitated Christ.
Moreover, they serve as powerful intercessors for us in the presence of God as Revelation says And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. (Revelation 8:4). Now, to be sure, some object to this idea of having mediators for they may state that Paul says: For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human (1 Timothy 2:5). However, I find this argument unconvincing, because four verses earlier, in the very same letter, Paul himself asks for his people to pray for one another! (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5)! So, clearly, Paul recognizes that by praying for one another, we are not slighting the one mediatorship of Christ. Christ is the one bridge between God and man, but sometimes we need someone to bring us to that bridge! That is what the saints can do for us.
Do you have any moments from your own life that point to your own reliance on the intercession of a saint or a felt presence of a loved one who has died?
Yes, the intercession of our Lady through the Rosary. If I could convince people to do one thing (besides to go to Confession and Mass regularly) it would be to pray 20 decades of the Rosary everyday. The only reason I am still Catholic is because I began praying 20 decades of the Rosary after my reversion. The only reason I made it into seminary is because I prayed 20 decades of the Rosary every day. The only reason why I am still a priest, even amidst the struggles I have encountered, is because I pray 20 decades of the Rosary everyday. The full Rosary is an extraordinarily powerful weapon. Indeed, it is a commitment, it takes 80-90 minutes to pray, but it is well worth it. Moreover, when you pray it, really meditate upon the mysteries. That is the most important part of the Rosary! For example, when meditating upon the nativity of Christ, imagine
yourself entering into the manger in Bethlehem and taking the infant Jesus into your arms and holding him close to your heart! When meditating upon the Passion of Christ, imagine yourself there. Wrap your arms around him as he hangs upon the cross. Venerate and kiss those most Holy Wounds which are testaments to how much God loves you, and the fountain in which your sins may be cleansed as Zechariah says: On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. (Zechariah 13:1). I often wish that I had the eloquence of a Cicero or a Caesar so that I could convince the entire world of how much God loves them. But, alas, I do not. So all I can do is plead. If you knew how much God loved you, you would die of bliss! Therefore, everyday, meditate upon the life of Christ. Enter into those mysteries so that you can taste and see how much the Lord loves you. Then, you will forget everything else and seek only to love him in return!
