The intercession of saints (የቅዱሳን ምልጃ/ጸሎት) while they are alive and departs holds a special place in Orthodox Christianity. Saints who live or have lived holy lives have a closer connection to God, and their prayers act as a bridge between the earthly and heavenly spaces. The prayers of these saints, holy fathers, and mothers are highly valued for their deep spiritual communion with God. This essay emphasizes the intercession of saints while they are alive.
Numerous biblical verses support this belief, highlighting the power and significance of intercessory prayer by holy individuals.
One prominent example is Moses' intercessions in the Book of Exodus. When Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, refused to heed God's command, God sent a plague of frogs. In fear, Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron to pray for relief. Moses prayed to God, and through his intercession, God ended the plague (Exodus 8:8-15) ).” ሙሴና አሮንም ከፈርዖን ዘንድ ወጡ፤ ሙሴም በፈርዖን ላይ ስላመጣቸው ጓጕንቸሮች ወደ እግዚአብሔር ጮኸ:: እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴ እንዳለ አደረገ፤ ጓጕንቸሮቹም ከቤት፡ ከድጅም ከሜዳም ሞቱ”
Another instance is when Egypt was plagued by flies, and Moses' prayer led to their removal (Exodus 8:25-31). “ሙሴም ከፈርዖን ዘንድ ወጣ፥ ወደ እግዚአብሔርም ጸለየ:: እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴ እንዳለ አደረገ፤ የዝንቡንም መንጎች ከፈርዖን ከባሪያዎቹም ከሕዝቡም አስነሣ አንድ ስንኳ አልቀረም።”
The most profound example is when the Israelites committed the grave sin of idol worship. God intended to destroy the nation, but Moses fervently prayed for mercy, and God forgave the people (Exodus 32:11-14). “ሙሴም በእግዚአብሔር በአምላኩ ፊት ጸለየ፥ አለም፦ አቤቱ፥ ቍጣህ በታላቅ ኃይልና በጽኑ እጅ ከግብፅ ምድር ባወጣኸው በሕዝብህ ላይ ስለ ምን ተቃጠለ? …ዘራችሁን እንደ ሰማይ ከዋክብት አበዛለሁ፥ ይህችንም የተናገርኋትን ምድር ሁሉ ለዘራችሁ እሰጣታለሁ፥ ለዘላለምም ይወርሱአታል ብለህ በራስህ የማልህላቸውን ባሪያዎችህን አብርሃምንና ይስሐቅን እስራኤልንም አስብ:: እግዚአብሔርም በሕዝቡ ላይ ሊያደርግ ስላሰበው ክፋት ራራ።”
Another notable incident involves Moses' sister, Miriam. After she was struck with leprosy, Moses prayed for her healing, and after seven days, God healed her (Numbers 12:1-14) “ሙሴም ወደ እግዚአብሔር እየጮኸ፦ አቤቱ፥ እባክህ፥ አድናት አለው።… እግዚአብሔርም ሙሴን … ሰባት ቀን ከሰፈር ውጭ ተዘግታ ትቀመጥ፥ ከዚያም በኋላ ትመለስ አለው።”
In conclusion, these stories underscore the Orthodox belief that holy individuals can intercede on behalf of others, bringing about divine intervention and mercy. This practice highlights the spiritual unity of the Church and provides believers with profound hope and assurance. Through the prayers of the righteous, the faithful experience divine assistance and compassion, reinforcing their faith in God's persistent love and support.
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