In the selfish and self-serving world we live in, it is difficult to find a true friend who remains permanently willing to help us, without expecting anything in return. We might even be led to believe that this kind of person no longer exists…
But yes, they do! And there are millions of them! The saints in Heaven, who share in God’s own charity and are totally united with Him, feel for us a kindness that even the best hypothetical friend would not show us.
It is impossible to imagine the blessed immersed in the torrent of God’s delights (cf. Ps 35:9) and yet oblivious to the arduous lives of poor mortals. In reality, the fire of divine love impels them to care for us, as St. Thomas says: “the greater the charity of the saints in Heaven, the more they pray for wayfarers” (Summa Theologiæ, II-II, q.83, a.11).
As a basis for the truth of this heavenly intercession, the Angelic Doctor adduces the authority of St. Jerome: “If the Apostles and martyrs, while still in the body, could pray for others, when they still had to worry about themselves, how much more will they be able to do so after they are crowned, victorious and triumphant!” (Contra Vigilantium, n. 6: PL 23, 344).
Furthermore, the prayers of the blessed “are efficacious in impetrating through their previous merits and through God’s acceptance” (Summa Theologiæ, II-II, q.83, a.11, ad 1) because they, having overcome life’s battles “while living, merited to pray for us” (ad 5). Such is the spiritual union among all members of the Church!
But – someone might object – why turn to the saints, if the merits of Jesus Christ can already obtain everything for us? Aquinas answers luminously: “It is God’s will that inferior beings should be helped by all those that are above them, wherefore we ought to pray not only to the higher but also to the lower saints” (ad 4). Furthermore, “God wishes to make known his sanctity” (ad 4), since, as the Liturgy states in one of the prefaces to the saints, by crowning the merits of the righteous, the Lord exalts His own gifts.
Indeed, although it is absolutely sufficient to resort to divine mercy alone in our prayers, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in His infinite goodness, delights in making His friends (cf. Jn 15:15) sharers in His mediating power. He is not like a boss who prefers to perform alone the actions he could delegate to others; on the contrary, He acts like a kind superior who likes to involve his subordinates in the command.
When we need to expedite a complicated process, it is common for us to ask those closest to us about the most effective way to obtain what we need, and we always seek an “entry” or a “sponsor” for this purpose. “He who has godparents will not die a pagan,” the popular saying goes.
Well, let us not forget that we have thousands of “godparents” in Heaven, who know and love us. To help us, they only wait for us to turn to their intercession! ◊
