Praying with the Saints: A Tradition Rooted in Scripture and the Early Church

Who Are the Saints?

In Orthodox Christianity, saints are those who have lived lives of holiness and union with God. They are not just historical figures but living members of the Church Triumphant, those who have finished the race and now dwell in the presence of God (Hebrews 12:1). The word "saint" (Greek: ἅγιος, hagios) means "holy one," referring to those set apart for God’s purpose.

Saints come from all walks of life—martyrs, ascetics, theologians, bishops, and even former sinners who repented. Their lives bear witness to the transformative power of God's grace and serve as examples for Christians to follow.

Saint Stephen the Protomartyr

One of the earliest saints in Christian history is Saint Stephen, the first martyr (protomartyr) of the Church. His story is found in Acts 6–7, where he is chosen as one of the first deacons and is described as "full of faith and the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5). When confronted by the Jewish authorities, he gives a powerful testimony of Christ, culminating in his vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56). His final words before being stoned echo Christ’s own prayer on the Cross: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:60).

Saint Stephen's martyrdom set a pattern for Christian witness (martyria)—proclaiming Christ even at the cost of one’s life. The Orthodox Church venerates him not as dead but alive in Christ, as Jesus Himself said, "He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive" (Luke 20:38).

Saint Ignatius of Antioch

Another inspiring martyr is Saint Ignatius of Antioch, a bishop and disciple of the Apostle John. Arrested for his faith during the reign of Emperor Trajan, he was taken to Rome, where he was sentenced to be devoured by wild beasts in the Colosseum. On his journey, he wrote several letters to Christian communities, expressing his deep longing to be united with Christ through martyrdom. He wrote:

"I am God’s wheat, and I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become the pure bread of Christ." (Letter to the Romans, 4:1)

His unwavering faith and desire to die for Christ demonstrated the depth of his love for the Lord. Rather than seeing martyrdom as a loss, he saw it as the fulfillment of his faith—a passage into eternal life with Christ. His writings continue to inspire Christians today to embrace suffering for the sake of the Gospel.

Look up the lives of Saints. Here is a good online reference for reading the lives of the saints: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives

Why Do We Pray to the Saints?

For many Protestants, the idea of praying to saints is challenging, often misunderstood as worship. However, in Orthodox theology, prayer to the saints is not a replacement for prayer to God but a request for their intercession—just as we ask fellow believers on earth to pray for us (James 5:16).

The early Church firmly believed in the intercession of the saints. The Book of Revelation describes the prayers of the saints in heaven being offered to God like incense (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4). This understanding is also found in early Christian writings. St. Cyprian of Carthage (3rd century). Cyprian affirms that martyrs, who have gone before us, are alive in Christ and that their prayers are effective:

"One who has been crowned and has received his reward can obtain what he asks from God." (Epistle 57:5)

This aligns with the Orthodox view that saints are not dead but alive in Christ, and that their prayers remain powerful in the presence of God.

Similarly, St. John Chrysostom (4th century) exhorted Christians to seek the prayers of the saints:

"When you perceive that God is chastening you, fly not to His enemies but to His friends, the martyrs, the saints, and those who were well-pleasing to Him, and who have great power in God." (Homilies on Genesis, 44:2)

The saints are not distant, but part of the "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1), interceding for us before God. Asking for their prayers is an expression of Christian unity across time and eternity.

The Need for a Sacramental Worldview

Because of our modern secular world that discounts the reality of spiritual realities, our minds tend to place the saints who are still living in a far distant place. Those near to us are more real so we don’t have inhibition of asking them to pray for us. There is a tendency to discount anything spiritual and to give weight only to what is objectively measurable. However, Orthodox Christianity embraces a sacramental worldview similar to that of the early Christians, where the spiritual and the material are deeply connected. The saints are not mere historical figures but living members of the Church, active and present in the life of believers.

Just as we ask our friends and family to pray for us, so too do we ask the saints, who are alive in Christ, to intercede on our behalf. This requires a view of reality that acknowledges the unseen, spiritual world—one that is just as real as what we experience physically. As Christ Himself taught, 

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). 

To truly understand the importance of saints, one must step beyond the constraints of modern secular thinking and embrace the fullness of the Christian faith, which sees the communion of saints as a present and ongoing reality.

The Historical Basis of Honoring Saints

The Orthodox Church constantly prays for and with the saints, especially through memorial services, the Saturday of Souls, and the general dedication of Saturdays to the departed. The Church teaches that the faithful departed remain part of the Church and continue to be in communion with the living through prayer. The Saturday of Souls, in particular, is a time when the Church gathers to remember all who have fallen asleep in Christ, praying for their repose and asking the saints to intercede on their behalf. This practice reflects the belief in the ongoing unity of the Church, where the line between the Church Militant (on earth) and the Church Triumphant (in heaven) is not one of separation but of interconnection through Christ.

The veneration of saints dates back to the earliest Christian communities. The catacombs in Rome, where early Christians gathered, contain inscriptions and prayers asking for the intercession of martyrs. The second-century document The Martyrdom of Polycarp records how the early Church honored its martyrs:

"We adore Christ, because He is the Son of God, but the martyrs we love as disciples and imitators of the Lord, and rightly so, because of their unsurpassable loyalty to their own King and Teacher." (Martyrdom of Polycarp, 17:2)

This practice continued unbroken in the Church. St. Basil the Great affirmed this tradition, stating:

"The memory of the just is celebrated with hymns of praise, but the Lord’s testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner; for thou hast proved to be indeed more venerable than the prophets." (Homily on St. John the Baptist)

St. Gregory of Nyssa also emphasized the honor due to saints:

"We consider the relics of the saints to be a great treasure, and we venerate them with honor, not because we worship the creature but because we glorify the Creator." (On the Holy Martyrs)

Modern Orthodox theologians, such as Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, continue to affirm this practice, stating:

"The saints are not distant or dead, but living members of the Church, still praying for us and guiding us in the life of faith." (The Orthodox Church)

The Protestant Reformation later rejected this practice, largely due to concerns about abuses and misunderstandings related to the veneration of saints in the medieval Western Church. Reformers emphasized a direct relationship between the believer and Christ, rejecting what they saw as unnecessary intermediaries. This reaction led many Protestants to completely dismiss the long-standing Christian tradition of seeking the intercession of saints.

Many Protestants struggle to accept this practice because of a worldview shaped by the Reformation’s emphasis on sola scriptura (Scripture alone) and a resistance to traditions not explicitly stated in the Bible. Additionally, the modern rationalistic mindset often dismisses the unseen, spiritual realities that the Orthodox Church understands as part of the sacramental life. To fully appreciate the intercession of the saints, one must recognize the continuity of the Church throughout time and the active participation of all its members—both living and departed—in Christ’s Kingdom.

Conclusion: Saints as Living Members of the Church

For Orthodox Christians, saints are not distant relics of the past, but active members of the Body of Christ. They are living witnesses of God’s glory, praying for us and encouraging us in our faith. When we honor them, we ultimately honor Christ, whose grace transformed their lives. As St. Paul says, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Understanding the role of saints through an Orthodox lens restores the fullness of Christian fellowship—one that spans both heaven and earth, united in Christ’s eternal Kingdom.

A Good Resource for further information:

Praying to the Saints by an Orthodox priest who is a former Anglican Priest, Fr. Lawrence Farley. Fr. Lawrence is the author of many books including the Bible Study Companion Series,  Let Us Attend: A Journey through the Orthodox Divine Liturgy, and A Daily Calendar of Saints. Here is link to article:

https://www.oca.org/reflections/fr.-lawrence-farley/praying-to-the-saints