I am a sinner. I make sins, sometimes unknowingly, sometimes by negligence and sometimes I am like insane man and I sin intentionally. In order to "fix" myself, I am looking for any help I can get. I ask God for help, I ask Christ for help, I ask the Holy Spirit for help, I ask Virgin Mary for help, I ask the saints, I ask my priest to pray for me, I ask my fellow Christians to pray for me, and I give alms because my heart always looks at my "treasures" and I want my heart to look not to the Earth but to the heavens. I don't know if it is necessary to ask Virgin Mary for help but I do know that I need help and I do know that Christ gives me all the help I need when I don't disdain his mother. My passions mitigate, my indifference becomes replaced by eagerness, the wounds of my soul heal.
What is the protestant opinion about the following words by Ap. John: "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death." Isn't God merciful? Then why does Ap. John want us to ask from God forgiveness for our brother?
The Orthodox answer to the above question is this: God is merciful but he doesn't want us to be passive participants in the salvation because this is not beneficial for us and God wants for us only the best. Is he going to forgive our sins if the saints don't pray for us? Well, this is wrong question because the saints pray for us only because God wants them to pray for us. God wants that we all – saints and ordinary people – pray for everybody so that we are saved together by our mutual efforts. We are not saved individuals and thats the real meaning of the word Church – Church means togetherness.
Yes, the great King is not an arrogant guy. However, I try not to be an arrogant guy too. Because of my mistakes my King has been beaten, spit upon, crucified. So standing far off, I would not even lift up my eyes to heaven, but I beat my breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’. (Luke 18:13) Knowing that my King is merciful I approach his house with my head bowed down. And there, before the doors, I see some beggars. These beggars are the guardians that the heavenly King has installed to guard his house. The guardians tell me that I am not permitted to enter the house of the merciful King if I am not merciful. I try to be merciful, then I enter the house. There I meet Apostle Paul and I say: "Please have mercy on Me, please intercede for me before the King". And Apostle answers: "Don't be afraid. I was a sinner and I persecuted the friends of the King but he made me a new man. He will make you a new man too, he will save you from your sins and you will be free." Then I see the Holy Mother and I say "O Most Holy Theotokos, save me!". And she says: "You have the goodwill of me and my Son. Don't be despairing. The heavens exult when a sinner repents". Finally, I meet my Lord and he says "You are forgiven. Now come and eat my body and drink my blood so that your passions may heal. See, you are well now! Sin no more and be victorious, so that nothing worse may happen to you."
The mothers give bodies to their sons and yet nobody will say they are mothers of bodies. The mothers are mothers of persons. Mary is mother of Jesus and Jesus is the same person as God the Son, therefore, Mary is mother of God the Son, incarnated. She didn't give him divinity, he gave him humanity but it is the same person that is both God and Man.
The word "authority" seems inappropriate to me too. She has found grace with God, not authority.
The Orthodox Church does not have a doctrine of patronage on the part of Saints. The concept of patronage is informal. For example St. martyr Boniface of Tarsus has been a drinker so naturally people suffering from alcoholism or drugs will turn to him – not because he is "officially" protector of such people.
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