The Holy Scripture of the New Testament calls the Lord Jesus Christ Himself the main mediator in the salvation and redemption of mankind. This can be understood in the light of the fact that it was through the free sacrifice of the Savior that man was reconciled with God. However, Orthodox people still especially prayerfully revere the saints of God.
Before answering the question about the grounds for the prayerful veneration of saints by Orthodox people, it is worth noting that the worship of God and saints are fundamentally different things. The One Lord can and should be worshiped in the form of an all-inclusive service. For saints, the term “reverent veneration” is more acceptable.
In the Orthodox tradition, saints are people who have acquired special grace (holiness). The saints of God are more experienced in the spiritual life, therefore they are able to help less perfect people. Saints for Orthodox people are great intercessors before God for humanity. There are numerous cases of real help to people in various needs after a prayer appeal to the saints.
In the Orthodox teaching there is a concept of the relationship between the earthly and heavenly Church. By earthly people are meant people living on earth, and by heavenly - those who have already departed into eternal life. Orthodoxy proclaims to people that the saints (members of the Heavenly Church) have the special grace of praying for living people. The saints can ask God for the blessings needed for salvation for living people. This can explain the special love of the Orthodox people for the saints. We can say that people who have acquired holiness are real and effective helpers to a person in his life.
There are certain passages in Scripture that speak of the veneration of saints. Thus, the Old Testament says that “the memory of the righteous will be blessed” (Proverbs 10: 7), and the Apostle Paul speaks in the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews about the need to honor mentors and imitate their lives (Heb. 13: 7). It turns out that for the Orthodox Christian saints are not only helpers in various needs, but also role models, because according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, every person is called to holiness.
The people's love for many saints is reflected not only in prayer addresses, but also in reverent veneration of relics, the erection of churches in honor of the saints of God.
