The intercession

This article presents a previously unpublished lecture by Metropolitan Anthony Bloom (†), a major figure of Western Orthodoxy in the twentieth century, devoted to intercessory prayer. It is a theological and spiritual meditation setting forth the deep nature of this form of Christian prayer. The central idea is that authentic intercession does not consist in a simple request addressed to God from outside the suffering of another, but requires the one who prays to voluntarily immerse himself in the distress of the other in order to implore divine mercy from within that shared abyss. On the theological level, the article sheds light on the kenotic dimension of intercession, understood as participation in the Cross of Christ. It thus offers an original contribution to the Orthodox theology of prayer, articulating human solidarity and the invocation of salvific grace.