# CXXI: Intercession of the Saints explained — Verses on Various Occasions

> Chapter companion for Verses on Various Occasions by John Henry Newman.

## What happens

The chapter reflects on Moses' forty-day vigil on the mountain, where he is granted visions of the heavenly kingdom and eternal mysteries. Yet, he is also shown a vision of the Israelites' idolatry in the valley, prompting his intercessory prayer to avert divine wrath. The poem underscores the role of the saints as mediators between heaven and earth.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Role of the Saint

Moses exemplifies the saint as intercessor, receiving heavenly visions yet remaining mindful of the earthly community's struggles.

### Sin and Redemption

The guilty deed of idolatry and the need for intercession to stay Heaven's rising flame highlight the dynamic of sin and the possibility of redemption through saintly mediation.

### Nature and the Divine

The contrast between the mountain's divine presence and the valley's earthly struggle underscores the intersection of nature and the divine.

## Character check-ins

### Moses

Moses is depicted on the mountain, receiving visions of the eternal throne and the fount of life, but is also shown the idolatry of the people so he may intercede for them.

### The Saints

The chapter illustrates the intercessory role of saints, with Moses as a type of saint who prays for the struggling flock.

### Lord

The Lord is implied as the source of the visions and the one whose rising flame Moses seeks to stay through intercession.

## Key lines

> While Moses on the Mountain lay, Night after night, and day by day, Till forty suns were gone, Unconscious, in the Presence bright, Of lustrous day and starry night, As though his soul had flitted quite From earth, and Eden won;

Moses remained on the mountain for forty days and nights, so absorbed in the divine presence that he lost awareness of time and earthly surroundings, as if his soul had already left the world and entered paradise.

_This describes Moses' mystical absorption in God's presence during his forty-day vigil._

> But lest he should his own forget, Who in the vale were struggling yet, A sadder vision came, Announcing all that guilty deed Of idol rite, that in their need He for his flock might intercede, And stay Heaven’s rising flame.

To ensure Moses did not forget his people still struggling below, a sorrowful vision revealed their idolatry, so that he might pray for them and avert God's impending judgment.

_The vision of the golden calf incident prompts Moses' intercessory prayer, a key theme of the chapter._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/verses_on_various_occasions_se/chapters/cxxi-intercession-of-the-saints
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/verses_on_various_occasions_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/verses_on_various_occasions_se/chapters