Are Catholics required to pray to the saints?

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dje101

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Hello everyone,

I come from a protestant background and am having trouble with the idea of praying to the saints. I was wondering if the Catholic Church requires its members to pray to the saints? Also, I heard something about selecting a saint or two to model after the RCIA is over. Can you please explain this? Thanks very much. God Bless!
 
dje101 said:
Hello everyone,

I come from a protestant background and am having trouble with the idea of praying to the saints. I was wondering if the Catholic Church requires its members to pray to the saints? !
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No.
 
Thanks for your quick answer.

But why would I WANT to pray to a saint. If God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, why would I want to go through a saint when scripture makes it clear that I can just pray to God?
 
dje101 said:
Thanks for your quick answer.

But why would I WANT to pray to a saint. If God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, why would I want to go through a saint when scripture makes it clear that I can just pray to God?
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Well we ask our family and friends to pray for us, the saints are just like family and friends just they are in heaven. I guess thats the way I think of it.
 
dje101 said:
Hello everyone,

I come from a protestant background and am having trouble with the idea of praying to the saints. I was wondering if the Catholic Church requires its members to pray to the saints? Also, I heard something about selecting a saint or two to model after the RCIA is over. Can you please explain this? Thanks very much. God Bless!
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Catholics pray to GOD not to the Saints. Now - we do ask the Saints to pray for us if we choose to approach GOD on the merits of the Saint we use as an intermediary instead of our own merits ? Indeed - this is a humble , good and holy approach. But every prayer from the mouth of a devout Catholic is directed to GOD. To GOD alone do we pray.
 
dje101 said:
Hello everyone,

I come from a protestant background and am having trouble with the idea of praying to the saints. I was wondering if the Catholic Church requires its members to pray to the saints? Also, I heard something about selecting a saint or two to model after the RCIA is over. Can you please explain this? Thanks very much. God Bless!
Click to expand...
no we are not required to pray to the saints, nor to ask them to pray for us, any more than you are required to ask members of your present congregation to pray for you, or to join them in intercessory prayer to Jesus. But you are obligated to accept the teaching, enunciated in the Creed that most Christians share, in the communion of saints, the Church comprised of the deceased faithful in heaven, those suffering in purgatory preparing for their joyful entrance into heaven, and those of us on earth working to further the kingdom. As far as RCIA goes no you are not required to “select” as saint, but it is a worthwhile practice to research your given name saint. you may not develop a devotion to this or any saint, but it certainly makes sense to benefit from the wisdom of our elders in the faith who have gone before us.
 
dje101 said:
Thanks for your quick answer.

But why would I WANT to pray to a saint. If God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, why would I want to go through a saint when scripture makes it clear that I can just pray to God?
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Are you as holy as the Blessed Virgin Mary? Or SDt Francis Assisi? Or St Vincent Ferrer? If so , knock yourself out and go direct.
 
I’ve heard that same argument before and I understand the logic. But I feel like I’d be cheating on God or something. Jesus died for me to be able to pray to God, so with all do respect, why would I want to pray to a saint that really hasn’t done anything for me?
 
wow, thanks for all the answers. I didn’t expect so many people to answer so quickly.

so if praying to the saints is biblical, then why didn’t the apostles pray to God alone in the NT. The same can also be said about everyone in the OT. they all prayed to God alone.
 
dje101 said:
wow, thanks for all the answers. I didn’t expect so many people to answer so quickly.

so if praying to the saints is biblical, then why didn’t the apostles pray to God alone in the NT. The same can also be said about everyone in the OT. they all prayed to God alone.
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Then explain the Brazen Serpent in Numbers.
 
dje101 said:
Thanks for your quick answer.

But why would I WANT to pray to a saint. If God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, why would I want to go through a saint when scripture makes it clear that I can just pray to God?
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For the same reason we often ask other people to pray for us. and I, by the way, do not believe the Scripture makes it clear we should pray just straight to God. I think you will see incidences, for instance in Maccabees, where people do pray to the dead for intercession.
 
estesbob said:
For the same reason we often ask other people to pray for us. and I, by the way, do not believe the Scripture makes it clear we should pray just straight to God. I think you will see incidences, for instance in Maccabees, where people do pray to the dead for intercession.
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isn’t there a difference between verbal communication between two biological beings and spiritual communication between me and God?
 
Do you have difficulty (coming from a protestant denomination) believing that deceased Christian’s souls are alive and that they are intercessory?

Is it hard to accept the Catholic concept of the Communion of Saints?
 
I never had much attachment to the Communion of Saints or to the Saints growing up (unfortuneately not to the Blessed Virgin Mary either).

When Mother Teresa died and the Church took steps toward honoring her as a saint, I finally started to understand how “spiritually attuned” a person can become.
 
Barbkw said:
Do you have difficulty (coming from a protestant denomination) believing that deceased Christian’s souls are alive and that they are intercessory?

Is it hard to accept the Catholic concept of the Communion of Saints?
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First of all, a mistake on my part was that I thought that the Communion of the Saints was another name for the Eucharist (since protestants call their Eucharist the Communion).

I DO believe that the deceased souls of Christians are alive and well in Heaven. But I just have a hard time with the idea that we should pray to them. I have no doubt that they are near God, probably watching over us and asking Him to do things for us (so yes, I guess I do believe in their intercessory), but I have a hard time directing my prayers to anyone but God. Does that make a little bit of sense?:o
 
Barbkw said:
I never had much attachment to the Communion of Saints or to the Saints growing up (unfortuneately not to the Blessed Virgin Mary either).

When Mother Teresa died and the Church took steps toward honoring her as a saint, I finally started to understand how “spiritually attuned” a person can become.
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I’ve started to look up the Marian Apparitions and am thoroughly impressed. I’ve always held that God doesn’t need anyone to do his work for Him because, as we all know, God can do anything, right? So with that mentality, why would God send Mary? Right? But then I really started looking at the scriptures that I was reading and realized that God sent angels for all kinds of things, so why not some of our departed brothers and sisters.
 
Yep, it does. It may always be a bit of a stumbling block for you. I think it’s good however to get to know the people who helped to provide this generation with the solid foundations of our faith.

The Holy Spirit was with them on their missions and in their lives.
 
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