I am currently in an RCIA class. I read about catholicism for many years before finally deciding to convert. So when I joined the classes I was reasonably familiar with catholic teaching and hoped the classes would point out things I was completely unaware of and clear up the few nagging reservations that I have.
One such reservation I have is regarding praying to (or ‘asking for the intercession of’ if praying is the incorrect word) saints and Mary. Our class on this subject was very short and covered “Mary, Saints, and the Church.” I don’t disagree with the church’s teaching on Saints necessarily, but I am not exactly comfortable practicing it either.
My questions are:
What is the biblical support for the practice of asking a saint (or other dead people) to pray to God for you? I think that would help me understand the Church’s teaching better on this issue and believe in it more strongly.
Can I be a good Catholic if I don’t ask saints to pray for me, than what is done as part of the Mass? I am not saying its wrong to do it, I just can’t see my self ever engaging in this practice. Although I am certainly open to that if it is where the Holy Sprit leads me.
Is there any reason that one would need to pray to a Saint rather than Jesus or God?
What is the section of the catechism deals with this issue? Any other suggested reading?
What is the biblical support for the practice of asking a saint (or other dead people) to pray to God for you? I think that would help me understand the Church’s teaching better on this issue and believe in it more strongly.
It sites some Bible verses that explain praying to the saints; Biblical evidence for the fact that they can hear us and they are presenting our prayers and their own to God.
Can I be a good Catholic if I don’t ask saints to pray for me, than what is done as part of the Mass? I am not saying its wrong to do it, I just can’t see my self ever engaging in this practice. Although I am certainly open to that if it is where the Holy Sprit leads me.
Yep. There is nothing that says you must pray to the saints. Or Mary for that matter (unless you get the Hail Mary as pennance or something). I said I probably wouldn’t pray to the saints much either when I started RCIA. I do a daily rosary now, ask St. Anthony for help all the time (If it weren’t for “Dear St. Anthony, Please come around, my ______________ is lost and cannot be found!” half of my possessions would remain behind desks and under beds!) and I talk to St. Joseph and St. Pascal Baylon a lot too.
Is there any reason that one would need to pray to a Saint rather than Jesus or God?
Need to? Not exactly, but “the prayers of a righteous man availeth much” and the saints can pray while we can’t. In case of an emergency (child in the hospital for example) asking several saints to pray with you first and then launching into your prayers means that you have four or five people praying instead of one, and their prayers are more efficacious (sp?) then ours because they’re closer to God.
I’m not as familiar with the catechism as I should be, so I’ll let someone else answer that. Other than that all I can say is the Liturgy of the Saints was my favorite part of Easter Vigil (other than, you know, actually coming into the church and getting confirmed. )
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