Can saints and angels hear our prayers?

[ejp123]

I was listening to catholic radio and someone called in and asked the above question. He said a catholic speaker that he heard said no they can not hear our prayers. Can you confirm this please. If no, why do we bother to pray to them?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

I think the caller misheard or misunderstood the Catholic speaker.

If the angles can’t hear our prayers, then why do the Psalms spend so much time addressing them? Many prayers in the Psalms give praise directly to the angels of heaven, which would be odd if they couldn’t hear prayers.

The Book of Revelation (8:3-4) portrays the angels as bringing people’s prayers to God, how could they do that if they can’t hear them?

The Book of Revelation (5:8) also portrays the saints of heaven presenting people’s prayers to God. Once again, how can they present something unless they are aware of it?

And it is clearly a teaching of the Church:

Catechism of the Catholic Church

**2683 **The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom, especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives, the transmission of their writings, and their prayer today. They contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were “put in charge of many things.” Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.