Can Saints (especially Mary) hear prayers?

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Now, admittingly, praying the Rosary has always worked for me, but, I mean, there IS part of me that is skeptical. While the faith was being attacked on another site, an ex-Catholic said that Mary & saints cannot hear prayers & another said that “You don’t need her.” I was shocked, angered, & saddened by this. For my own knowledge (I just want to have proof for myself), can saints and Mary hear prayers? Biblical sources would be helpful, early Church writtings would be good, too. …Anybody have any personal experiences here?

ALSO, can the devil hear the prayers of the faithful?
 
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adstrinity:
Now, admittingly, praying the Rosary has always worked for me, but, I mean, there IS part of me that is skeptical. While the faith was being attacked on another site, an ex-Catholic said that Mary & saints cannot hear prayers & another said that “You don’t need her.” I was shocked, angered, & saddened by this. For my own knowledge (I just want to have proof for myself), can saints and Mary hear prayers? Biblical sources would be helpful, early Church writtings would be good, too. …Anybody have any personal experiences here?

ALSO, can the devil hear the prayers of the faithful?
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NO! They’re deaf as a cue ball! That’s one of the disadvantages of being in heaven…you lose many of your UN-glorified assets you had on earth. Which in this case, you can’t even do what a cat can do on earth.:whacky:
On a more serious note, can Jesus hear us? YES. Is Jesus fully man? YES. Let us suppose that saints cannot hear us, can our (biblical-“for they watch over them”) guardian angel hear us? YES. If either Jesus or our guardian angel can hear us, can they transmit that prayer to the 'deaf" in Heaven.YES.
Now if the bible says that “their angel watches over them”, and therefore can hear them, unless angels are deaf, then why stop at angels.? Does a prot. talk to their guardian angel…EVER? NO.
However, one nice thing about heaven is that you no longer are restrained by shouting distance.

Now, about the devil and his minions. Did Jesus talk to the devils that were (in spirit only) when he drove them into the swine? YES. Did they communicate with Jesus AS A MAN? YES.
If we cannot communicate with evil spirits, then Exorcism is a bible dupe!
Now on the matter of “we don’t need them, ONLY Jesus”: Ask them if they or Jesus or another human being Baptised them? Jesus tells us that another sinful human is required for the most essential fundamental Christain activity…BECOMING A CHRISTIAN.
I don’t think prots. (yet) have gone so far out on individualism that they have recited “I baptize ME in the name of the…”
 
I’ve wondered that too. I’ve recently begun asking for the prayers of both St. Peter and St. Paul…and I’ve begun muttering the Hail Mary sometimes. I just…do.

Sometimes it feels weird. It’s certainly not a Protestant thing to do…I saints in heaven haven’t gone deaf. I know Jesus can hear us because He is God. But somehow I image some great spiritual divide between us on earth and them in heaven. I’m not certain if this “divide” i envision is biblical at all, or if it’s just a result of teaching I’ve gotten or something.

But yeah…it’s been a question of mine too.
 
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin the clings to us and persavere in running the race that lies before us.

Rev 8:3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. 4 The smoke of the incese along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The holy ones wouldn’t be praying for themselves…They are already in heaven.
 
TNT: Dy-no-MITE!!! (Wow! I’m sure you’ve NEVER heard THAT one before. :rolleyes: ) Seriously, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for that post. That does help a little

Curious, I know, it does plauge an ex-Protestant’s mind, doesn’t it? I mean, the stuff that one is taught as a Protestant ESPECIALLY to combat Catholicism stays with one. I mean, I KNOW Catholicism to be true, but, you always have that little nagging voice, and, the thing is, though they may with best intentions believe it to be true & Christian like to say something, one cannot help but wonder, when that little seed is planted, how much is Satan going to use that to make one fall away from Christ’s Church?

I mean, like I’ve said, everytime I prayed the Rosary, it’s NEVER let me down, Mary ALWAYS comes through when I ask her…ALWAYS!! BUT, as pointed out to me in that other forum, she’s worshiping God and doesn’t know what’s going on down here…I was wondering how can the saints pray for us & worship God simultaneously…unless…BECAUSE they are in eternity, they are not bound by time & space and CAN be more than one place/doing one thing at a time…

Anyway, to all who have answered & all who may:
GOD BLESS YOU & MARY KEEP YOU!!❤️
 
Awesome!! 👍
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TNT:
NO! They’re deaf as a cue ball! That’s one of the disadvantages of being in heaven…you lose many of your UN-glorified assets you had on earth. Which in this case, you can’t even do what a cat can do on earth.:whacky:
On a more serious note, can Jesus hear us? YES. Is Jesus fully man? YES. Let us suppose that saints cannot hear us, can our (biblical-“for they watch over them”) guardian angel hear us? YES. If either Jesus or our guardian angel can hear us, can they transmit that prayer to the 'deaf" in Heaven.YES.
Now if the bible says that “their angel watches over them”, and therefore can hear them, unless angels are deaf, then why stop at angels.? Does a prot. talk to their guardian angel…EVER? NO.
However, one nice thing about heaven is that you no longer are restrained by shouting distance.

Now, about the devil and his minions. Did Jesus talk to the devils that were (in spirit only) when he drove them into the swine? YES. Did they communicate with Jesus AS A MAN? YES.
If we cannot communicate with evil spirits, then Exorcism is a bible dupe!
Now on the matter of “we don’t need them, ONLY Jesus”: Ask them if they or Jesus or another human being Baptised them? Jesus tells us that another sinful human is required for the most essential fundamental Christain activity…BECOMING A CHRISTIAN.
I don’t think prots. (yet) have gone so far out on individualism that they have recited “I baptize ME in the name of the…”
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All prayer has God as it’s object. When we" pray to Mary" we are really praying to God through Mary. We are asking Mary to intercede and present our petitions to God. Recall how Solomon promised not to refuse any request of Bathesda, the Queen Mother(1Kings 2:19-20). Nor will the King of kings refuse the petition of His Queen Mother, just as He did not refuse her request at the wedding feast at Cana(John 2)The bible indicates saints are aware of our prayers, that they intercede for us. Not only do those in Heaven pray with us, but for us Rev.8:3-4 and Rev 5:8. Intercessory prayers 1 Timothy2:1-4. Hope that helps.

I shall be a defender of Mary
 
If the saints in heaven could not or did not hear us and pray for us, it would mean that some of the most fundamental things we are told to do on earth no longer apply in heaven. We are told that charity is the greatest virtue, but the saints do not practice charity. We are told the prayers of the righteous avail much, but the prayers of the most righteous, the saints, avail nothing. We are told to love our neighbor as ourselves, but apparently the saints neither love us nor exert themselves for us.

Interestingly, none of these things apply to God in heaven. God practices charity ceaselessly for those on earth. God doesn’t pray for us, of course, but He does hear us and respond to us. And God definitely loves us, and pours Himself out for us in love. If the saints have been perfected in the image of God, and are partaking in the divine nature, why would their behavior be so opposite of God’s behavior? Why would God not welcome their continuing participation in His work of salvation, and why would they not desire to continue that participation? Why would God not want the saints, whom He has incorporated into His very nature, to love those He loves, and to pour themselves out in love as He does?

If you were in heaven, would you not want to share in God’s work, out of your love of God and your love of His children still struggling to overcome their fallen natures? And would not God, who shares so much of Himself with us on earth (the creation of life, the spreading of His word, the care and salvation of His people) share even more of Himself with those in heaven. It is inconceivable to me that God does not desire those in heaven to share with Him in His work, and that those in heaven do not desire to so share. Nothing is more fundamental than that God invites us to share with Him in great things that He could easily do Himself. It is one of His greatest gifts to us, and it is a gift I expect He gives even more fully to those in heaven.
 
Curious, I know, it does plauge an ex-Protestant’s mind, doesn’t it? I mean, the stuff that one is taught as a Protestant ESPECIALLY to combat Catholicism stays with one. I mean, I KNOW Catholicism to be true, but, you always have that little nagging voice, and, the thing is, though they may with best intentions believe it to be true & Christian like to say something, one cannot help but wonder, when that little seed is planted, how much is Satan going to use that to make one fall away from Christ’s Church?
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Actually I’m a Protestant - not ex.

And VociMike thanks for that great post. It helps…somewhat at least.
 
Do Prot believe in the True Christianity of those in the Great persecutions of the Beginning Church and its 1st 300 yrs thereafter. I particularly refer to the very tight knit Christain Community that inhabited the Catacombs in which they met and buried their dead…massive underground system spanning multiple cities…

If so, then they are sunk:
Do a search or catacombs+intercession.
You’ll get over 4000 Hits, one of which is this one on EWTN’s Site.
Or try Catacombs+intercession+prayers and you’ll get more than 700 hits.

It mentions some of the countless inscriptions in the Catacombs that are obviously Intercessions to the “Deaf” in Heaven.
In summary it proves that from the very beginning of the Church suffering that intercession to the deceased martyrs was a constant practice. Some of these ask the intercession of their fellow Christians whose names were Peter and Paul! You may also find prayers to the Blessed Mother also. I just did not spend too much time digging.

How’s that for “early writings” that the prot. can relate to?
 
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Curious:
Actually I’m a Protestant - not ex.

And VociMike thanks for that great post. It helps…somewhat at least.
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I think you’re a “closet” Catechumen.
You are just not quite ripe for all out persecution.😉
 
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adstrinity:
TNT: Dy-no-MITE!!! (Wow! I’m sure you’ve NEVER heard THAT one before. :rolleyes: )
BUT, as pointed out to me in that other forum, she’s worshiping God and doesn’t know what’s going on down here…I was wondering how can the saints pray for us & worship God simultaneously…unless…BECAUSE they are in eternity, they are not bound by time & space and CAN be more than one place/doing one thing at a time…
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Guess what? I just read something similar in Karl Keating’s Catholicism and Fundamentalism. I hope that you don’t mind if I quote directly from the book.
…Heaven has no space or time. In heaven everything happens in one great Present; there is neither past nor future in our sense of the terms. When GOd looks at his creation, he sees all of it at once, all that has been, all that now is, all that will be. It is by his sufferance we communicate with one another on eath, and he likewise lets us communicate with the saints in heaven-who, like God, are outside of space and time. To say that they do not have time to listen to many prayers at once is to commit a basic error-they do not have time at all, because they are beyond time. This does not imply that they therefore must be omniscient as is GOd, for it is only through GOd’s willing it that they can communicate with others in heaven or with us.
 
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Curious:
I’ll never tell!! :cool:
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Seriously, if you can rent a Classic Movie called "QUO VADIS, (“WHERE GOEST THOU” meaning Peter) a spectacular film in Color, do so. Much of it was taken from the early Church writings. It was made by MGM and was an Oscar nominee. It was the biggest box office hit since Gone With The Wind. It’s about the reign of Nero, the final days of Paul and Peter, and what they did to the Christians, as well as the famous burning of Rome. All this BEFORE there was a prot or a NT bible! How anyone can be “sola Scriptura” after watching this is beyond reason.
Just short of 3hrs long. You get to see the real catacombs.
You cannot really comprehend persecution until you see it first hand.
 
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TNT:
I think you’re a “closet” Catechumen.
You are just not quite ripe for all out persecution.😉
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“closet” Catechumen…one of the best closet-things i’ve ever heard of!🙂
 
We are taught by the church that the saints can hear our prayers. At the same time we are also told that they are not Omniscious because only God is Omniscious.

At last count, there were about 6 billion peope in the world and 17% of them are believed to be Catholic which is 1,020,000,000. Assuming only 1% of them say one rosary a day, that’s over a million rosaries (1,020,000 to be exact). There are only 86,400 seconds in a day.

How can Mary hear all of these prayers if she wasn’t Omniscious – which the church tells us she ins’t nor are any of the other saints.
 
Omniscient means knowing all things. Hearing a million prayers is not the same as knowing all things. Even hearing an infinite number of prayers is not the same as knowing all things.

Let me ask a simple question. If God desired that e.g. Mary could hear a million prayers at once, could He grant her that ability, or would it be impossible for God to grant that ability?
 
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maryj:
All prayer has God as it’s object. When we" pray to Mary" we are really praying to God through Mary. We are asking Mary to intercede and present our petitions to God. Recall how Solomon promised not to refuse any request of Bathesda, the Queen Mother(1Kings 2:19-20). Nor will the King of kings refuse the petition of His Queen Mother, just as He did not refuse her request at the wedding feast at Cana(John 2)The bible indicates saints are aware of our prayers, that they intercede for us. Not only do those in Heaven pray with us, but for us Rev.8:3-4 and Rev 5:8. Intercessory prayers 1 Timothy2:1-4. Hope that helps.

I shall be a defender of Mary
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I am a new Catholic but the use of 1 Kings 2:19-20 bothers me a little bit. If you keep reading, you will see that Solomon did refuse Bathseba’s request:

So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunamite be given to your brother Adonijah for his wife.” 22 “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunamite for Adonijah?” King Solomon answered his mother. “Ask the kingdom for him as well, for he is my elder brother and has with him Abiathar the priest and Joab, son of Zeruiah.” 23 And King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God do thus and so to me, and more besides, if Adonijah has not proposed this at the cost of his life. 24 And now, as the LORD lives, who has seated me firmly on the throne of my father David and made of me a dynasty as he promised, this day shall Adonijah be put to death.” 25 Then King Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, who struck him dead.

Can you help me understand?
 
Sir Knight:
We are taught by the church that the saints can hear our prayers. At the same time we are also told that they are not Omniscious because only God is Omniscious.

At last count, there were about 6 billion peope in the world and 17% of them are believed to be Catholic which is 1,020,000,000. Assuming only 1% of them say one rosary a day, that’s over a million rosaries (1,020,000 to be exact). There are only 86,400 seconds in a day.

How can Mary hear all of these prayers if she wasn’t Omniscious – which the church tells us she ins’t nor are any of the other saints.
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This objection comes straight from Loraine Boettner’s Roman Catholicism-a very anti Catholic work. You might not have taken it from the book but that is where the above arguement originates.

What you don’t realize is that the your comments puts limits on GOD. Heaven is beyond space and time. In other words, no future, no past just an endless now. GOD sees all of his creation at one time. The saints, because they are with him, are also beyond space and time. Through GOD, the saints and Mary are allowed to communicate with others in heaven and with us.
 
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