Can the Saints hear our thoughts?

[KendraDZ1902]

I have always, since I was a little girl, prayed silently. Well, except for in group settings of course. Anyway, I am trying to get into a routine of saying Hail Marys before bed. It kind of hit me last night if she could hear them since I was saying them in my head.

 

[PazzoGrande]

Check this out
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=744444

Especially see my reply on post #3

 

[pablope]

I have always, since I was a little girl, prayed silently. Well, except for in group settings of course. Anyway, I am trying to get into a routine of saying Hail Marys before bed. It kind of hit me last night if she could hear them since I was saying them in my head.

Yes…those in heaven are alive. Do you remember the words of Jesus, if someone repents here on earth…all of heaven rejoinces (or words to that effect).

Matthew 22:30
30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

Those in heaven, souls in heaven, are like or have the attributes of angels…and you already know that angels can communicate here on earth to us.

And from Luke 10…7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent…10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Angels and saints know what is happening here on earth.
Yes there is scriptural basis, and yes, it is traditional.

In Revelation 5:8,
“8 When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

We see here that the saints in heaven carry our prayers to the Lord and not only the saints, but angels also bring our prayers to the Lord.

Rev 8:3-4
3 Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

Yes…those in heaven are alive. Do you remember the words of Jesus, if someone repents here on earth…all of heaven rejoinces (or words to that effect).

Matthew 22:30
30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

Those in heaven, souls in heaven, are like or have the attributes of angels…and you already know that angels can communicate here on earth to us.

And from Luke 10…7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent…10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Angels and saints know what is happening here on earth.
Yes there is scriptural basis, and yes, it is traditional.

In Revelation 5:8,
“8 When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

We see here that the saints in heaven carry our prayers to the Lord and not only the saints, but angels also bring our prayers to the Lord.

Rev 8:3-4
3 Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

I’m not having a problem with praying or thinking that those in Heaven are alive or not. I just don’t know if I want So-and-so to intercede on my behalf, if I should say that prayer out loud or if silently is ok.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

Check this out
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=744444

Especially see my reply on post #3

That seems to make sense. Thanks!

 

[pablope]

I’m not having a problem with praying or thinking that those in Heaven are alive or not. I just don’t know if I want So-and-so to intercede on my behalf, if I should say that prayer out loud or if silently is ok.

Oh…why did you not say so…

Either way…yes, they can hear us.

 

[PazzoGrande]

That seems to make sense. Thanks!

Interesting book that came out not long ago by Dr Eben Alexander called Proof of Heaven.

He was a Harvard neurosurgeon who had an Near Death Experience; and having been trained how the brain works, he knew that his brain wasn’t supposed to be functioning at all and shouldn’t have been able to physically hallucinate what he saw.

Anyway when he was in the afterlife, he found that the beings there communicated with thoughts, not words. Interesting thought to chew on. His book frankly rambles on about it (I guess that shows how enthusiastic he is about sharing his story), but he says that the body sort of limits the spirit; the physical world limits the spiritual world. Words are useful but they can limit the spirit (he writes how similarly, the scientific academic understanding of the world limits our comprehension of it to the point where we’d forget the very real spiritual world – a world he was awakened to with his NDE).

About praying the Hail Mary though, when I do the Rosary I find it much more effective to verbally do it while forming my thoughts and petitions to conform to the prayer. When I do it mentally only, it makes me fall asleep. Just a thought, you might want to give a try to doing a vocal Rosary, you might find it enriches you more.

 

[Porknpie]

I’m not having a problem with praying or thinking that those in Heaven are alive or not. I just don’t know if I want So-and-so to intercede on my behalf, if I should say that prayer out loud or if silently is ok.

Kendra…that’s one of my favorite female names…

Here’s what the Book of James says…5:16…

Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

I’ll pray for you…you pray for me…please!

However, the ones in heaven are truly righteous!

 

[Eternys]

The departed, demons, and angels cannot hear our thoughts. Only God can hear our thoughts and knows our heart.

That being said, however, He often permits the saints that we have a special relationship with and our guardian angel to know our thoughts.

Sometimes, the saints have only our actions to go on and the things we say aloud, but if we pray for them to hear our prayers, God will permit it.

On the plus side, the demons don’t know what we are thinking, even though they hope it’s what they are trying to get in there.

 

[1ke]

Silently is fine. The saints cannot hear our thoughts. But they can hear prayers directed to them, even silent ones, because God allows them to.

 

[NeedImprovement]

I think we discover the most unequivocal positive answer to this question in our brothers and sisters who are mute.

Personally, I believe that the saints and angels, in the Communion of Saints, can hear whichever prayers I choose to address to them . . . and that would happen the moment I begin praying to/with them ; be it mentally , or mentally and verbally.

With God, it’s even better. St. Augustine said that God hears the cry of the heart even before we repent.

 

[brb3]

I have always, since I was a little girl, prayed silently. Well, except for in group settings of course. Anyway, I am trying to get into a routine of saying Hail Marys before bed. It kind of hit me last night if she could hear them since I was saying them in my head.

God knows our thoughts. The saints …?

But, start whispering your thoughts, verbalize them softly, …after a very short while, I think you might come to prefer this prayer/meditation method. Send me a PM in several weeks on results thereof.

The reason I say so is that Jesus prayed/meditated verbally. The Apostles could hear him, but it would seem from scripture that his prayers were probably low volume/ whispering.
I know once I switched from only thoughts to whispering my thoughts, it has had remarkable effects on me.

 

[Scottgun]

God knows our thoughts. The saints …?

But, start whispering your thoughts, verbalize them softly, …after a very short while, I think you might come to prefer this prayer/meditation method. Send me a PM in several weeks on results thereof.

The reason I say so is that Jesus prayed/meditated verbally. The Apostles could hear him, but it would seem from scripture that his prayers were probably low volume/ whispering.
I know once I switched from only thoughts to whispering my thoughts, it has had remarkable effects on me.

That’s fine as long as you are not saying that internal contemplation is illegitimate or somehow a lesser form. See Part Four of the Catechism for the various types of praying.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

I think we discover the most unequivocal positive answer to this question in our brothers and sisters who are mute.

Personally, I believe that the saints and angels, in the Communion of Saints, can hear whichever prayers I choose to address to them . . . and that would happen the moment I begin praying to/with them ; be it mentally , or mentally and verbally.

With God, it’s even better. St. Augustine said that God hears the cry of the heart even before we repent.

I didn’t think about those who are mute. Thank you.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

God knows our thoughts. The saints …?

But, start whispering your thoughts, verbalize them softly, …after a very short while, I think you might come to prefer this prayer/meditation method. Send me a PM in several weeks on results thereof.

The reason I say so is that Jesus prayed/meditated verbally. The Apostles could hear him, but it would seem from scripture that his prayers were probably low volume/ whispering.
I know once I switched from only thoughts to whispering my thoughts, it has had remarkable effects on me.

I will definitely try this method and let you know how it goes.

 

[ajecphotos]

I would like to think our guardian angel also “transmits” our prayers to the saints etc.

 

[brb3]

I will definitely try this method and let you know how it goes.

Yes …

Don’t give up too early. What I discovered is that when we verbalize our thoughts, they are more united, our heart & mind United, our ears also active. And, when we verbally promise something to God, we generally are more committed to those Expressed intentions.

Also, we get more emotionally involved in whispered prayer…I often experience ‘tears of joy’ … with whispered prayer, but not often with thought only meditation.