Can we ask the Holy Spirit to pray for us?

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I have a small oval religious medal from Italy which depicts the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove on one side, and the inscription “Pray for Us” on the other side. But can we actually ask the Holy Spirit to “pray” for us? This seems a bit odd to me.
 
In many litanies or similar prayers, in which both God and one or more saints are addressed, it is customary to respond to invocations to God with “have mercy on us” (miserere nobis), while invocations to the saints usually have the response “pray for us (ora por nobis)”

The role of the Holy Spirit, however, has a distinct intercessory character. Romans 8:26-27 says:
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints accoording to the will of God.
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So it is not inappropriate to ask the Holy Spirit to pray for you.
 
Joseph Bilodeau:
In many litanies or similar prayers, in which both God and one or more saints are addressed, it is customary to respond to invocations to God with “have mercy on us” (miserere nobis), while invocations to the saints usually have the response “pray for us (ora por nobis)”

The role of the Holy Spirit, however, has a distinct intercessory character. Romans 8:26-27 says:

So it is not inappropriate to ask the Holy Spirit to pray for you.
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Dear friend

I agree, when I don’t know how to say in words what is in my mind and heart, I ask the Holy Spirit to pray for me. I also ask the Holy Spirit to help me to pray as it is by Him that any prayer can be said by anyone and I consult the Holy Spirit on many matters and ask Him to make me obedient to His promptings and Will.

I think it is appropriate to ask the Holy Spirit to pray for us. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of all things, especially sin, forms the conscience and develops His gifts within us, prayer is a gift and He can conduct that for us as well as aid us in it. I love the Holy Spirit, since I have got to know Him in my heart He has become my favourite of the Holy Trinity.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
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Jade:
You bet we can! 😃
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I’m confused now. How is it that we’d ask the HS to pray for us since the HS is God - the One who answers prayers?? I wouldn’t think to ask Jesus or the Father to pray for me… I’d ask for what I needed knowing they would answer - not looking for more prayer. Who would the HS take the prayer to?? Please explain…
 
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity. Someone said can we ask the Holy Spirit to pray for us.

If the Holy Spirit prayed, to whom would he be praying?

I will admit I did hear that if we cant pray - we can ask the Holy Spirit to pray for us. After all Jesus said He would leave a “comfoter”,i.e., the Holy Spirit.
 
I think that the Holy Spirit can pray for us even though he is God. My basis for that, in addition to Romans 8:26-27, which says that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, Jesus prayed for us (see, for example, John 17). Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, so if Jesus could pray for us, I see no reason why the Holy Spirit cannot also pray for us.
 
carol marie:
I’m confused now. How is it that we’d ask the HS to pray for us since the HS is God - the One who answers prayers?? I wouldn’t think to ask Jesus or the Father to pray for me… I’d ask for what I needed knowing they would answer - not looking for more prayer. Who would the HS take the prayer to?? Please explain…
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Hello Carol Marie! 👋

Let me try and clerify what I mean. I’ll use an example of Jesus praying for us first and then slip into the HS. Not only did Jesus pray for us in the Garden (“Make them all one as We are One…”) but at Mass, we hear that He (Jesus) “Pleads for us at the Right Hand of the Father” fuffilling HIs Preistly Role as talked about in John (I think It’s john). What do priests do? Pray for us. And Jesus, as High Priest, pray and pleads for us to the Father.
Now the HS is given the titles Comforter, Guide…And since it is my belief that the Will of teh Father, is that of both the Son and the Holy Spirit b/c they are all one and the same, then for me, it is only natural to ask either Jesus or the HS to pray for us. I think He (the Holy Spirit) brings His prayer to the Father, just as Christ does.
THink about it: we are constantly reminded to ask for comfort, guidence, peace, help…when we ask those things of God (the Holy Trinity) I think that these things are carried out by the HS b/c He is after all the Comforter, Guide…When Jesus said “Peace be with you, My Peace I leave you” (ahhh one of my favorite lines!) how do you interptret that? To me, that Peace is the Holy Spirit.

In response to your question “Who would the HS take his prayer to?” I would venture to say the Father. Just as Jesus took and takes His prayer to the Father as well.

I can see however that if you are not familuar with praying to each Person of the Trinity, and not only to Them as God, then this might be very foriegn to you. I pray to God, but I also ask things and pray to Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit seperatly as well, but knowing full well that they are One and the Same.

:o Sorry if this was confusing and long winded. I have trouble making consice arguments sometimes.🙂

Hope this helped!

Jade
 
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Jade:
Hello Carol Marie! 👋

Let me try and clerify what I mean. I’ll use an example of Jesus praying for us first and then slip into the HS. Not only did Jesus pray for us in the Garden (“Make them all one as We are One…”) but at Mass, we hear that He (Jesus) “Pleads for us at the Right Hand of the Father” fuffilling HIs Preistly Role as talked about in John (I think It’s john). What do priests do? Pray for us. And Jesus, as High Priest, pray and pleads for us to the Father.
Now the HS is given the titles Comforter, Guide…And since it is my belief that the Will of teh Father, is that of both the Son and the Holy Spirit b/c they are all one and the same, then for me, it is only natural to ask either Jesus or the HS to pray for us. I think He (the Holy Spirit) brings His prayer to the Father, just as Christ does.
THink about it: we are constantly reminded to ask for comfort, guidence, peace, help…when we ask those things of God (the Holy Trinity) I think that these things are carried out by the HS b/c He is after all the Comforter, Guide…When Jesus said “Peace be with you, My Peace I leave you” (ahhh one of my favorite lines!) how do you interptret that? To me, that Peace is the Holy Spirit.

In response to your question “Who would the HS take his prayer to?” I would venture to say the Father. Just as Jesus took and takes His prayer to the Father as well.

I can see however that if you are not familuar with praying to each Person of the Trinity, and not only to Them as God, then this might be very foriegn to you. I pray to God, but I also ask things and pray to Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit seperatly as well, but knowing full well that they are One and the Same.

:o Sorry if this was confusing and long winded. I have trouble making consice arguments sometimes.🙂

Hope this helped!

Jade
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Dear Jade

Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit are Co-equal. All prayers work this way, with the Holy Spirit, in, by and through the Son, Christ Jesus and to God the Father. Our Blessed Virgin Mother Mary should be petitioned as it is by God 's will and her will that the world came to know her Son and through Him God the Father in this she makes a share in the redemption of humanity and as such is able to mediate and all prayers to her are with the Holy Spirit then go to the Son who pleads for us (as you say) at the right hand of the Father. No-one but the Son can mediate directly to the Father. It is not that the Holy Spirit is less than the Son, they are co-equal, but that their Divine Persons have distinct functions within the Holy Trinity. The very act of prayer is an act of God which no human can undertake without Divine assistance, it is the Holy Spirit who assists us in all prayer and can pray for us. He makes the most awful ramblings into a beautiful prayer, in, by and through Christ Jesus to God the Father. All of the Sacraments are effected with the power of the Holy Spirit.

I like how you have explained this Jade, thank you.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
Dear friend

A hymn you might like to pray (it fills equal first place of my favourite hymns along with ‘Be not afraid’ . A Priest who I love very much gave me this hymn when I was discerning something…enjoy)🙂 :

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come,
From thy bright heav’nly throne,
Come take possession of our souls,
And make them all thy own.

Thou who art called the Paraclete,
Best gift of God above,
The living spring, the living fire,
Sweet unction and true love.

Thou who art sev’nfold in thy grace,
Finger of God’s right hand
His promise teaching little ones
To speak an understand.

O guide our minds with thy bless’d light,
With love our hearts inflame;
And with thy strength, which ne’er decays
Confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our deadly foe;
True peach unto us bring;
And through all perils lead us safe
Beneath thy sacred wing.

Through thee may we the Father know,
Through thee th’ eternal Son,
And thee, the Spirit of them both,
Thrice-blessed Three in One.

All glory to the Father be,
With his coequal Son;
The same to thee, great Paraclete,
While endless ages run.

Amen.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
edit to previous post yet another typing error Jesus and the Father are co-equal, it should read in all places…sorry for that.

God Bless

Teresa
 
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springbreeze:
Dear Jade

Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit are Co-equal. All prayers work this way, with the Holy Spirit, in, by and through the Son, Christ Jesus and to God the Father…
No-one but the Son can mediate directly to the Father. It is not that the Holy Spirit is less than the Son, they are co-equal, but that their Divine Persons have distinct functions within the Holy Trinity. The very act of prayer is an act of God which no human can undertake without Divine assistance, it is the Holy Spirit who assists us in all prayer and can pray for us. He makes the most awful ramblings into a beautiful prayer, in, by and through Christ Jesus to God the Father. All of the Sacraments are effected with the power of the Holy Spirit.

I like how you have explained this Jade, thank you.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
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Hi Teresa!

Thanks for the correction! I should have caught that myself!:o
I like the way you discribed how the Three Persons all have a role to play in prayer.

God Bless!
Jade
 
I think maybe it has to do with the fact that “pray for” can mean either (A) pray to someone on our behalf, or (B) pray in our place.
Scripture speaks of the Spirit in us praying for us “in groaning that cannot be uttered”.
In other words, when we cannot find the words to pray with, we ask the Holy Spirit to speak for us. The Spirit is our Advocate: that means He stands alongside us, expressing what we cannot. He is translating our tears , emotions, sorrows, joys, etc, into prayers when we cannot.
So it is not the fact that He is praying “to” that needs emphasis. It is the fact that He is presenting the prayers that we have no words to say. He is our translator. He translates pain & tears (“groans”) into prayer.
God bless.
 
You can ask the Holy Spirit and also the Son to pray for you. You can’t ask however the Father to pray for you 🙂
 
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tuopaolo:
You can ask the Holy Spirit and also the Son to pray for you. You can’t ask however the Father to pray for you 🙂
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Yes, that seems to pretty well sum things up. . . . I think.

Many thanks to all who replied for helping to clarify this puzzling matter.
 
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