Catholics, in your experience, which of these is more effective?

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I do both and since I don’t often know (or, at least, admit to my recognition of) His Will, I don’t believe I’ll really know the full answer to this until (and if?) I meet Him.
I do know that theoretically they both make a lot of sense and I need to walk by faith.
 
The original question implies a kind of “which way do you get what you want.” This is a bit silly.

Prayers are about relationships. I have a relationship with Christ my Lord and my God. I also have relationships with people here on earth (the Church militant), those in heaven (the Church triumphant), and those in purgatory (the Church suffering). Each of these is a different form of relationship, but they are all valid and all “effective” in building up the body of Christ.
 
Isn’t that a bit like asking which weighs more – a pound of feathers or a pound of rocks?

Sorry, like the PP’s I can’t vote on that one. You should add an item for “How should I know? – God Works in Mysterious Ways” option.
 
For what it’s worth, a personal anecdote: Nearly 20 years ago, when I was a very new Catholic, but not so old person, I had an urgent spiritual need that I took to God in prayer–more like pleading for help. In those days God seemed to be teaching me many things directly. I’ve seen this with other new Catholics, as well. They seem to be full of insights and personal awakenings. Later on we are expected to walk more by faith within the grace of God even if we have no such experiences. Anyway, I begged the Lord for help and heard him tell me (I understood it as a teaching moment) to go to Mary. So, I made my case to her, and she, also as a teaching moment, told me to ask St. Michael for his aid. I did so and got immediate relief.

It put me in mind of Daniel (chapter 10) praying and praying and seemingly getting no answer until the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him he had been delayed by the forces of evil and had called on St. Michael to help him. I saw then that God uses us all, men and angels alike, for his purposes.

So, those in heaven, be they the saints or the angels, are simply doing God’s will. Therefore, to ask if praying directly to God or through the saints is more effective is really asking if God is still God and working his will if he acts directly or through an agent. The answer is yes.
 
There is something about our attitude when praying. If one says “I don’t need Mother Mary, I only need God”…uh, watch out for that. Even when he says that God has a way to teach Him to understand later - He is very merciful when we are not humble or arrogant.
 
That’s a tough one. At first I was inclined to say that praying to the saints is more effective, because “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective,” and needless to say the saints are more righteous than I am.

Nonetheless, on the other hand, I think that direct communication with Christ is far more effective in purifying our own heart. Prayer to the saints is all well and good for petitions and the like, but praying isn’t just asking God for stuff, it’s submission to God’s will, and I think that God’s will is best revealed through direct communication with Him.

So I think both are equally effective, just for different things 🙂
 
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