Defending "Praying To Saints"

[Jaguar]

This was sent to me from a non-Catholic friend of mine.

justforcatholics.org/a134.htm

Can anyone help me defend against this? Any link would be helpful too, but I would like to specifically challenge this article.

Thank you.

 

[Della]

A couple of these articles answer Dr. Mizzi’s misrepresentations of praying to Mary and the saints.

As for the overall article, the author used a typical tactic of providing just enough Church teaching or writings of its saints to try to make his point. Anyone who does this is hiding things from his readers.

He also utilizes outright deception, and as a former Catholic he ought to know better. For the good of his soul, we can only hope he knew very little about the teachings of the Church as a Catholic.

And although he appears to be fair by citing Catholic arguments, he does not supply any references that might help his readers come to a complete understanding of the Catholic position so that they might truly make up their own minds.

 

[mainusch]

Suppose a Christian brother comes and kneels before you, imploring you with great devotion to pray for him. Would you allow him? How would you react if he calls you his advocate, his hope and refuge? What if he thanks you for the many graces you conferred on him and for delivering him from hell? Suppose he tells you that he confines his salvation to your care and pleads with you to stay with him until you see him safe in heaven?

Would you call that “asking a fellow Christian for prayer”? Of course not! That kind of prayer and confidence is nothing less than divine worship and it should be directed only to the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet that is exactly the kind of prayer that Catholics offer to Mary and the saints. For instance, read the following prayer to Mary by St. Alphonsus.

Wow! Does he really think that that is what worship is?!?!?

 

[Teflon93]

This was sent to me from a non-Catholic friend of mine.

justforcatholics.org/a134.htm

Can anyone help me defend against this? Any link would be helpful too, but I would like to specifically challenge this article.

Thank you.

At his transfiguration in Matthew 17, Christ spoke with Moses and Elias. Since Moses and Elias were dead, and yet appeared living, and since Christ clearly spoke with them, how is this different than our talking to the saints?

 

[tm30]

Doesn’t seem like much of a friend if he/she’s sending you anti-Catholic tracts.

At any rate, Revelation irrefutably points out that the prayers of the saints are powerful before God. A fundamentalist might try to argue that these are not our prayers, but the prayers of the saints in heaven, which would then beg the question why saints in heaven need to pray in the first place? The answer is, they don’t. They’re perfectly happy and have need of nothing. WE on the other hand, need much, and the saints, who have great power before God, are happy to intercede on our behalf.

 

[adam_in_ohio]

At his transfiguration in Matthew 17, Christ spoke with Moses and Elias. Since Moses and Elias were dead, and yet appeared living, and since Christ clearly spoke with them, how is this different than our talking to the saints?

As I was reading the article, this passage came to mind too! As too the stuff about Mary. Last week on “Catholic Answers Live” catholic.com/audio/podcast/ca070815b.mp3 Had a wonderfull encore about Mary and why we pray to her for intersession.

 

[Charlie_Zeaiter]

Hi Jaguar,

People like Joe Mizzi needs bible verses. So, I hope these help…

St Paul tells us that prayers should be offered for all people (1 Tim 2:1). He even asks that we pray for him (eg, Ro 15:31, Eph 6:19, Col 4:3). If fact, the practice of asking others to pray for us is highly recommended in Scripture, probably because we are God’s family (1 Co 12:27), and family protect and help each other (1 Co 12:26). God’s family is not restricted to those living on earth, but also to those who die (Ro 14:8, Lk 20:38).

God has forbidden us to try and communicate with the dead for information as the pagans did in the ancient lands of Israel (Dt 18:10-11). Such practices would today be known as a seance. But if all communication with the dead is evil, then that would mean Jesus did something evil during the Transfiguration, when Peter, James, and John witnessed Elijah and Moses talking with Jesus (Mt 17:3 and Mk 9:4). How beautiful it would be to speak with somebody who is so close to God (1 Co 12:24).

In the book of The Revelation, we learn that the saints offer prayers to God (Rev 5:8), and that they are aware of events on earth (Rev 6:9). So, let’s pray and ask for their help. Afterall, the prayers of a good person has a powerful effect (Jam 5:16).