Do Saints Do More For Us Than Just Intercede?

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I am having a difficult time understanding what exactly it is I’m praying for when I pray to certain saints.

Sometimes the words come off to me as though they’re asking for more from the saint than to simply pray for me.

For example, in the Prayer to St. Joseph:

“Keep far from us, most loving father, all blight of error and corruption: mercifully assist us from heaven, most mighty defender, in this our conflict with the powers of darkness.”

That comes of to me as asking St. Joseph to do more than pray for us.

Would someone please shed some light on this, and, if possible, provide some examples of how the saints intervene in our lives in other ways aside from praying for us?

Thanks.
 
You are asking him to place all of that in God’s hands so yes he is interceding but maybe he is helping us in the same way as the angels?

It is God’s choice.
 
Well, we know that God gives all sorts of powers to His saints–they will do even greater works than me, he stated. So it is fully believable that his greatest saints, in particular, can do immeasurable things for us. Most especially, they can keep us from sin and assist us to heaven, just as that prayer states.
 
Everything that a Saint can or will do is somehow related to interceding. Their will is now perfectly conformed to that of God - yet they are not omniscient. So, they bear your prayers to the throne of the Father. He answers according to His will.
 
How can we answer someone who asks how a Saint can hear our prayers in heaven, if they are not like all omnipotent God, being at all places at all times?
 
Considering that when the Saints lived in this world they were at liberty to roam the earth, do you really think that in Heaven God would have them tied to a post?
-St. Thomas More
 
If a saint is (by definition) in heaven, then that saint, according to Scripture itself in the letters of St. Paul, is perfectly united to Jesus Christ. If I’m perfectly united to Jesus, aren’t I hearing what He hears, seeing what He sees, etc?
 
St Paul says that in baptism we “put on Christ”. Elsewhere he says that we are “co-heirs with Christ.” St John says that we shall see Christ face to face and be as He is. St Peter says that we are “partakers of the divine nature.” This is the doctrine of theosis or deification. Christ assumed human nature so that we could share in the divine nature. The saints in heaven share in His nature more perfectly and completely than we can comprehend so logically they would also share in some of his powers. By His grace, they have the power to hear prayers.

See #460 in the Catechism:
http://scborromeo.org/ccc/para/460.htm
 
You hear various anecdotes about how various saints interact with living people.

Sometimes it’s St. Michael and a Soldier. Or St. Michael and Lots of Soldiers.

Or St. Pio and exorcists. Or St. Pio and the Anglican Minister.

The only reason we still have St. Catherine on the liturgical calendar, instead of her going the way of St. Christopher and other undocumented saints, is because she was vouched for by St. Joan of Arc, as having spoken to her.

You’ve got a zillion guardian angel stories.

St. Anthony’s another popular one. You have about a zillion stories of people turning to him for help in finding lost things.

Usually, they’re going to be very personal and private brushes that you keep close. But the internet makes it easier for people to share anonymously, even if they don’t really talk about it much with people personally.
 
The Pastor told a story -
how some kid got into an accident - bad news -
Either he’d die or be a vegetable all his life -
He went to the hospital - with a Saint Theresa relic -
( not knowing why he took it )
Prayed over him -
15 minutes later -
The parents were about to go into the room and say their final goodbye -
He awoke - saying “ I smell roses “ ?
Not only that - he was completely healed.
This was Monday mass, he told the story.
 
It pleases the Lord to grant us gifts and graces through the saints’ intercession. For our spiritual and physical benefit. And sometimes for others who witness the gift to be converted and give glory to God.
 
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