Giving Offerings To Saints?

[yahwehsdaughter]

Hello all, I’m new to Catholicism, so please have mercy on my ignorance: Is it acceptable to give offerings to saints? I saw some videos on YouTube where people were giving offerings to saints in asking for their intercession. One guy said St. Jude likes it when you donate to St. Jude’s hospital, and another guy said St. Expedite likes pound cake, pennies, and roses. Is this true? I don’t think the channels of people I’ve seen doing this are Catholic. They seem to be more into Hoodoo or something like that. Is it acceptable to give offerings to the saints or this forbidden?

 

[Joaninha]

I think there is no problem giving offerings to saints, I offer many things to saints and for their intercession in my friends. As Saints are so so close to Jesus in Heaven we can ask them for help in our life and in our friend’s life. Saints are friends from heaven and as we offer Mass for them I thing we can offer more thinks in our day to show them how we love our friendship with them. I call Saints to give me company when I am somewhere beautiful so they can enjoy and receive the Beuty of Jesus in Earth and the Grace of Creation!
I thing there’s no problem with giving offer to Saints knowing that Jesus was The One Who died and dies in The Cross

 

[yahwehsdaughter]

This is very interesting! Thank you for answering. I guess it’s not that much different from giving tithes and offerings to God, or how the priests in the temple gave showbread to God. I’ll see about giving something to my patron .

 

[yahwehsdaughter]

I notice that Catholics light a lot of candles. Is there a specific purpose for that? Is it always for blessings, or are there other reasons that candles are lit?

 

[ThomasMT]

I’m not clear on the issue myself… I was under the impression that “offerings” are what separate prayers to saints from prayers to God. We venerate, ask for intercession… even consecrate ourselves to saints, but offerings are to God alone. Again, I too seek clarity on the matter.

 

[Hodos]

Quick question here. How is this practice any different than the ancestor worship engaged in by the ancient Canaanites, or the Greeks or Romans? Is there any command in scripture to do this, or is there any word of promise given in scripture associated with this practice?

 

[yahwehsdaughter]

I get where you’re coming from. How do you feel about leaving objects at grave sites for the dead? Like giving flowers and things like that?

I’m a Black American and growing up, I would always see people doing things that I didn’t understand. I lived in a bad neighborhood as a kid where there was some gang violence, and one day when I was about 6 years old, I saw a bunch of toys, teddy bears and ballons around a tree with a kids name and face. I wanted to get one of the teddies, but my mom told me I couldn’t have it, and that it was left there by the tree for a kid who was killed there. People would also pour out liquor or alcohol for a dead friend – you may have heard someone say, “Pour some out for my homie (name).” or people would take a pair of shoes, tie the strings together and throw them up on a telephone pole. They did that to offer the shoes to someone who is dead.

None of that ever made since to me, until I learned about ancestral worship. I think these customs were just passed down to black people from our African ancestors, but we’re unaware. The dead are honored a lot in our race. I don’t know if this is right or wrong from a Christian perspective, but I do like the idea of honoring those who have passed on.

 

[TheLittleLady]

We do not make offerings to Saints, that would be the very slippery slope to idolatry. We give to the Church, to charities and humanitarian relief efforts, time talent and treausure.

On the other hand, I do like pound cake!!

 

[TheLittleLady]

people would take a pair of shoes, tie the strings together and throw them up on a telephone pole. They did that to offer the shoes to someone who is dead.

I am a very inquisitive person. All of my life I have seen shoes thrown up that way and I have never met anyone who could explain it’s origin and meaning. THANK YOU

 

[yahwehsdaughter]

This is a good question, the closest thing I could find to any mention of giving things to the dead is this verse:

"Then you shall say before the Lord your God, “I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. I have not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me.” (Deuteronomy 26:13-14)

That doesn’t clarify whether it’s right or wrong. It just acknowledges that God doesn’t want us giving His tithes to the dead. Maybe the Israelites did honor the dead by giving them things, but I don’t think it’s explicitly stated in Scripture.

 

[yahwehsdaughter]

You’re welcome!

 

[Hodos]

That doesn’t clarify whether it’s right or wrong. It just acknowledges that God doesn’t want us giving His tithes to the dead. Maybe the Israelites did honor the dead by giving them things, but I don’t think it’s explicitly stated in Scripture.

Given the rest of the Mosaic law against divination, communicating with the dead, etc., it seems to me it’s pretty clear it is prohibited.

 

[edward_george1]

St. Expedite likes pound cake, pennies, and roses.

They seem to be more into Hoodoo or something like that. Is it acceptable to give offerings to the saints or this forbidden?

This is almost certainly a practice associated with hoodoo and you should avoid it, as well as the people and/or videos telling you this is somehow alright for a Catholic.

-Fr ACEGC

 

[yahwehsdaughter]

I don’t think it’s that clear. Jews rely on Oral Law and teachings just like Catholics have Sacred Tradition along with Scripture. There are a lot of Orthodox Jews who pray to dead righteous people, and there’s a story that Caleb stopped by the tomb of Abraham and Sarah to pray before accomplishing his mission with the other spies. Because of that, the sages believe its good to pray in the merit of passed saints like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as study Torah in the merit of others and those who are in purgatory. In the Breslov sect of Judaism, Rebbe Nachman is very honored and when he was alive, he said he would do everything in his power to bring a Jew to heaven if they donated 10¢, recited Tikkun Haklali, and visited his grave. I’m not saying any of that is right. The scripture doesn’t make clear claims, but according to past on tradition, and things they still hold they seem to have honored the dead and believed it was okay to offer things to them.

But I agree that divination and consulting with the dead and mediums is wrong. There just needs to be some clarification about what those words actually mean considering that God allowed them use divination by the urim and thummim, and the apostles cast lots(a form of divination) to choose a new apostle in place of Judas. Maybe divination only means certain types of divination and maybe communicating with the dead means a certain type of communication (trying to get secret information or something and talking to any dead person wherever they might be). Just a thought. I’m trying to see all sides of this.

 

[yahwehsdaughter]

Very well. Thanks for your reply. I’ve decided to stay as far away from idolatry and witchcraft as possible .

 

[Joaninha]

We do offer Mass for Saints, not in idolatry but we give them this kind of love, like they pray for us in Heaven near to Jesus.
I offer things to Saints, never in idolatry. I know Jesus died on the Cross and He is my God. I think when we call Saints to our company and give them offerings they will be happy with Jesus. We can have a relation with Saints and give them offerings like friends. They just take the offerings give them more love and took them to Jesus!
I am not right?

 

[TheLittleLady]

We do offer Mass for Saints,

I’ve never heard of offering Mass for a Saint. We offer Mass for the living in any situation, for the dead because they may be in purgatory. Saints are in heaven, they do not need our prayers for their souls.

 

[Hodos]

Given that there are already clear commands not to engage in things such as necromancy which is the communication with the dead in expectation of receiving answers to petitions, I would have to questions the legitimacy of these traditions. However, even if you accept this oral tradition about Caleb, you seem to be missing the point. To WHOM was Caleb supposedly praying? Was he praying to Abraham and Sarah asking them to grant his petition? Or was he near the tomb of Abraham and Sarah and directing his prayers to YHWH? The only examples of communicating to the dead for the purposes of granting petitions in the Bible are negative (Saul and the witch of Endor). My point is that I think the scriptures are much more clear than you are giving them credit for but you are allowing manmade tradition that is in conflict with prescriptive commands provided in scripture to influence you to violate those commands. With regard to the Urim and Thummim I don’t see that these were used for the purposes of communicating with the dead, but with God himself directly, and it was commanded by God in a clear, explicit, prescriptive command. There is a huge difference in making an argument from supposed silence, and making an argument from positive evidence.

 

[Joaninha]

Whenever it is a day of a Saint we offer the Mass for them, I am sure about that. But, it is not our prayers , is the Body of Christ. We offer Thee in the Holy Eucharist for the Saints. They were lovers of the Eucharist and they are delight when we offer It for them…

 

[Joaninha]

I know Saints do a lot for me near to Jesus so I offer them acts of love too. Not in idolatry but in the built of a friendship. A friendship that exists for that I learn how to Love Our Lord! A friendship to come closer to Him