Pray to who?

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billcu1

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I have read Jesus sent the holy spirit so it will ask what we need. Jesus is the mediator between us and god. Pray for the intercession of Mary and then I guess she goes to jesus. Who are we supposed to pray to? Geesh.
 
billcu1 said:
I have read Jesus sent the holy spirit so it will ask what we need. Jesus is the mediator between us and god. Pray for the intercession of Mary and then I guess she goes to jesus. Who are we supposed to pray to? Geesh.
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It doesn’t have to be either/or. The idea of the Communion of Saints is that we are all praying for one another to Jesus Christ.
 
Think of the Saints as family members praying for you. That’s the idea behind the concept of the intercession of Saints. I talk to Jesus all the time, even when I’m not behaving good. I have a personal relationship with Christ, however, sometimes I ask the blessed mother in particular to pray for me. As a married man and father, in recent years I’ve found myself turning to St. Joesph to pray for my cause.
 
We pray to the Trinity - God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In comination or individually depending what your ease and relationship is.

The Holy Spirit lives in us and even during times when we can’t utter the words for prayer due to stress, tears, and so on- we can ask simply ask the Holy Spirit to please help. He utters all our needs to God. The Holy Spirit hears and speaks to us in levels hard to put it in words, but he knows and hears our groans and pleas even when unspoken and relays and intercedes.

We pray for Mary, the angels, and saints to please help and pray with or for us- to intercede for us. I know some people have a closer connection with Mary or a specific saint or angel and just as the would talk with Jesus - they have this special connection to a few others as well.
 
Bix said:
We pray to the Trinity - God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In comination or individually depending what your ease and relationship is.

The Holy Spirit lives in us and even during times when we can’t utter the words for prayer due to stress, tears, and so on- we can ask simply ask the Holy Spirit to please help. He utters all our needs to God. The Holy Spirit hears and speaks to us in levels hard to put it in words, but he knows and hears our groans and pleas even when unspoken and relays and intercedes.

We pray **for **Mary, the angels, and saints to please help and pray with or for us- to intercede for us. I know some people have a closer connection with Mary or a specific saint or angel and just as the would talk with Jesus - they have this special connection to a few others as well.
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It is appropriate to use “Pray to” the Saints. The difference is significant. If we pray for the Saints to intercede, we’re doing the shotgun intention. When we pray to, we are specifically asking that particular Saint or Angel to pray in our place for our intension - aka intercession. I guess what you said might imply what I’m saying, but it doesn’t seem to in my opinion. There is no worshipping of the Saints or Angels in our prayers to them.
 
billcu1 said:
I have read Jesus sent the holy spirit so it will ask what we need. Jesus is the mediator between us and god. Pray for the intercession of Mary and then I guess she goes to jesus. Who are we supposed to pray to? Geesh.
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Pray to God…God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There’s only one God.
 
we pray TO the Lord alone. However, we ask those who were close to Jesus and those who are already saved to pray FOR us TO the Lord so that it might weigh more.

Think about the Lord’s first miracle - wedding at Cana
People turned to Mary for help. And it was Mary the Lord’s mother who went to talk to Jesus about these. Even though “It’s not my time yet” the Lord still helped them.

To ask the saints to pray for us is kind of like when you need money, you go home and ask from your parents rather than directly from God.
 
Isla said:
we pray TO the Lord alone. However, we ask those who were close to Jesus and those who are already saved to pray FOR us TO the Lord so that it might weigh more.
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Thats not true, we do pray TO the saints. Prayer is not worship by itself. Let us not get dragged down by Protestant polemics who try to equate prayer to worship and try to accuse us of idolatry by it
 
ConstantineTG said:
Thats not true, we do pray TO the saints. Prayer is not worship by itself. Let us not get dragged down by Protestant polemics who try to equate prayer to worship and try to accuse us of idolatry by it
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I don’t see pray “to” in the prayers. it is always “Through the intercession of … may GOD…”
And by the way that’s the explanation my theology teacher gave us.
 
Isla said:
we pray TO the Lord alone. However, we ask those who were close to Jesus and those who are already saved to pray FOR us TO the Lord so that it might weigh more.

Think about the Lord’s first miracle - wedding at Cana
People turned to Mary for help. And it was Mary the Lord’s mother who went to talk to Jesus about these. Even though “It’s not my time yet” the Lord still helped them.

To ask the saints to pray for us is kind of like when you need money, you go home and ask from your parents rather than directly from God.
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You need to go back to the drawing board. The word “pray” means to ask. It does not mean to worship. I pray to my wife to pray for me. I pray to my children to pray for me. In like kind I pray to the Blessed Mother to pray for me or my other causes. We ask them to intercede for us, therefore we pray to them to intercede for us.

Your language is garbled. It took me working through this to convert to Catholicism. That’s how I know, it’s verifiable. There are different ways of describing the same act. But, you just joined the Martin Luther crowd by adding the word “alone” in your statement. It’s not the case.
 
Bix said:
We pray to the Trinity - God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. In comination or individually depending what your ease and relationship is.
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The First Person of the Trinity is properly referred to as the Father or God the Father.

All three Members of the Trinity are God: God the Father, God the Son (Who was incarnated as Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. All three form the Godhead. The three persons of the Trinity are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
 
Praying is a means of communication, one can give thanks, one can worship , and , or one can ask for something, or all three in one pray, such as the Our Father.
 
Luvtosew said:
Praying is a means of communication, one can give thanks, one can worship , and , or one can ask for something, or all three in one pray, such as the Our Father.
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👍 - Posts like this help when trying to explain to people. Very good.
 
UnlikelyHomeDad said:
You need to go back to the drawing board. The word “pray” means to ask. It does not mean to worship. I pray to my wife to pray for me. I pray to my children to pray for me. In like kind I pray to the Blessed Mother to pray for me or my other causes. We ask them to intercede for us, therefore we pray to them to intercede for us.

Your language is garbled. It took me working through this to convert to Catholicism. That’s how I know, it’s verifiable. There are different ways of describing the same act. But, you just joined the Martin Luther crowd by adding the word “alone” in your statement. It’s not the case.
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Do you have to talk like this? Knowing meanings of English words does not make you a better disciple.
Well, I prefer to use “ask” when I ask for intercession. I kind of consider “pray” as a specific for God.
Actually I don’t really care whom we pray to. What really matters is I know everything is from God “alone” ( do you want to argue this?) , not from any saints. We can ask them to pray for us, but not ask directly from them. That’s what I was trying to say. If it bothered you, I’m sorry.
 
billcu1 said:
I have read Jesus sent the holy spirit so it will ask what we need. Jesus is the mediator between us and god. Pray for the intercession of Mary and then I guess she goes to jesus. Who are we supposed to pray to? Geesh.
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Jesus is the mediator of a covenant. I thas nothing to do with prayer.

*Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)

For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant… (Hebrews 9:15)

…and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant… (Hebrews 12:24)*

There is one mediator between God and man, Jesus, but what Jesus mediates is the new covenant. Paul is not talking about prayer when he writes about Jesus’ mediation. Paul is talking about the old, incomplete and ineffective covenant mediated by Moses, and the new, complete and perfect covenant mediated by Jesus.

Paul states that Jesus is the mediator of a covenant like seven billion times in the Bible. What Paul is talking about has nothing to do with prayer.

-Tim-
 
ConstantineTG said:
Thats not true, we do pray TO the saints. Prayer is not worship by itself. Let us not get dragged down by Protestant polemics who try to equate prayer to worship and try to accuse us of idolatry by it
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I dunno CTG… Adoration is worship.

I often adore Jesus and pray at the same time, in the same act.

I think what many non-Catholics do is simply stop there. They have adoration (worship) and prayer, what they commonly call “Praise and worship” but they have divorced the perfect act of worship ever to take place from their own worship. They have divorced the perfect sacrifice of Christ from their worship. They have removed the re-presentation of Christ’s perfect sacrifice to God the Father from their worship. And so what they are left with is “Only” praise and worship - call it adoration if you will.

I think it is worship. Many people in the Bible fell at Jesus’ feet and worshipped. but Catholic worship is infinite orders of magnitude beyond any “Praise and Worship” service, because it is the actual sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, the perfect act of worship ever to take place.

I think prayer can be worship. Do you disagree? I’m interested to hear what you have to say if it doesn’t take the thread too far OT, but will check back another time as it is late.

Peace to you my brother!

-Tim-
 
Isla said:
Do you have to talk like this? Knowing meanings of English words does not make you a better disciple.
Well, I prefer to use “ask” when I ask for intercession. I kind of consider “pray” as a specific for God.
Actually I don’t really care whom we pray to. What really matters is I know everything is from God “alone” ( do you want to argue this?) , not from any saints. We can ask them to pray for us, but not ask directly from them. That’s what I was trying to say. If it bothered you, I’m sorry.
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Let’s not wear our feelings on our shoulders. I’m trying to joke and its not my fault you or others don’t get the humor. Lighten up, is what Msgr. Gross told me as I used to be stuffy like this too. Please lighten up just a little, enough to laugh in a healthy way at ourselves. And no body from here is playing the holier than thou game. Peace.
 
UnlikelyHomeDad said:
Let’s not wear our feelings on our shoulders. I’m trying to joke and its not my fault you or others don’t get the humor. Lighten up, is what Msgr. Gross told me as I used to be stuffy like this too. Please lighten up just a little, enough to laugh in a healthy way at ourselves. And no body from here is playing the holier than thou game. Peace.
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Sometimes a dry sense of humor does not convey through typed words…

Your posts reflect no indication of humor, nor do I believe they were intended to be humorous. They appear to reflect someone needing to build themselves up and appear more knowledgeable by semantics.

However you and another poster have successfully managed to completely derail the original poster’s question, set an extremely poor example of Christian fellowship, charity and evangelation as well as insult the intellect and knowledge of faith of other members by picking apart words and sentences- congratulations…

Btw- you speak as if you are Catholic , but have listed your religion as Catholic, Protestant, etc. I was not aware of this religious category. Where does Etc worship? Do you have a site where I could learn more about this particular religion?

To the other poster correcting me about God the Son and my lack of knowledge regarding the trinity- I will keep that in mind in the unlikely future I ever post on this forum again. I must have been confused thinking God the Son was also referred to and named, Jesus. Thank you for the correction.

I initially loved visiting visiting this site- reading and learning from others, helping others, praying for others and so on. It seems in the last weeks people have become more and more uncharitable and I now completely understand why so many have left this site or only return to pray. I also understand (sadly ) why the people I referred to this site in order to learn more about Catholicism have have decided this was not the place for them to learn or were even insulted or like the OP here- asked a simple question which became a thread consisting of very little to do with their post… It’s quite sad and disappointing as there are (or were ) so many areas to reach people unfamiliar Catholicism, assist others with prayer and support as well as learn and ask questions. my last weeks visiting this site have been enough to cause doubt in my mind regarding many issues. I now understand another earlier thread I read by someone else regarding the negative effects they had from this site. It’s such a shame…

Also- the poster asking you if it’s necessary to talk in such a manner is NOT evidence of a chip on their shoulder. . .
 
Please, can some knowledgeable and charitable answer this poster’s question?
billcu1 said:
I have read Jesus sent the holy spirit so it will ask what we need. Jesus is the mediator between us and god. Pray for the intercession of Mary and then I guess she goes to jesus. Who are we supposed to pray to? Geesh.
Click to expand...
 
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