Prayers to Saints

[theatrecrew]

I’m New on this and I am 18 years old… I was raised Catholic, and have kind of had my faith handed to me my entire life. I am just trying to define what I believe and why I believe it. In regards to prayers to saints, is this biblical or tradition? And why is it done? Why do we pray to saints the same way we do to God? Isn’t Jesus Christ the only mediator between us and God?
Thanks,
Theatrecrew

 

[1edyson]

I’m New on this and I am 18 years old… I was raised Catholic, and have kind of had my faith handed to me my entire life. I am just trying to define what I believe and why I believe it. In regards to prayers to saints, is this biblical or tradition? And why is it done? Why do we pray to saints the same way we do to God? Isn’t Jesus Christ the only mediator between us and God?
Thanks,
Theatrecrew

Welcome to CAF, praise be to God you are searching for Truth!

catholic.com/library/mary_saints.asp
Mary and the Bible
Communion of Saints

 

[Randy_Carson]

I’m New on this and I am 18 years old… I was raised Catholic, and have kind of had my faith handed to me my entire life. I am just trying to define what I believe and why I believe it. In regards to prayers to saints, is this biblical or tradition? And why is it done? Why do we pray to saints the same way we do to God? Isn’t Jesus Christ the only mediator between us and God?
Thanks,
Theatrecrew

Concerning prayer to the saints, I urge you to read the following:

Praying to the Saints
catholic.com/library/praying_to_the_saints.asp

Concerning Jesus as the one mediator…the Bible is clear that we also have a role in mediating. Here’s my argument:

Begin with the verse that you have in mind.

1 Timothy 2:5-6
5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.

Now, let’s look at additional verses to gain a fuller understanding of the role of Jesus as mediator.

Hebrews 7:24-25
because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Here we see that Jesus “always lives to intercede” for “those who come to God through him.” The role of the mediator and the intercessor are synonymous; a mediator lives to intercede for others.

All Christians are called to be mediators or intercessors for one another because we are all members of Christ’s body as we see from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:22-23
“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

Paul referred to himself as a co-laborer with Christ when he wrote:

1 Corinthians 3:9
For we are God’s fellow workers.

Paul went further in his understanding of our responsibility as co-laborers with Christ when when he wrote:

Colossians 1:24
Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

Is anything lacking from the perfect sacrifice that Christ offered upon the Cross? Paul clearly indicates that more is to be done and that he makes up what is “still lacking” in his own flesh.

2 Corinthians 1:6
If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation

Additionally, we know that we are called to share in the priesthood of all believers (cf. 1 Peter 2:5-9), and a priest, by definition, is called to be a mediator between God and men. Each of us is called to this role and to be a mediator or mediatrix for others before God.

 

[grannymh]

I’m New on this and I am 18 years old… I was raised Catholic, and have kind of had my faith handed to me my entire life. I am just trying to define what I believe and why I believe it. In regards to prayers to saints, is this biblical or tradition? And why is it done? Why do we pray to saints the same way we do to God? Isn’t Jesus Christ the only mediator between us and God?
Thanks,
Theatrecrew

Dear Theatrecrew,

Can’t help asking–are you part of school theatre or a theatre group, professional or amateur?
I loved every phase of it, even ushering.

I see you’ve gotten some good replies so I will throw in a couple of ideas about praying to saints. We never adore saints like we adore God. Saints are more like good friends, people we admire, people we can relate to. Some are role models. Therefore we have a different relationship with them.

Most of the time when we are talking with saints, which is a form of prayer, we are asking them for help. This is done with the understanding that they will petition God for us. Many saints were known for their good deeds on earth so we are asking them to continue doing this for us. Personally, I like to ask a favorite saint for advice. Of course, I don’t hear her voice from heaven. But sometimes, just sitting quietly, my brain can clear. Other times, I think about what a particular saint is known for, and I see if I can learn something that would apply to my life.

I know that the above doesn’t sound like the formal prayers we use. The point is that we are bringing these special people into our lives and letting them know us as friends. They were in the same boat that we are in now.

Final suggestions. Attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sunday and maybe an extra day during the week if it fits your schedule. Then find a church or chapel that has Eucharistic Adoration and spend about 15 minutes in a visit. Holy Mass and a visit to Our Lord Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, is a great way to pray. Remember to pray at night and at least a quick prayer in the morning. Use formal prayers and informal prayers or just smile at God.

Blessings,
grannymh

 

[theatrecrew]

Yes I have had some great replies here! Thank you all so much for your time to help! As for theatre, well I have been heavily involved in theatre in high school, helping build every show my high school did, as well as being in most and designing one, and am now studying to become a set and light designer, or a technical director.
Thanks again to all of you! it has been a great help and I’m really liking the positive feedback and support this website offers!
Theatrecrew

 

[Karen1960]

I see you’ve gotten some good replies so I will throw in a couple of ideas about praying to saints. We never adore saints like we adore God. Saints are more like good friends, people we admire, people we can relate to. Some are role models. Therefore we have a different relationship with them.

Blessings,
grannymh

Thank you for this part! In the part of the Country where I live, there are many Fundamentalist who constantly claim we worship and adore Saints.
Your response is an excellent one. If you don’t mind I will use this the next time I hear “praying to dead people” or “worshiping idols”
They are truly people to admire.

 

[Randy_Carson]

I don’t know what the customs are in other parts of the country, but down south, it is not uncommon for family members to visit the cemetary to “tend the graves” of loved ones who are buried there.

I can’t help but imagine that more than a few Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian widows and widowers have spoken aloud or interiorly to their spouses as they were standing before those tombstones.

Now, if it is acceptable for these Protestants to speak to their own parents, spouses, siblings, etc. who have died, why is it unacceptable for Catholics to speak to theirs and to the more famous saints who are now in heaven?

 

[Randy_Carson]

Praying to Saints and the Communion of Saints Proved from Scripture

1. Every Christian is a member of the Body of Christ

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5)

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

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And we are joined with Christ through baptism

“having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12)

“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)

“for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)

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2. All Christians are connected through the Body of Christ

“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”(1 Corinthians 12:26)

“If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you” (2 Corinthians 2:5)

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3. Physical death does not separate us from the Body of Christ

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

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4. There is only one Body of Christ in Heaven and on Earth

“by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” (Ephesians 2:15-16)

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-5)

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5. The Church is the Body of Christ

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:22-23)

“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18)

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6. Just as we can pray for one another, we can suffer for one another because we are all connected in Christ

“Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. (Colossians 1:24)

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7. If you can ask a member of the Body of Christ on earth to pray for you, then you can also ask someone who is a member of that same Body of Christ in heaven to do the same for they are not “dead” at all.

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“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." (Luke 20:38)

 

[Randy_Carson]

The Saints Can Hear Our Prayers Proved From Scripture

1. Jesus teaches from the Old Testament

“Have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” (Mark 12:26-27)

In this teaching, Jesus tells us plainly that the Father is the God of the living.

2. Speaking with the “Dead” - Jesus teaches by parable

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”(Luke 16:19-31)

In this parable, Jesus has two of the “dead” characters in his story talking with one another, and one of the “dead” men intercedes on behalf of his living relatives.

3. Speaking with the “Dead” - Jesus teaches by personal example

“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” (Matthew 17:1-3)

At the transfiguration, Jesus was talking with two “dead” people, Moses and Elijah. They’re actually alive, though.

4. Speaking to the dead – Peter teaches by example

“Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive.” (Acts 9:40-41)

5. Those in Heaven Hear Our Prayers - John teaches through prophetic revelation

“He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5:7-8)

The 24 elders in heaven are men, and notice that they each have a golden bowl full of the prayers of the saints. That’s us since we’re all saints! So, how did they get hold of our prayers in order to offer them to God?

“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.” (Revelation 8:3)

Here, an angel also offers our prayers along with incense.