Praying to Saints

[friendlymomma]

I am new to praying to saints. I want to pray a prayer to St. Joseph, but I don’t really know how to go about it. When I looked up a prayer to Joseph online, it said pray this nine times and it will never fail. I am not looking for a special formula to get what I want. I don’t think that is a healthy mentality for prayer. So how do I “properly” pray to a saint?
Another issue is I don’t feel comfortable with lines like “I place in you all my interests and desires.” I only feel comfortable saying something like that to God alone. So should I just leave out the lines I don’t feel right about praying, or should I just find another prayer?
Can I just pray to a saint any way I might pray to Jesus? I don’t have a problem with using a written-out (as opposed to an extemporaneous) prayer, but is there some particular reason to do so?

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

I know of just one legitimate reason for praying to the saints in Heaven and Purgatory:

[BIBLEDRB]Matthew 18:20[/BIBLEDRB]

EDIT: Oops, here’s another one:

[BIBLEDRB]James 5:16[/BIBLEDRB]

 

[Bix]

+JMJ+

I know of just one legitimate reason for praying to the saints in Heaven and Purgatory:

[BIBLEDRB]Matthew 18:20[/BIBLEDRB]

EDIT: Oops, here’s another one:

[BIBLEDRB]James 5:16[/BIBLEDRB]

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

Praying to the saints is actually to petition them to pray WITH you and FOR you.

For someone to pray WITH you means it is not just you who is praying, and therefore Jesus is in your midst when you pray with the saints (Matthew 18:20).

For someone to pray FOR you who is as righteous as a saint in Heaven or Purgatory means that it will have much power with God (James 5:16).

 

[DJK100]

I am new to praying to saints. I want to pray a prayer to St. Joseph, but I don’t really know how to go about it. When I looked up a prayer to Joseph online, it said pray this nine times and it will never fail. I am not looking for a special formula to get what I want. I don’t think that is a healthy mentality for prayer. So how do I “properly” pray to a saint?
Another issue is I don’t feel comfortable with lines like “I place in you all my interests and desires.” I only feel comfortable saying something like that to God alone. So should I just leave out the lines I don’t feel right about praying, or should I just find another prayer?
Can I just pray to a saint any way I might pray to Jesus? I don’t have a problem with using a written-out (as opposed to an extemporaneous) prayer, but is there some particular reason to do so?

HI FM,

Bottom line is pray how you feel comfortable. When Catholics use the term pray it oftentimes means more of “to ask” as in “I pray you will listen to what I have to tell.” Worship in prayer is reserved for God alone. I don’t think you have to have any set prayer that someone wrote in order for the saints to listen to you. I often find it comforting to pray as if in a conversation with Saint Whomever. Basically, “Dear St. Whomever, please help me with (blank) by interceding to Jesus on my behalf… etc…”

There is no set formula. You have to remember these are your brothers and sisters in Christ who want to help you if they can. Just let them know what is up or even just “drop a line” to thank them for helping you with their intercession.

 

[Bix]

+JMJ+

Praying to the saints is actually to petition them to pray WITH you and FOR you.

For someone to pray WITH you means it is not just you who is praying, and therefore Jesus is in your midst when you pray with the saints (Matthew 18:20).

For someone to pray FOR you who is as righteous as a saint in Heaven or Purgatory means that it will have much power with God (James 5:16).

Sorry, it’s late. . .

I scanned though it and missed the word, to. Thus- my confusion and apologies.

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

Sorry, it’s late. . .

I scanned though it and missed the word, to. Thus- my confusion and apologies.

 

[Nimzovik]

Indeed. Saints are not magic talismans to get what we want. I place little confidence in sites/books that seem to indicate such. When we pray - do we transform God or are we ourselves transformed?

However, I heartily suggest you pray with ( the wording - to the Saint seems to indicate they in themselves can grant the petition, (misleading) when in actuality it is God) the Saints.

We ask our living friends in humility to pray for us -just as we ask our dead friends - the Saints- to pray for us in the Mystical Body (not seperated by death, but still connected) of Christ. They are our role models. They are uniquely blessed with certain gifts. I go to a chiroprator with Back problems. I go to St. Joeseph to learn how to be a good Father. He has insight into this dynamic.

You are indeed observant. If you do not feel comfortable with a specific prayer - then for you to pray that specific prayer -would be of dubious benefit. Do not violate your conscience.

Perhaps the way to understand this process is to read much. There are many books that eloquently express the ideas. Prayer is like warfare. One must have many and much councel from **all **we have access to.

Pray Novenas. learn from them and the process of prayer.. You **will **learn as you do. This is a truism. Our Lord God honors *genuine sincerity and *intent.

 

[friendlymomma]

HI FM,

Bottom line is pray how you feel comfortable. When Catholics use the term pray it oftentimes means more of “to ask” as in “I pray you will listen to what I have to tell.” Worship in prayer is reserved for God alone. I don’t think you have to have any set prayer that someone wrote in order for the saints to listen to you. I often find it comforting to pray as if in a conversation with Saint Whomever. Basically, “Dear St. Whomever, please help me with (blank) by interceding to Jesus on my behalf… etc…”

There is no set formula. You have to remember these are your brothers and sisters in Christ who want to help you if they can. Just let them know what is up or even just “drop a line” to thank them for helping you with their intercession.

Ok, so extemporaneous prayers are fine. And yes, I do understand that I am not actually praying TO the saint to grant my request. Just asking him or her to go to God on my behalf. It is a beautiful concept, and I am happy to understand that distinction and can now ask so many more of the faithful to pray for me, other than just those whom I know here on earth!
I am wondering if the written, set prayers are special in some way, though. Not magical, but special in the way that the “Our Father” is special. Can someone elaborate on that? I love the idea that certain prayers are old and have been prayed by many faithful before me. Is there anything more to it than that? Or are they just helpful in that they give you something to focus on? Like praying a Psalm.

 

[friendlymomma]

Pray Novenas. learn from them and the process of prayer… You **will **learn as you do. This is a truism. Our Lord God honors *genuine sincerity and *intent.

What exactly is a novena? I have heard of “nine-month novenas.” I assume all novenas are not nine months, but I don’t know what they are.

 

[Splagchnizomai]

Ok, so extemporaneous prayers are fine. And yes, I do understand that I am not actually praying TO the saint to grant my request. Just asking him or her to go to God on my behalf. It is a beautiful concept, and I am happy to understand that distinction and can now ask so many more of the faithful to pray for me, other than just those whom I know here on earth!

Extemporaneous prayers are fine – and they can’t be stopped!

In the same way that you ask your family or friends or neighbors or prayer circle to pray for your intentions, you can also include a saint or the communion of saints to pray with you.

I am wondering if the written, set prayers are special in some way, though. Not magical, but special in the way that the “Our Father” is special. Can someone elaborate on that? I love the idea that certain prayers are old and have been prayed by many faithful before me. Is there anything more to it than that? Or are they just helpful in that they give you something to focus on? Like praying a Psalm.

Set prayers are important because they are part of the Catholic tradition. Many are from the Bible (like the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Magnificat, every one of the Psalms) and many are composed by saints (like St Ignatius of Loyola’s “Take, Lord, receive”/Suspice and many others) and there are liturgical prayers found in Mass (such as the Creed). Some prayers have indulgences attached to them.

They can be helpful in giving us something to focus on, but they also teach us how to pray – they are models upon which we can pray extemporaneously or even compose our own private prayers.

---

One way to pray with the saints is to read about them, for reading can be a form of prayer. Take an event important in your life – your birthday or anniversary or something like that – and look up the saint of the day. There will often be more than one, but usually there is one that Church emphasizes for that particular day. Learn what you can about that saint, and learn what prayers were important to them, and learn how they lived their lives.

For example, when I learned that St Francis de Sales (he’s the one pictured in my avatar) prayed the Memorare everyday, I started praying it everyday too.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

 

[Splagchnizomai]

What exactly is a novena? I have heard of “nine-month novenas.” I assume all novenas are not nine months, but I don’t know what they are.

Most novenas are nine-day prayers with special intentions. Many of them can be prayed at any time of the year, but there are seasonal ones.

There are also nine-hour novenas, 54-day novenas, etc.

EWTN has a good list of novenas.
ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/novena.htm

In fact, EWTN has a solid list of Catholic prayers.
ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayer_saint.htm

btw, don’t get too overwhelmed by all this. Catholics don’t pray all these prayers all the time. Often they pick one, such as the rosary, and pray it for a while. And not all Catholics pray the rosary.

 

[friendlymomma]

I have been trying to pray the rosary. I really don’t understand yet what I am doing, though I know the basics of how to pray it. I sort of consider it practice for now and that later it will mean more to me. I just wonder, now that I know how to do the whole rosary, what it means to simply say a few “Hail Marys.” If the purpose of the rosary is to meditate on the different mysteries, then what is a person doing when they just pray the Hail Mary one or more times? Would it not be more beneficial to just pray an extemporaneous prayer to God?

 

[Splagchnizomai]

I have been trying to pray the rosary. I really don’t understand yet what I am doing, though I know the basics of how to pray it. I sort of consider it practice for now and that later it will mean more to me. I just wonder, now that I know how to do the whole rosary, what it means to simply say a few “Hail Marys.” If the purpose of the rosary is to meditate on the different mysteries, then what is a person doing when they just pray the Hail Mary one or more times? Would it not be more beneficial to just pray an extemporaneous prayer to God?

The rosary is just one method of doing this. You may also do this, for example, by praying Lectio Divina or Gospel Contemplation.
ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-what-how-why-of-prayer/praying-with-scripture/

And, of course, extemporaneous prayer can be beneficial too. It really depends on the individual. Catholicism has many spiritual traditions: Ignatian, Salesian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Franciscan, and others. Some adhere to one spirituality, and others blend elements of one with another. For example, the Rosary came out of Dominican spirituality, but Franciscans, Benedictines etc pray it.

Don’t get too hung up on labeling the various spiritualities or think that you have to know what’s what. Keep your heart open to what God says to you while in prayer and follow Him.

 

[Leon_Bloy]

As long as you understand clearly that you are asking the saint to pray for you to God, who is the source of all graces and blessings, then you can pray as you wish.

One prayer that comes from St. Andre Besette (newly canonized), the one who was behind the great shrine of St. Joseph in Montreal, is “St. Joseph, if you were here standing in my place, what would you ask God to give to you? Please ask Him to give that to me.”

What a great prayer.

 

[Splagchnizomai]

As long as you understand clearly that you are asking the saint to pray for you to God, who is the source of all graces and blessings, then you can pray as you wish.

One prayer that comes from St. Andre Besette (newly canonized), the one who was behind the great shrine of St. Joseph in Montreal, is “St. Joseph, if you were here standing in my place, what would you ask God to give to you? Please ask Him to give that to me.”

What a great prayer.

Wow. That is great!!!