Praying to St. Michael

[tafan]

You’re right, I don’t.

Well, Christ said “when two or more are gathered in my name…”. Hence it is safe to assume that having more than just ourselves praying for something is beneficial.

It is also logical. If one accepts the fact that individual prayers to God are beneficial, one has to accept the fact that other prayers to God are also beneficial in an additive manner. So it is completely logical to ask others to pray for our intentions. The final step in the logic is that the same logic applies to the saints and angels,we should also ask for their prayers.

 

[Porcupine]

Well, Christ said “when two or more are gathered in my name…”. Hence it is safe to assume that having more than just ourselves praying for something is beneficial.

It is also logical. If one accepts the fact that individual prayers to God are beneficial, one has to accept the fact that other prayers to God are also beneficial in an additive manner. So it is completely logical to ask others to pray for our intentions. The final step in the logic is that the same logic applies to the saints and angels,we should also ask for their prayers.

I appreciate your thought. But here’s the problem: If that were ALL Jesus said on prayer, you might have a stronger point. But he also said, “when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” That sounds to me like someone praying alone. So which does Jesus want? The Bible is full of those sorts of differences, and they make the construction of specific doctrines on any one thing found in the Bible pretty difficult and contentious (see the history of Christianity for more on that).

As to the rest of your logic, it’s not at all proven that if one prayer is good, more than one is better. If I utter one sincere prayer, and God hears it, what’s to be gained by piling on? There’s no clear connection whatever to the idea that “other prayers to God are also beneficial in an additive manner.” --as if God is sitting there waiting until they reach critical mass or some magic number. When is enough enough? Is it sufficient that three people in our parish pray the St. Michael prayer? Fourteen? Seven hundred?

We have no evidence about the mechanism of prayer, and Jesus himself gives us ambiguous advice on it. But it seems to me that it can’t be like, say, accomplishing a task such as raking leaves or pushing a stalled car. In those cases, the more people you get involved, the more quickly and easily the task will be accomplished. It doesn’t seem accurate to map that, analogically speaking, to the idea of prayer, which is an infinitely more subtle undertaking.

I know the Church teaches otherwise. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I realize my feelings on it don’t mean much.

 

[Paul_theApostle]

God and the Holy Spirit lives within Saints and the Angels

and each Angel or saint usually had or has a special mission from God and they act as servants of God

Angels are messengers of God

in the end God LIVES and ACTS in the lives of Angels and Saints and they intercede for us on behalf of God and through the work of the Holy Spirit

 

[Veronica97]

Porcupine, even if you were practicing your Catholic faith, you would not be required to pray to St. Michael or any of the Saints or even to the Virgin Mary. Some Catholics choose to pray mostly to God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit directly and there is nothing wrong with that. I personally do both. What I have come to realize since I have had a Catholic “rebirth” so to speak (after being lukewarm for years) is that I need to pray for others. See, God gives all of us sufficient Grace to be saved–we only have to respond to that Grace. However, when we pray for someone God grants them EXTRA graces–beyond what they need to be saved. Someone else on CAF (I can’t remember who) described it this way: imagine you are invited to a wedding. You are invited but you know you have to get dressed and go to the church. Maybe you choose to stay home in your pajamas. But then suppose your friends come knocking on the door and they’re shouting, “Come on, get dressed–we’re not leaving without you.” Are you going to be more likely to respond to that invitation now? I think so!! So if two or more people are praying for someone to be saved, it makes sense that the Graces would be even more than if just one person were praying. Also, think of this: who would you rather have praying for you: St. Michael (obedient servant of God whom He entrusted with casting Satan into Hell) or someone you know here on Earth who is living in serious sin. I know which one I would pick! Surely St. Michael’s prayers are pleasing to God, especially when they are for ending abortion which is a grave evil. Sure I can pray to God directly and I do, but if I can also get a Saint or the Mother of God to pray for me, I think that is all the better. After all they are closer to God than I am, being in Heaven and being without sin. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 “First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone…This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth.” This points to praying for the salvation of others. Revelation 5:8 “…Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.” The holy ones are the Saints. Prayers are not physical things–they cannot be handed to God; therefore, it must mean that the prayers are OFFERED to God by the Saints. Thus they are interceding for us.