Praying to the Saints

[Lor91]

Hello!

While I was talking to my Mom, the subject of praying to the saints came up in discussion. She is Protestant. She said she compares the act of praying to the saints to a wife asking other men for advice about something and not going directly to her husband. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to her. What would the Catholic response be to my Mom’s comment? Thanks!

 

[smichhertz]

Hello!

While I was talking to my Mom, the subject of praying to the saints came up in discussion. She is Protestant. She said she compares the act of praying to the saints to a wife asking other men for advice about something and not going directly to her husband. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to her. What would the Catholic response be to my Mom’s comment? Thanks!

Hi Lor91!

I would respond by asking if she’s ever committed the heinous sin of asking anyone for advice about the spiritual life other than God? Asking a minister for guidance? Heresy! Go directly to God!

Then I would counter with this point: “Christians ask other Christians for help or to pray for them all the time. Why does that have to stop at death? If they are in Heaven how much more good they could do than on Earth!”

Hope that helps!

 

[Jon_S_1]

Hello!

While I was talking to my Mom, the subject of praying to the saints came up in discussion. She is Protestant. She said she compares the act of praying to the saints to a wife asking other men for advice about something and not going directly to her husband. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to her. What would the Catholic response be to my Mom’s comment? Thanks!

Tell her it’s more like whenever you send an email to anyone at work it is cc’d to the boss. Jesus gets every one. In fact he here’s it twice. Once when you ask the saint and once when the saint prays for you.

Besides most of the time I pray for saints intercession I pray to Jesus too. This is clearly seen in the litany of saints.

Does she think Jesus is incapable of knowing our hearts thoughts and prayers?

 

[Lor91]

Tell her it’s more like whenever you send an email to anyone at work it is cc’d to the boss. Jesus gets every one. In fact he here’s it twice. Once when you ask the saint and once when the saint prays for you.

Besides most of the time I pray for saints intercession I pray to Jesus too. This is clearly seen in the litany of saints.

Does she think Jesus is incapable of knowing our hearts thoughts and prayers?

Thanks! That’s a great example! I think she would say that she believes that Jesus is capable of knowing our heart’s thoughts and prayers. For this reason, she doesn’t see the point of praying to saints since Jesus is all knowing. But, then I guess she would have to follow that same logic and wouldn’t be able to ask anyone to pray for her on earth since they aren’t all knowing like God. Am I on the right track here? That brings me to another question. Ha,ha. Are the saints all knowing (as in they know our heart’s thoughts and prayers before we ask) or is that totally reserved to God? Thanks for the help!

 

[Jon_S_1]

Thanks! That’s a great example! I think she would say that she believes that Jesus is capable of knowing our heart’s thoughts and prayers. For this reason, she doesn’t see the point of praying to saints since Jesus is all knowing. But, then I guess she would have to follow that same logic and wouldn’t be able to ask anyone to pray for her on earth since they aren’t all knowing like God. Am I on the right track here? That brings me to another question. Ha,ha. Are the saints all knowing (as in they know our heart’s thoughts and prayers before we ask) or is that totally reserved to God? Thanks for the help!

Yep your right on. If Jesus knows everything why ask anyone to pray for you? Why pray?

Prayer is really more for us. More for us to worship and align our hearts to God and receive grace on our lives.

In a similar way, asking the saints to pray for us aligns us with the entire body of Christ past and present, on earth and in heaven. It joins us to "The great cloud of witnesses " that surrounds us.

No the Saints are not all knowing. They hear what God allows them to hear, and present our prayers to God because he desires them to do so. (see Rev 5 and Rev 8)