Question about Praying to Saints

[SavedByHim]

The other day, I couldn’t find something at work and my co-worker and I said a quick prayer to St. Anthony. Shortly thereafter, we found the lost object as I knew we would. However, I have a question about who to thank for that.

My co-worker said “Thank you St. Anthony.” And I was thinking more along the lines of “Thank you God.” because I thought we ask Saints to intercede for us, but that they can’t actually work the “magic”.

What is proper in this situation?

 

[sententia]

St. Anthony interceded for you before God. You can thank both.
I tend to thank the saint- I know it was through him God worked, so I tend to give big God thank-you’s at mass or lauds, and for stuff like that the paticular saint.

 

[scylla]

I first, thank God as without Him, nothing happens.

I would say thank you to St Anthony, just like you would to say thank you to someone for praying for me. In that sense I see absolutely nothing wrong with thanking St. Anthony.

God Bless
Scylla

 

[LSK]

SavedByHim:

The other day, I couldn’t find something at work and my co-worker and I said a quick prayer to St. Anthony. Shortly thereafter, we found the lost object as I knew we would. However, I have a question about who to thank for that.

My co-worker said “Thank you St. Anthony.” And I was thinking more along the lines of “Thank you God.” because I thought we ask Saints to intercede for us, but that they can’t actually work the “magic”.

What is proper in this situation?

I think you should thank St. Anthony for interceding for you, and God for helping you find it…but then, I am probably overly polite…lololol.

 

[bauerice]

I always thank God, and then thank the Saint for his prayers!

 

[Tom]

When you pray to a saint, you ARE praying to God. No saint can do anything outside of God, they are one. You can’t separate the saints from God. God uses and has always used tools for His work, the saints are one of these tools.
From John 17:
Jn 17:

5 And now glorify thou me, O Father, with thyself, with the glory which I had, before the world was, with thee. 6 I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou hast given me out of the world. Thine they were, and to me thou gavest them; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known, that all things which thou hast given me, are from thee: 8 Because the words which thou gavest me, I have given to them; and they have received them, and have known in very deed that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me: because they are thine: 10 And all my things are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name whom thou has given me; that they may be one, as we also are.

19 And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in me; 21 That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, as we also are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me.

And from the OT

Kings 22,5 And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: As I am, so art thou: my people and thy people are one: and my horsemen, thy horsemen. And Josaphat said to the king of Israel: Inquire, I beseech thee, this day, the word of the Lord.

It’s a mistake to think of the saints as separate from God, they are as Jesus says, “one”.