Questioning my life with the saints

[Epistemes]

I don’t know why I’m posting this because I suspect that I know full well how the thread will run its course as most of what will be said has been said many times in other threads.

Regardless, it’s just that I sometimes want to just give up on the saints - or, rather, not “give up on them,” as if their prayers or example isn’t efficacious (which it is), but I just mean give up asking for their intercession. I don’t see the point anymore.

If I personally don’t ask St. Joseph (or any saint, for that matter) for his intercession, does that mean that St. Joseph is going be selfish and stop praying for us? I seriously doubt it.

Or, if I have an ailing mother (which I do), am I expecting some miracle if I ask St. John Vianney for his intercession? If I am expecting some miracle, what gives me the right? Because Jesus said “ask”? Sure, I have no problem asking Our Lord, but “storming the gates of heaven” with intercessions from my favorite saint in order to try and convince Divine Providence? I mean, seriously?

Plus, it all comes down to the fact that I personally have nothing to say to the saints, not even to Our Blessed Mother, who is my confirmation saint. That may sound cold, but what am I going to say that they a.) don’t already know or have experienced, or b.) won’t just say, “Turn to the Lord!”?

Again, I’m not questioning that there is a community of saints, or that their lives and example is not worthy of emulation: I find myself often reflecting on just this. And I’m not saying that the saints are ineffective with their intercessory prayers, but repeating “ora pro nobis” seems more and more like a temporal consolation, especially in light of the fact that the saints are just that – saints – and I can’t imagine a single one not praying for the whole lot of us deranged, earthbound fools.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

I, a year or so ago would have agreed… whats the point, just take it to Jesus.

But… I cant really explain my ‘relationship’ with St Jude but he helped me…

Maybe a Saint is sent to our aid, makes themselves known to us when we need them…

I think it is just one more on our side… that is why God gave us the saints…not to stampede the gates but as a comfort to us when we need help.

 

[Epistemes]

But… I cant really explain my ‘relationship’ with St Jude but he helped me…

And I believe that the Blessed Mother has helped me on numerous occassions, especially in my multiple conversions to the Church, as do billions of other people - and each time she’s helped, she’s pointed right to Jesus. While I’m grateful for her assistance, her actions are more logical than sentimental or miraculous or out of the order of how things are. (Not to mention, it’s almost rather arbitrary of me to even assume that it was Mary and not St. Pio or St. Martin of Tours or St. Pancras…)

And I can’t say that I have much of a “relationship” with St. Gemma, even though I also believe that the Holy Spirit “led me to her,” as it were, and she remains my favorite saint.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

And I can’t say that I have much of a “relationship” with St. Gemma, even though I also believe that the Holy Spirit “led me to her,” as it were, and she remains my favorite saint.

I think St Jude led me to his friend, Jesus!

 

[rookieonedge]

:harp:My thinking is that the more prayers we have to storm heaven AND prayer warriors, the more we make ourselves appealing to God. Of course He hears all of our prayers, with or without the intercession of saints or people on earth praying for us. But accumlating prayer warriors, or pray-ers, both earthly and heavenly sends our prayers to Heaven with an extra odor of sweetness (think incense, perfume, flowers )

Consider that when someone on earth is sick and asks to be on a prayer list. It is comforting for that person to know that others are sending messages to God and maybe are also seeking saintly intercessors. Therefore, an avalance of prayer ascends to God. I would think He would look at this effort (the effort to make this really serious business) as beseeching Him with “all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, with all our strength”. Not that HE requires all this effort from us for HIS satisfaction, but for our own spiritual enrichment and widening the depth of our love for Him.

Some people who are seriously ill have the good fortune to obtain a relic (usually through the parish or a monastery) and find healing in this way. Sometimes, a miracle is needed for a particular Blessed or Venerable in order to get to the next step, possibly sainthood.
(I think 2 miracles are needed).

In any case, our faith is communal. We live in community (parishes) and rely on each other for help. We are also a part of an even bigger community, the whole Church Militant, which prays for its members. Often one Mass a weekend is devoted to the living and deceased members of such and such a parish.

Finally, we look to the Church Triumphant. We hope to be members of it someday. It would be well for us to get to know its members–the saints.

---

“In those respects in which the soul is unlike God, it is also unlike itself.” (St. Bernard)

:angel1:

 

[St_Francis]

I don’t know why I’m posting this because I suspect that I know full well how the thread will run its course as most of what will be said has been said many times in other threads.

Regardless, it’s just that I sometimes want to just give up on the saints - or, rather, not “give up on them,” as if their prayers or example isn’t efficacious (which it is), but I just mean give up asking for their intercession. I don’t see the point anymore.

If I personally don’t ask St. Joseph (or any saint, for that matter) for his intercession, does that mean that St. Joseph is going be selfish and stop praying for us? I seriously doubt it.

Or, if I have an ailing mother (which I do), am I expecting some miracle if I ask St. John Vianney for his intercession? If I am expecting some miracle, what gives me the right? Because Jesus said “ask”? Sure, I have no problem asking Our Lord, but “storming the gates of heaven” with intercessions from my favorite saint in order to try and convince Divine Providence? I mean, seriously?

Plus, it all comes down to the fact that I personally have nothing to say to the saints, not even to Our Blessed Mother, who is my confirmation saint. That may sound cold, but what am I going to say that they a.) don’t already know or have experienced, or b.) won’t just say, “Turn to the Lord!”?

Again, I’m not questioning that there is a community of saints, or that their lives and example is not worthy of emulation: I find myself often reflecting on just this. And I’m not saying that the saints are ineffective with their intercessory prayers, but repeating “ora pro nobis” seems more and more like a temporal consolation, especially in light of the fact that the saints are just that – saints – and I can’t imagine a single one not praying for the whole lot of us deranged, earthbound fools.

If you had a loved one who needed an operation, wouldn’t you do things like ask around for the best doctors, etc? And wouldn’t you want a *team *doing the operation? And wouldn’t you want *all *the team members to show up and do their job, even tho some of them might be lowly sterilization people instead of highly-degreed specialists?

Sure the saints pray for us all the time, but *we *need to learn to live in community…