Questions about Prayer

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Nyota

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I’m not Catholic, so I would like you to clarify some things I don’t understand about the subject of prayer.
  1. I understand the concept that you believe that Mary and the saints pray with you, but what is your Biblical basis for believing that the dead are engaged in the matters of those in the living and can pray for us?
  2. I know you confess your sins to the priest, but do you ever confess your sins directly to God? Is the priest just an addition to confessions to God? If not, besides strengthening the bonds between Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what is the purpose of confessing to a priest when we can “come boldly before the thrown of grace?” Isn’t that why the veil was torn, to eliminate that barrier?
 
Nyota said:
I’m not Catholic, so I would like you to clarify some things I don’t understand about the subject of prayer.
  1. I understand the concept that you believe that Mary and the saints pray with you, but what is your Biblical basis for believing that the dead are engaged in the matters of those in the living and can pray for us?
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Hello again Nyota.

Again, I’m not an expert on this stuff. But you might want to consider the following:

Mk 12-26 he is God of the living, not of the dead. The saints are not dead, they are more alive than we are since they are with God!

At the transfiguration, Jesus converses with Moses and Elijah. Again, they are not dead.

The good thief on the cross - Today you will be with me in paradise. He wouldn’t be dead in paradise.

Heb 12:1 - we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.

LK 16:19 departed rich man intercedes for his brothers.
Nyota said:
  1. I know you confess your sins to the priest, but do you ever confess your sins directly to God? Is the priest just an addition to confessions to God? If not, besides strengthening the bonds between Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what is the purpose of confessing to a priest when we can “come boldly before the thrown of grace?” Isn’t that why the veil was torn, to eliminate that barrier?
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Yes we confess to God as well. Immediately after we realize that we’ve sinned, we should confess directly to God and beg forgiveness.

But you could look at Jn 20:23, 2 Cor 5:17-20, James 5:13-16, Mt 18:18

I’ve read that the veil was torn to represent a more general concept - the ending of the old covenant, and the beginning of the new covenant. With the curtain gone, there is now a new way to heaven.

There are many instances in the Gospels where intercessions take place on behalf of others. The centurion sends a servant to Jesus. Jesus doesn’t say “Hey, you want me to help, come here yourself.” Ditto Jairus.

I need to go now, but I’m sure you’ll get some more help on this. BTW - welcome to the forums!
 
Hi Nyota and welcome to CAF.May I ask what Bible you use and do you have a Catholic Bible?I will try to answer your questions from your Bible.
 
I believe that the dead are alive in the spirit realm, but why do you think they engage in life on earth?
[BIBLEDRB]Ecclesiastes 9:5-6[/BIBLEDRB]

Isn’t the support from believers on earth enough?

Even though the rich man tried to intercede for his brothers, he failed. The verse you quoted seems to show that the dead do not help the living, but rather the living must rely on scripture
 
We know that you cannot enter heaven unless you are perfect. And we know that those on earth are not perfect. So wouldn’t the prayers of those who have already been perfected be more powerful than those of us who continue to sin?

As for confession, Jesus gave the apostles the power to forgive sins (John 20:23). That power has been passed down from the apostles to the Bishops and priests today. Early church writings confirm that this has been a consistent church teaching. Also, confession (also called reconciliation) is a great gift to us. Yes, it’s embarrassing to speak our sins, and it should be. We grow in humility through that experience. Surely that is pleasing to God. And another great thing is to know for certain that our sins are forgiven. That comes from this sacrament.
 
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