Saint's prayers for us

[rcuk]

Dear all;

I have a question about the prayers of saints.

I understand this doctrine, where it is found biblically, and I practise it.

However, I’m curious about whether there is any teaching on ‘how’ the saints pray for us.

So they don’t get up, have breakfast, a coffee, and sit down and see what prayers have been said…likewise they don’t get tired …

Do they exist in heaven as a sort of ‘medium’ - i.e. the prayers flow through them to the father?
I can understand how, as God, the Father always hears each prayer from each person, billions of prayers per day. But I’m not sure how this applies to the saints?

 

[DavidFilmer]

Well, I could offer you the usual (and correct) response - that Saints in heaven are not constrained by time (so there is no such thing as “per day” because there are no days), and thus they each have all of eternity to respond to every prayer.

But another Forum member recently posted another perspective. Most Christians have no problem with the idea that the devil can meddle in many lives “at once.” Like the Saints, the devil is a created being. So, if the devil is beyond the constraints of linear time, why would we suppose the Saints are not? Are devils greater than Saints?

 

[rcuk]

Hi David,

Very good response. I had thought about the latter, re. the devil, a week or two ago, so this just came fresh into my mind…thank you!

I don’t know about others but I often find myself asking the same questions having previously found the answer. I guess that’s part of being human and trying to understand the divine!

As an aside…

As Jesus is present in the tabernacle, in every church, and yet was taken into heaven body and soul, is there a church teaching on ‘how’ Jesus is present? It would be easier to understand the holy spirit being present, since this is the spirit of God sent to be with all his followers. Or are we simply to approach this that Jesus IS God, so can do whatever he wishes?

 

[DavidFilmer]

As Jesus is present in the tabernacle, in every church, and yet was taken into heaven body and soul, is there a church teaching on ‘how’ Jesus is present?

Well, this is really a question that is no different from this: How is Jesus present in each Host at a single Mass? At a large Mass, there might be hundreds or thousands of Hosts. There’s really no difference in Jesus being present in a thousand Hosts in a single Mass compared to Jesus being present in just one Host reserved in the Tabernacles of a thousand parishes.

Or, to consider the question: how many Hosts have EVER been consecrated? (or, a more statistically accurate question: how many times has a Host been consumed?) The answer just goes up and up and up. The Body of Our Lord can be consecrated from ordinary bread (even grocery-store bread, in a pinch). And there’s NO LIMIT. A single workaday parish priest could consecrate a cubic mile of bread (or a planet made of bread).

Or are we simply to approach this that Jesus IS God, so can do whatever he wishes?

Jesus can do anything he wishes, but he wishes to make himself present, in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity to all the Faithful scattered around the earth, to feed and nourish our spirit.