I do not tell other Christians:
to “be my salvation”
John wrote in his first epistle, “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life–to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.” James, as mentioned in my previous post, wrote, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” God has made it abundantly clear that the members of our spiritual family work with him in our salvation. How can it be wrong to ask them for their assistance in our salvation, then? Certainly you recognize that we Catholics seek God first and foremost for our salvation.
to “Obtain for all men the priceless gift of mutual love”
The Bible teaches that prayer genuinely causes things to happen. James writes, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” When we ask a saint to obtain something, we’re asking him to pray for it, recognizing this fact: that his prayer
genuinely does something.
to “release me from my fears”
to “provide for us in the necessities of life”
As above, and furthermore, what child has not asked his parents or older siblings this very thing? How can it be wrong to ask the our spiritual family to calm our fears or provide some of our needs (through their effective prayer) when it isn’t wrong when we ask our
earthly family for such things?
that “I dedicate myself and all who belong to me to thy service forever”
Paul calls us to serve each other: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Does this somehow preclude our brothers and sisters in heaven?
And let’s not forget how similar this dedication is to any of several civil or military oaths we take in service to our country.
to “Obtain for me the grace to see Christ in all human beings”
Again, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Do you claim that we’re sinning by asking a saint to obtain for us something by prayer?
to “Be for me the ladder and the way to heaven”
If covering our sins and saving our souls from death does not qualify in some way as participation in Christ’s saving work, I don’t know what does.
All you have to do is go to one mass to see that we Catholics clearly do not ignore, reject, or otherwise diminish the work that Christ did on the cross for our salvation. What we do recognize, however, is that He has called us on earth and our family in heaven to work with him and the Holy Spirit in accomplishing the salvation of His people. How then can it be sinful to ask God’s coworkers to work with Him for our salvation?
Jeremy
