Silly question about the saints and angels

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Asbestos_Mango

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Can the saints and angels hear mental prayers that are addressed to them?

I’ve been wondering about this the past few days.

I figure, we know that Satan and his minions can’t read our minds, so I’m guessing that if that’s true, the angels probably can’t either, and neither can the saints.

So, if they can’t read my mind, and I want to pray silently to St. Michael, the Blessed Mother or my Guardian Angel, can they hear the prayers? Do they go through like a private message in a chat room, or what?
 
Satan and the demons do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them as do the saints. And the holy angels certainly know what God allows them to know/hear, and that definitely includes our mental prayers. 👍
 
I’ve actually heard this question posed on Catholic Answers before and while I’m sure I won’t explain it as well as Karl, Jimmy, or Tim can; I’ll give it my best shot!

Even though the angels and saints cannot “hear” our thoughts by their own power, God sees to it that whenever we direct prayers or requests to them that they are privy to the information…now how he does that, I don’t think anyone knows! 🙂
 
I figure, we know that Satan and his minions can’t read our minds, so I’m guessing that if that’s true, the angels probably can’t either, and neither can the saints.
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Who says?

Angels are, in fact, telepathic. This is an inherent power of all angels, and was not lost in the fall–neither was their power over matter. Something in hell (possibly pure-formal fire) limits the power of the demons, but as far as they are free to act at all, they retain their telepathy. Of course, they don’t know your inmost heart, but neither do you. Only God knows it, and sometimes grants His angels bits of that knowledge.

My guess would be that all spirits can hear what Buddhists call “Discursive thought,” the thoughts that are actually words (“Gee, I wonder if I should do this?”) but possibly not deeper-down things.

Anyone who thinks demons can’t read your mind should go to an exorcism sometime, without first going to Confession. Remember those secrets you thought you had?
 
Hastrman said:
Who says?

Angels are, in fact, telepathic. This is an inherent power of all angels, and was not lost in the fall–neither was their power over matter.
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As you say, who says?

Can you site an authortative Catholic document on this please?
 
Asbestos_Mango said:
Can the saints and angels hear mental prayers that are addressed to them?
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Someone besides God seems to receive prayers in Heaven …

“And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints…”
Apocalypse 5:8
​
 
Thomas Aquinas.
Summa Theologiae. Heard of it, perhaps? Also Mortimer Adler, “The Angels and Us,” and Peter J. Kreeft, “Angels (and Demons)”. The latter not to be confused with the execrable Dan Brown sub-potboiler.

Technically speaking, angels don’t exactly read minds, and aren’t exactly telepathic. Angels don’t learn, they simply intuit. By knowing themselves, they know everything else, and God can also tell them things they cannot know in this way. The higher up the angel is, the more things it can know simply by knowing itself. The Devil, the highest angel, knows everything not known only by God Himself.

Granted, accepting Aquinas’ interpretation is not necessary to remain in union with the Church. But if it was, I would feel dirty, having made an argument ab auctoritate. I sometimes wonder if the Dominicans haven’t kept the Church from formally defining Aquinas’ ideas as doctrine, just so they can keep arguing them.
 
Asbestos_Mango said:
I figure, we know that Satan and his minions can’t read our minds, so I’m guessing that if that’s true, the angels probably can’t either, and neither can the saints.
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It would be only true if you say the other way around.
If Angels and saints can’t hear your prayers, then Satan can’t hear yours either.

Yes, Angels and Saints can hear your prayers as others say.
 
Asbestos_Mango said:
I figure, we know that Satan and his minions can’t read our minds, so I’m guessing that if that’s true, the angels probably can’t either, and neither can the saints.
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It would be only true if you say the other way around.
If Angels and saints can’t hear your prayers, then Satan can’t hear yours either.

Yes, Angels and Saints can hear your mental prayers as others say.

If you think you have to speak to let angels and saints to hear, then perhaps, you will need a giant microphone and speaker. 🙂
 
water said:
Yes, Angels and Saints can hear your mental prayers as others say.

If you think you have to speak to let angels and saints to hear, then perhaps, you will need a giant microphone and speaker. 🙂
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How 'bout if I just stand on the roof and yell my prayers really loud?
 
Asbestos_Mango said:
How 'bout if I just stand on the roof and yell my prayers really loud?
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Sounds great, if you don’t mind being hauled away by the folks in the white jackets.

An item of interst, in reading about St Gerald Majella. He could read the mind of his superiors from miles away. He was once summoned by his superior, and promptly showed up. The superior was showing a bishop just how obedient the saint could be.
 
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