What is the tradition for praying to the saints?

  • Thread starter Thread starter q54332
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Q

q54332

Guest
In the last few months, I have really been studying my beliefs about Catholicism and for the most part, I know why we believe the things we do and how to defend it from protestants. One of the first things that I had a question about was, does the bible say you can pray to the saints and y’all helped me out and showed me verses like Rev. 5:8 and 8:3-4 but I still kinda want to know more about this and I still have some hurdles to jump over to fully understand that teaching. So I would like to know what traditional evidence do we have for praying to saints? The closer to Christ the better. Thanks
 
Last edited:
This is a great post, and I imagine and hope it will receive many replies.

Catholics hold in the communion of saints, the fellowship of the faithful on earth, the blessed in heaven and the souls in purgatory. They are part of the one assembly and the blessed in heaven can intercede for the other groups,

The custom of praying to saints began in the early church where those on earth would pray to martyrs who were close to God in heaven.

My views may be incorrect, but if so I think other posters will correct them.

I wish you God’s blessing in your search for Christ.
 
I don’t have much expertise to add here, but one early saint who was very popular just after his death was St. Polycarp. He was a disciple of St. John and a Roman martyr. His death was recorded by eyewitnesses in a document I recommend reading called The Martyrdom of Polycarp. No guarantees but you may find tidbit of what you’re looking for in that document.
 
One of the protestant attacks against the communion of the saints is that they are dead and you can’t pray to dead people. But when the Sad’ducees tried to trick Jesus about life after death Jesus answered…
Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.”
Mark 12:24 - 27
Click to expand...
When Jesus says God is God of the living He was referring to people who had passed away long before.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top