Why do Catholics pray to the "Communion of Saints"? Isn't it better to pray directly to God through Jesus?

Answer 1

Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.

Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.

However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.

Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) living on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) living in heaven. We are still one Body.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends living here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother living in heaven to pray for you.

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

You are correct in your thinking of how prayer is heard.Catholics pray to these "saints" because their tradition is to believe that past "holy saints" can help them in their need. This, according to the Bible, is unfounded. It says that only prayers directed to Jehovah, through his son Jesus, will be heard. Jesus himself said that repetitious prayers are not to be said. Your prayers should come from the heart.(Matthew 6:7,8) Sadly, traditions of Catholicism have made the followers believe that if they pay money to light a candle, or pay for a mass on "certain patron " saint days, then they will get a hearing from that "saint". The Bible is very clear that the dead are conscience of nothing. So, these individuals are dead. They can't hear their prayers nor intercede to the Almighty himself for any requests these poor mislead Catholics think they are paying for.

Answer 3

Yes absolutely. See Luke 11: 1-4 and also Matt 6: 9-13.
See how Jesus advised us to pray. You should pray to God and not to any dead humans.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the dead are dead and cannot help us here on earth (Ecclesiastes 9: 5,6).
Pray to God alone who is alive. He hears, answers and loves you.

Answer 4

You are correct in your comment of God through Jesus.

Catholics believe it is a help to pray to the Saints and have them help pray to God for them.

When Jesus died on the cross, He set Himself up as the entity to pray in His name.

The Bible says in John 16:23,

23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville

That means we pray straight to the Father in Jesus's name and we will have what we ask for, either in this life or the next.

God Bless You :)

Answer 5

human beings such as you're making it very confusing for those people who're Catholic Christians to maintain any civility in any respect in the direction of our Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ. We answer those comparable questions back and back back, and no one ever bothers to look up our responses, no count how many situations that little "we've discovered comparable questions" instantaneous pops up as you're typing the call. the quick answer on your question: we don't pray *to* Mary. We ask her to desire for us, purely as you ask a buddy or kin member to desire for you. She's alive in Heaven, alongside with another believer, and she or he would be ready to desire for our needs from the attitude of a loving mom. it fairly is not our fault which you don't comprehend the adaptation between a mediator and an intercessor. A mediator settles a dispute between 2 events, purely as Jesus mediated interior the dispute between sinful guy and a holy God. An intercessor places in a stable be conscious for somebody else with an expert determine, that's exactly what occurs as quickly as we ask all people, everywhere, at any time to desire for us. ok, there it is -- the umpteenth time that i've got typed those very comparable words. little doubt you will supply ideal answer to considered one of your Catholic-hating cronies and their "Ain't them Catholics horrific!" settlement with you. i don't assume you to hearken to, much less have confidence what all the Catholics right here could say while you evaluate that's outwardly previous your means. And as quickly as back, interior the direction of the flexibility of the Holy Spirit, maximum folk Catholics controlled to be civil and actually well mannered interior the face of rampant Protestant conceitedness and lack of expertise. 2 factors for the Catholic group.

Answer 6

They think that the saints passed on can somehow mystically hear them, and they do have a bit of backup, to be honest i've saw an ECF that seems to support this, but i've only just started looking into the ECF's, and some people say that overall it is not supported.

Answer 7

We don't pray to the Communion of Saints. We ask the saints to pray for us. There is a difference.

It's the same as you asking someone here on earth to pray for you. It doesn't mean you're praying TO that someone.

.

Answer 8

We are One Family in Christ in Heaven and on Earth

Eph. 3:14-15- we are all one family ("Catholic") in heaven and on earth, united together, as children of the Father, through Jesus Christ. Our brothers and sisters who have gone to heaven before us are not a different family. We are one and the same family. This is why, in the Apostles Creed, we profess a belief in the "communion of saints." There cannot be a "communion" if there is no union. Loving beings, whether on earth or in heaven, are concerned for other beings, and this concern is reflected spiritually through prayers for one another.

Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23-32; Col. 1:18,24 - this family is in Jesus Christ, the head of the body, which is the Church.

1 Cor. 12:12,27; Rom. 12:5; Col. 3:15; Eph. 4:4 - we are the members of the one body of Christ, supernaturally linked together by our partaking of the Eucharist.

Rom. 8:35-39 - therefore, death does not separate the family of God and the love of Christ. We are still united with each other, even beyond death.

Matt. 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30 - Jesus converses with "deceased" Moses and Elijah. They are more alive than the saints on earth.

Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38 - God is the God of the living not the dead. The living on earth and in heaven are one family.

Luke 15:7,10 – if the angels and saints experience joy in heaven over our repentance, then they are still connected to us and are aware of our behavior.

John 15:1-6 - Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. The good branches are not cut off at death. They are alive in heaven.

1 Cor. 4:9 – because we can become a spectacle not only to men, but to angels as well, this indicates that angels are aware of our earthly activity. Those in heaven are connected to those on earth.

1 Cor. 12:26 - when one member suffers, all suffer. When one is honored, all rejoice. We are in this together as one family.

1 Cor 13:12; 1 John 3:2 - now we see in a mirror dimly, but in heaven we see face to face. The saints are more alive than we are!

Heb. 12:1 - we are surrounded by a great glory cloud (shekinah) of witnesses, our family in heaven. We are not separated. The “cloud of witnesses” (nephos marturon) refers to a great amphitheatre with the arena for the runners (us on earth), and many tiers of seats occupied by the saints (in heaven) rising up like a cloud. The “martures” are not mere spectators (“theatai”), but testifiers (witnesses) who testify from their own experience to God’s promises and cheer us on in our race to heaven. They are no less than our family in heaven.

1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 20:6 - we are a royal family of priests by virtue of baptism. We as priests intercede on behalf of each other.

2 Peter 1:4 - since God is the eternal family and we are His children, we are partakers of His divine nature as a united family.

1 Cor. 1:2; Rom. 1:7 - we are called to be saints. Saints refer to both those on earth and in heaven who are in Christ. Proof:

Acts 9:13,32,41; 26:10; 1 Cor. 6:1-2; 14:33; 2 Cor. 1:1; 8:4; 9:1-2; 13:13; Rom. 8:27; 12:23; 15:25,26, 31; 16:2,15; Eph. 1:1,15,18; 3:8; 5:3; 6:18; Phil. 1:1; 4:22; Col 1:2,4,26; 1 Tm 5:10; Philemon 1:5,7; Heb. 6:10; 13:24; Jude 1:3; Rev. 11:18; 13:7; 14:12; 16:6; 17:6;18:20,24; Rev 19:8; 20:9 - in these verses, we see that Christians still living on earth are called "saints."

Matt. 27:52; Eph. 2:19; 3:18; Col. 1:12; 2 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 5:8; 8:3-4; 11:18; 13:10 - in these verses, we also see that "saints" also refer to those in heaven who united with us.

Dan. 4:13,23; 8:23 – we also see that the angels in heaven are also called “saints.” The same Hebrew word “qaddiysh” (holy one) is applied to both humans and angels in heaven. Hence, there are angel saints in heaven and human saints in heaven and on earth. Loving beings (whether angels or saints) are concerned for other beings, and prayer is the spiritual way of expressing that love.

Answer 9

Catholics are following a false doctrine. It is a cult.
http://contenderministries.org/

Answer 10

I don't know why, but it is defintely better to pray to Jesus. He won't bite ya!