Catholics, please explain to me where in the bible says that you should pray to saints?

Answer 1

It doesn't. True Christians don't pray to the saints for ANY reason. Jesus said our prayers should be directed to his Father through him. No exceptions! Matt. 6:9.

Max Mari said: "So if our petition is to our spiritual growth and the saints concur, they can intercede for us."

This is so wrong. We only have one person who intercedes for us. That is Jesus Christ. "No one comes to the Father except through me," Jesus said.

Answer 2

Catholics and Protestants have the same Bible and the only of exceptions are books that men wrote, books that were not inspired by God (Catholic Bible). If they are not from god then they are not true. Jesus said that he was the only way of getting to the Father, so "saints" have no power. It is true that our friends pray for us, but guess who answers our prayers, "not saints'. All the power comes from God, so I would not be waisting my time! :)

Answer 3

1 Tim 2:1-2 - because Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), many Protestants deny the Catholic belief that the saints on earth and in heaven can mediate on our behalf. But before Paul's teaching about Jesus as the "one mediator," Paul urges supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. Paul is thus appealing for mediation from others besides Christ, the one mediator. Why?

Don't forget in the book of Revelations, there was a passage about people lighting candles for saints so "their prayers can be carried to God".

Answer 4

We don't just pray to saints, we also pray to Mary, Joseph ,etc. We have a religious holiday called all saints day...that is celebrated in the church. I think that the belief that you must only pray to Jesus to enter into heaven is BS!!! Catholics don't believe in that.

Answer 5

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.

And prayer to the saints is optional not required.

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

We pray to saints to ask them to pray for us. It's called interceding. Also, we follow more than just what the Bible says. I'm assuming you believe in what we call "Sola Scriptura." That means you believe in what the Bible says and nothing else. We believe in the Bible and in oral tradition. The oral tradition explains the saints' intercessions.

Answer 7

All those believers who are alive or who ever lived are members of the Communion of saints. Jesus Himself said that everyone is alive in God:

Luke 20:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

Because we are all members of the Communion of saints, we're expected to pray for one another:

1Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

-- and --

1Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Since the saints are alive to God and still very much members of the Body of Christ, we can ask them to pray for us, just as we would ask anyone else here on earth for their prayers.

The saints lived holy lives, they love God, and they will pray for those who ask them to intercede before the Father.

Answer 8

Let's first address the premises. Those who are part of the Body of Christ cannot be separated from His Body through death. We are all One Body in Christ. All who are alive in Christ, whether here on earth or in Heaven, have the awesome duty to pray to God. When we are in need, we do not hesitate to ask others to pray (intercede) for us, such as our friends in our church. Same goes for asking the Saints to intercede for us.

'Have you never read in the book of Moses how God spoke to him at the burning bush, and said, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' Yet it is of living men, not dead men, that He is God" (Mark 12:26-27)

One can argue that the saints in Heaven are really more alive than we here, being that they are in the arms of God Almighty!

Answer 9

Good Question.........it doesn't!
As a matter of fact, the ten commandents tell us that
thou shalt have no other god before me. I think that praying to a Saint is like praying to an Idol. Although the Catholics feel otherwise, they claim you are praying to them so that they can intervene for you.............that just doesn't agree with scripture.
It's good that when you have a question or a doubt about something you check scripture to see what it says. If it's not in the Bible, then it just aint true! :-)

Blessings!

Answer 10

When Catholics pray to Saints, they are only asking them to pray for them. Even the immediate context of 1 Timothy 2 shows the need for Christians to pray for others, exactly as Catholicism teaches. Let us look at the immediately preceding verses of 1 Tim. 2:

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men,
2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way.
3This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

So in the immediate context Paul urges people to pray for others. It is good and pleasing to God that people intercede on the behalf of others. So obviously this text does not mean people should not be able to intercede for others. When we pray to Saints, we are only asking them to pray for us

Answer 11

It doesn't.

We don't pray to saints. They are not gods who create.

They are people who died and are in heaven. So we ask them to go to God with our petitions.

The bible does say where two of you agree, it shall be granted.

So if our petition is to our spiritual growth and the saints concur, they can intercede for us.

Just like when you ask friends to pray for you. But these are friends already in heaven. Closer to God.

I find many Protestants who object to the Communion of Saints do say they ask dead relatives to go to God on their behalf. So therein lies our similarity.