whats the need for all the saints and mary? You can pray directly to God.
2007-05-13 14:30:49 · 11 answers · asked by The Angry Stick Man 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Good question, I was raised Catholic, and I've been wondering this for the last 10 years.
2007-05-13 14:33:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 7⤋
We pray God through Jesus. Mary has always been an important figure for Catholic she was favored by God's grace, She was granted the highest honor, to be the mother of our Savior. We believe God will answer us through her prayers in our favor because she is above all the Saints and the angels.
We don`t pray the Saints, we ask them to intervene in our favor before God. When our prayer is answered it is God who gave us mercy through the Saint.
2007-05-13 22:08:14 · answer #2 · answered by Jane Marple 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Do you ever ask your family or friends to pray for you?
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, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.
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.
2007-05-13 22:07:00 · answer #3 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Well, if i were a Catholic (metaphysicist), i would pray to someone other than God because i would know that they indeed possess powers in their own right, and because they would be far more specialized, i would be more likely to get what i want (as in instead of what God would know i need and not really want all that much at the moment).
Or something.
Irina
2007-05-13 21:45:53 · answer #4 · answered by Irina Alisa Bee 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
we ask Mary and the saints to pray for us, just like when we ask other people to pray for us.
"Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things." Hebrews 13:18
2007-05-13 21:34:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 9⤊ 1⤋
i keep seeing that non-answer, "we don't pray to the saints and/of mary, we just ask them to pray for us...it's the same as asking other people to pray for you"...that's not even remotely the same thing...how in the world do you ask dead people to pray for you? how, exactly, do you communicate with them, except by PRAYING to them???
2007-05-13 21:44:47 · answer #6 · answered by spike missing debra m 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You never entreat, implore, or make requests of anyone but God? You must be an obnoxious beast, always demanding, never asking...
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/pray
2007-05-13 21:37:37 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Why do you ask others to pray for you? Asking the saints for their intercession is the exact same thing. The reason you would give is the exact same reason we give for this.
2007-05-13 21:34:21 · answer #8 · answered by Innokent 4 · 6⤊ 2⤋
You might think you're praying directly to god, but it does not exist.
Get real.
2007-05-13 21:33:52 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 7⤋
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus
†
2007-05-13 21:34:10 · answer #10 · answered by Jeanmarie 7 · 1⤊ 5⤋