No man can come unto the Father except through me. Jesus is the way truth and the light, and the only way to Heaven is Jesus. The saints in Heaven are only saved by the grace of God and becaue God sent his Son to die for them. Jesus is our interceeder and interceeds on our behalf.We do not need anyone alse interceeding for us, if that was the case nobody would go to Heaven as they were not worthy either. Jesus is the only one who is fit to do that, as God listens to his Son and agrees with him on everything as the Father and the Son are one in likness.
2007-06-09 21:00:54 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Not a Christian, but...
God does what he wants, right? Whether you pray or not, God will make his decisions. If you say he'll only act if you pray, then there's no need for other people to pray for you. The words of Mary or the so-called saints don't do a thing. God doesn't work by how many people are praying about something but by the goodness and passion of the first one who is praying.
All the other stuff is nonsense. Read the Bible if you're going to believe in it.
2007-06-09 21:09:16 · answer #1 · answered by Skye 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary is the source of all power and grace, so anything that is accomplished by the people of God is made possible by Jesus and his mediation, alone.
Catholics simply understand much more than the bible reveals, because their source of divine revelation includes the bible, plus the oral teachings of Jesus and the apostles, plus the active influence of God in managing all the affairs of the Church, from the earliest days.
In addition to that, there is solid biblical precedent for personal intercession, throughout the old and new testaments.
Moses and Samuel most certainly and very effectively interceeded with God for the people.
The traditional role of the Queen Mother of the House of David was defined under the reign of King Solomon as one of intercessor for the people.
Jesus is the eternal king of the House of David. Mary is his mother. As Queen Mother of the House of David, her duties are clear ... to interceed with her son, the King, for the needs of the people.
It's the modern day protetsants who don't get it ... even though ALL of the early protestant reformers clearly understood Mary's special and God-ordained role in the Church.
2007-06-10 01:27:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"coming unto the Father" is not intercession, it is mediation. It means that no one can enter the presence of the Father in Heaven unless one is a follower of Jesus Christ.
The wedding feast of Canna is an excellent example of Mary interceeding on behalf of the married couple.
It is true that we do not NEED to ask Mary and the Saints to pray for us, but it is something that people do when they need help. People ask friends and family to pray for them. it is something that God has wired into our psychological make up - the need for community. Catholics consider Mary and the saints as part of that "friends and family"
2007-06-10 01:30:24 · answer #3 · answered by Sldgman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You intercede for someone every time you say a prayer for them. If Jesus meant that nobody can act as an intercessory, then it would be a sin to pray for another human being. We know specifically from the book of revelation that the 24 elders around the throne offered the prayers of the saints up to God. If that's not intercession, then I don't know what is.
2007-06-09 21:05:34 · answer #4 · answered by NONAME 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
the danger of picking one verse or a couple of verses to prove a point can be seen in the 28000 different protestant denominations.
some will say from scripture that jesus isn't divine, using certain quotes. others will say he is just a prophet, some will say we don't need church etc................and countless thousands of others from the same scripture will say something else. when put in context scripture is not opposed to the catholic teaching. do you ask your pastor to pray for you?your family or friends? is that not the same thing, is it not intercession? why ask your pastor, family or friends to pray for you if you need only ask jesus? again all the premises have alot of detail and so if you are intersted try these sites so you understand the catholic position from what catholics actually believe not something that a non catholic person(s) or source has given to you
www.scripturecatholic.com
www.ewtn.com
www.fisheaters.com
www.catholiceducation.org
god bless
2007-06-09 21:16:38 · answer #5 · answered by fenian1916 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Catholicism teaches that Jesus,true God and true Man ,is the one and perfect mediator between God and man. The other members of the Body of Christ join in interceeding through Him alone.
2007-06-12 11:42:38 · answer #6 · answered by James O 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
+ Intercessory Prayer +
Jesus is our one and only mediator. Intercession is different.
"Teach us how to pray," the disciples said to Jesus. (Luke 11, 1)
Jesus answered by teaching them the prayer we call the Our Father or The Lord's Prayer.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give US this day OUR daily bread.
Forgive US OUR trespasses,
as WE forgive those who trespass against US.
And lead US not into temptation,
but deliver US from evil.
In the second part of the Lord's prayer, Jesus teaches us intercessory prayer where we pray for ourselves and others (us, we, and our).
Christians praying for each other and the world is intercessory prayer and is accepted and practiced by all Christan denominations (that I know about).
+ Saints +
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, 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.
+ With love in Christ.
2007-06-10 17:40:39 · answer #7 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
human beings such as you're making it very puzzling for those people who're Catholic Christians to maintain any civility in any respect in direction of our Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ. We answer those comparable questions lower back and lower back lower back, and no one ever bothers to look up our responses, no count what proportion situations that little "we've got here across comparable questions" instant pops up as you're typing the call. the quick answer to your question: we don't pray *to* Mary. We ask her to choose for us, basically as you ask a pal or kinfolk member to choose for you. She's alive in Heaven, alongside with another believer, and he or she will pray for our desires from the point of view of a loving mom. it is not our fault which you don't comprehend the version between a mediator and an intercessor. A mediator settles a dispute between 2 events, basically as Jesus mediated in the dispute between sinful guy and a holy God. An intercessor places in a competent be conscious for somebody else with an expert parent, that's exactly what takes place whilst we ask absolutely everyone, everywhere, at any time to choose for us. ok, there it incredibly is -- the umpteenth time that i've got typed those very comparable words. little question you will provide suitable answer to certainly one of your Catholic-hating cronies and their "Ain't them Catholics undesirable!" settlement with you. i don't assume you to hearken to, much less have self belief what all the Catholics right here would desire to assert while you evaluate that's outwardly previous your ability. And as quickly as lower back, for the period of the flexibility of the Holy Spirit, maximum folk Catholics controlled to be civil and incredibly polite in the face of rampant Protestant conceitedness and lack of awareness. 2 factors for the Catholic team.
2016-11-09 23:48:14 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why do YOU think the saints and mother Mary DON'T intercede for us when the word of God says that they DO?
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/saints.html
2007-06-09 21:17:13 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Hum.........good question ! guess they belive more in mary then GOD or JESUS.....I'am still wondering where the pope came from ! at least mary is in the bible ! is there a book of pope some where !?
2007-06-09 21:08:43 · answer #10 · answered by James k 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋