Do any pray to Father God through Jesus Christ, in spirit & truth?
Jesus shed His blood for our sins. It is written that we can come boldly before the Throne of Grace in time of need. Because His blood cleanses us from all sin. We are made the righteousness of Christ.
2007-07-20 15:40:32 · 14 answers · asked by t_a_m_i_l 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Grannyof5, Maybe I am not getting a complete answer. I get different answers & trying to make the question more specific. Why do you have a problem with this? I beleive some Catholics are born again Christian, because they teach salvation by the cross. But, I have a problem with praying to Mary, for her to pray to Jesus for me. But, if Jesus introduced Mary to me, then I would feel honored. I believe the bible tells us to pray to Father God or Jesus, through Jesus in Spirit & Truth.
2007-07-20 16:04:24 · update #1
All Catholics pray to God the Father through Jesus Christ, God the Son. 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.
The entire second part of the Lord's prayer is 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).
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.
And prayer to the saints is optional not required.
For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 946 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946
With love in Christ.
2007-07-20 18:16:32 · answer #1 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes! Catholics believed that Jesus Christ is our only intercessor to the Father! We also believed in the communion of saints! We can asked the saints to pray/intercede for us, just like how you asked a friend to pray/intercede for you! Remember the wedding at Cana? Jesus said my time have not come but He still performed the miracle of the wine! Why? He can not refused a request from His beloved mother!
2007-07-20 16:34:26 · answer #2 · answered by Sniper 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I posted an article in my 360, and it brought forth some good comment, and light debate. I personally believe that there are some in all denominations and religions, that will be with Jesus. That's up to Him. I do know that He determines a LOT when He looks at the heart of man...
Just like a Baptist, or Pentecostal, or those in between, there are phonies, and deceived, that profess the Lord.
When the veil was RENT, we have direct access to God, and need NO man, to be the in-be-tween. That is the job of JESUS !!! Halleluiah !!!
2007-07-21 06:49:07 · answer #3 · answered by Israel-1 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If are referring to Catholic priests being intercessor then rest assure that confession is nothing like what all the non-catholics claim it to be, they teach prayer to God through Jesus and believe they are one and the same but Jesus was the human element which I guess is more identifiable with people.
2007-07-20 15:54:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Haven't you asked this question before? If memory serves, you received many truthful answers from Catholics -- stating that yes, we do. There is nothing you have said above that we do not agree with. But I'm willing to bet (and I'm not a gambling person) that you will award "best answer" to a blunt "no, they don't", with or without "they pray to Mary and the saints". There must be a point to doing this, but it certainly escapes me.
[edit] Tamil, if you wish, you are welcome to e-mail me with your concerns and I will do my best to help you understand where we're coming from -- without rancor and as a sister in Christ. It did seem that you were being repetitious, because you have received excellent answers to this before. But if there's still something missing for you when all answers are in, the offer is there.
2007-07-20 15:57:04 · answer #5 · answered by Clare † 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Catholics are required to attend Mass every Sunday, where Jesus becomes present for us on the altar, he accepts all of our prayers and petitions and presents them to God the Father for us, then he makes himself available for us to personally receive, along with all that we have requested from him.
At Mass, we Catholics LITERALLY come boldly before the throne of the resurrected Christ. We LITERALLY eat his flesh and we LITERALLY drink his blood. Jesus PERSONALLY cleanses us from sin, and he personally graces our soul.
It doesn't get any better than that, this side of heaven.
If this doesn't prove that Catholics believe Jesus is the one mediator between God and man, our heavenly high priest, our advocate, our king, our brother, and our God, than there's no other way I can explain it to you.
2007-07-20 18:17:00 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What is means is that Jesus is the only direct link to God but Mary, Saints, ect when you pray to them it's for intercession with Jesus and Jesus passes it on to God. Abraham is our father in faith and we believe he is that father of the people of Israel through his son Isaac and a Patron Saint as well. Intercessor is the middle link between two people or things like if you pray to Mary she passes it on to Jesus....I'm pretty sure that's the gist of it all
2016-05-18 23:37:39 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is totally what Catholicism teaches is through Jesus we receive everything. Through him we live , we breath, we move, we have our being.
People need to remember that The Blessed Virgin Mary is a member of the Body of Christ too as she was saved by his merits obtained by his crucifixion and death on the cross but, they were applied to her at her conception.
2007-07-20 15:47:52 · answer #8 · answered by Midge 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, of course. It is Church teaching.
"Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners. He is 'able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.' The Holy Spirit 'himself intercedes for us...and intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.'" -- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2634
http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p4s1c1a3.htm
2007-07-20 15:50:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Yes we do.
We pray to Jesus directly.
We also, at times, ask his mother to pray for us.
We believe without question that his blood is our salvation.
I am a convert to Catholicism. I was raised Methodist.
2007-07-20 15:45:56 · answer #10 · answered by Misty 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋