To Our Cathilic Friends Out There:?

Question

Do you ever pray directly to God or Jesus, instead of a saint? If the answer is yes, then how do you decide when it is appropriate to do so?

Ok, let me change this: Do you ever pray to God and Jesus without asking for the intercession of a saint, since some people are getting technical about this. Thank you to those who understood what I meant, and didn't make an issue of it.

Pan, a typo. Please excuse.

Answer 1

I was born, and raised a Catholic, yes, we always prayed to saints and never direct to God. We were taught that only the priest prayed direct to God except for the Lord's prayer. The thing was, there was a saint for what ever you needed. Travel saint, saint for hopeless things, saint for lost things etc etc. Then there were prayers that were to the Blessed Mother and she was supposed to have a direct line to God, so we were taught. Until I read the bible myself I only knew what they taught me. And reading the bible myself was against Catholic religion. We were taught only the priests could read and interpret the bible... The Love Letter God wrote to us ALL.... Now I hold the truth.

Answer 2

I'm an Anglican/Episcopalian. Does my practice count?
Well, see if it makes anything clearer to you.

When do I ASK THE INTERCESSION OF A PARTICULAR SAINT ?(if you feel that can only be described as "praying to", then I DO pray to saints)

I believe it is always immediately after I have prayed to God the Most Holy Trinity, or God the Son, Jesus Christ, but probably before I say or think "Amen".

It is always when I feel that there is a particular situation which is relevant to the life of the saint, and it is almost always a saint whose life and writings I know, and whose intercession I have asked in the past.
For instance, St. Anselm before a Philosophy exam (AFTER I had asked for the help and awareness of the Presence of Jesus Christ)
Or St. Joseph when my wife was in labor
Or Bishop Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereshewsky, the saintly Anglican Bishop of Shanghai when I was on my way to spend several years in Taiwan
Or Michael the Archangel when my son, Michael, was having eye surgery.

My prayer is often of the form, "Holy Michael, pray for my son to God the Father"

Never of the form or even of the thought, "Holy Mary, help me because God or your Son doesn't seem to be answering my prayer"

Answer 3

Yes, catholics pray to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Most of the Catholics i know have very deep personal relationships with God, and feel that they can go to Him anytime, with any problem. One big misunderstanding is that non-catholics think that Catholics worship saints and Mary in the same way that God is worshipped. That is not the case. The saints are honored as humans who have successfully run their race and have been granted the Beatific Vision (Heaven). Catholics believe that God allows the saints to intercede on our behalf when we ask (which is what the word pray means...ask). So just as you ask your fellow Christians for their prayers at your local congragation, Catholics also avail themselves to the Christian community of Heaven.

Answer 4

They always pray to God or Jesus. Perhaps you should learn a little more about the Catholic faith, starting with the correct spelling of Catholic.
EDIT- yes, they do that just as other Christians pray to God or Jesus sometimes without asking their friends and church members to pray for them as well. Sorry to assume but "Cathilic" seems to be a common typo in the Protestant Church.

Answer 5

I have always prayed directly to God. I never really understood praying to a saint first. I believe God listens to all of your prayers, so, why no just adress him from the get go?

Answer 6

except for the Hail Mary, I've never prayed "through" anybody. If you have a prayer, send it straight to God or Jesus; you can strive to be like the saints, but it's not necessary to pick the right one for any given prayer to get it through some kind of beurocracy in heaven.

Answer 7

I'm Catholic, and of course I pray directly to God and Jesus. God is the Source of all answers to prayer, and ultimately He is the One Who decides what will happen.

There *are* times when I feel the need to have someone else joining me in prayer, and what could be better than calling in a "spiritual expert" in the specific area of need? That's when I ask one of the saints to add their intercession to mine before the throne of God.

St. Anthony lost a priceless prayer book to a thief, so he understands what it's like when we lose something of importance to us. St. Peregrine suffered from a painful cancer on his leg, and his prayers are powerful for other victims of the disease. And our Blessed Mother was and is a warm, loving Mom who intercedes for her children, the brothers and sisters of her beloved Son, Jesus.

So yes, I pray directly to the Father, and I also ask friends on earth and in Heaven to intercede for me.

Answer 8

Yes, most of the time in fact. The question then becomes when do I feel it is appropriate to ask a saint to intercede for me to God. :-)

Answer 9

This is done at every Mass---The Catholic Faith prays mainly to the Father through his son Jesus of whom we are a member of his body. To be so deceived to think that all Catholics do is pray to Mary and the Saints is just plain culpable ignorance.

Answer 10

I rather humble myself in imitation of our dear Lord Jesus, by going to his mother, or to a saint , of whom God certainly lives, that I may be heard more readily by a God that gives grace to the humble, but rebukes the proud.