Catholics pray to the Mary and the Saints for intervention. Why is it that saints receive prayers?

Question

Just curious about prayers to other entities than God almighty. Is he so busy that he can't answer or intercept all the prayers at once, so Mary and the Saints are busy on the receiving end and then put post it notes up for the almighty to see what he's missed?

I know that people do it, but the original question is:

"Why is it that saints receive prayers"

information_police partially answered it, come on you Catholics out there, this is a sincere question.

Okay Father K, it is admirable that you pulled up all those verses, which I did take time to read all of them, and in most I see it says to honor the entities I have asked about, but in none of those verses do I find anything closely instructing me to pray to them.

Answer 1

I haven't seen it put quite this way before (visions of heavenly Post-It Notes all over the place is kind of amusing) but ... that's not quite what's going on.

In the first place, the term is intercession, not intervention. Intercessory prayer is, quite simply, praying for someone else. We've all done this -- whether someone specifically asks us "please pray for me" or not. We ask the saints who are in heaven to pray for us, not because they've been delegated the responsibility to take messages, but to add their prayer to ours (as we do here when we "agree in prayer") with all prayer addressed to the Father through Christ.

It's not a chain-of-command thing, in other words, with my prayer carried through a succession of saintly interoffice memos and then laid by them at the foot of the throne (or God's "In" box). I have a direct line, as do all believers. But we also have the privilege of praying for others, and so do the saints.

Answer 2

Praying to saints is just asking for their prayers. We also pray directly to God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. But we ask those who are holy to also add their prayers to ours.

They are not dead as many fundamentalists claim. How can anyone who believes in Christ and the resurrection believe that the Mother of Christ and those who died for him would be dead and not risen with him?

Because we know they are alive and in heaven, we know they can hear our prayers and we know they can pray for us. In fact, as Father K pointed out, there is much in the Bible to let us know the saints are doing just that.

Just because the Bible doesn't say "pray to the saints" doesn't mean it's not implied or that it's wrong.

Here is a very good explanation: http://www.catholic.com/library/Praying_to_the_Saints.asp

Answer 3

I believe that everyone who has been saved is the family of God and that He delights in the Saints interceding for us on earth,it is just like God to be so generous and involve all members of His children in this.

Answer 4

In revelations it talks about the saints praying with inscence before the throne of God. Who are they praying for? Themselves ? of corse not they are already in heaven, they are praying and interseeding for us. Just as catholics beleive, and just as the bible says so.

Answer 5

Catholics believe that a saint is the soul of a dead person who is confirmed to reside in heaven. Being in heaven, they have the power to intercede with events on Earth. I guess they have God's ear or something. Someone is declared to be a Saint in heaven if there is evidence of their performing two miracles after they die. If they can perform miracles, then, obviously they can do it again if asked.

I don't believe this stuff but I was raised as a Catholic.

EDIT: God's getting on in years and sometimes he needs a nudge.

Answer 6

Jesus Christ said: “You should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, . . . ’” So prayers are to be addressed to the Father.

Jesus also said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.” (Matt. 6:9; John 14:6, 14, JB) Thus Jesus ruled out the idea that anyone else could fill the role of intercessor. The apostle Paul added regarding Christ: “He not only died for us—he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.” “He is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.” (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25, JB)

If we truly want our prayers to be heard by God, would it not be wise to approach God in the way that his Word directs?

Eph. 6:18, 19, JB: “Never get tired of staying awake to pray FOR all the saints; and pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and speak without fear and give out the mystery of the gospel.” (Here encouragement is given to pray for the saints but not to them or through them. The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol. XI, p. 670, acknowledges: “Usually in the N[ew] T[estament], all prayer, private as well as public liturgical prayer, is addressed to God the Father through Christ.”)

Rom. 15:30, JB: “I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of the Spirit, to help me through my dangers by praying to God for me.” (The apostle Paul, himself a saint, asked fellow Christians who were also saints to pray for him. But notice that Paul did not address his prayers to those fellow saints, nor did their prayers on his behalf replace the personal intimacy that Paul himself enjoyed with the Father by means of prayer. Compare Ephesians 3:11, 12, 14.)

Answer 7

What saith the Holy Scripture?

Matt. 18:10 - the angels in heaven always behold the face of God. We venerate them for their great dignity and union with God.

Matt. 15:4; Luke 18:20; Eph. 6:2-3 Exodus 20:12; Lev. 19:3; Deut. 5:16 - we are instructed to honor our father and mother.

Luke 1:28 - the angel Gabriel venerates Mary by declaring to her "Hail, full of grace." The heavenly angel honors the human Mary, for her perfection of grace exceeds that of the angels.

Romans 13:7 - we are to give honor where honor is due. When we honor God's children, we honor God Himself, for He is the source of all honor.

1 Cor. 4:16 - the most important form of veneration of the saints is "imitating" the saints, as Paul commands us to do.

1 Cor. 11:1 - again, Paul says, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." The ultimate objective of veneration is imitation.

Phil. 2:25-29 - Paul teaches us to honor Epaprhoditus who almost died for the faith. How much more honor is owed to the saints that did die for the faith!

Phil. 3:17 - Paul says to imitate him and others, which is the goal of veneration. Veneration is not worship.

1 Thess. 1:6 – Paul says to the Thessalonians, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord.” This is the goal of veneration.

2 Thess. 3:7 - Paul says that the Thessalonians should imitate him and the other bishops.

Hebrews 3:3 - Jesus is worthy of "more" glory and honor than Moses. This does not mean that the saints are worthy of no glory and honor. Instead, it proves that saintly people are worthy of glory and honor out of God's goodness.

Heb. 6:12 – the author teaches us to be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Heb. 13:7 - we must imitate the faith of our faithful leaders. We ask for their intercession and venerate them for their holiness.

James 5:10-11 – James teaches us to take heart in the examples of the prophets and Job, who endured suffering.

1 Peter 2:17 - Peter teaches us to honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor. Don't those living with Christ in heaven deserve honor? Catholics believe they do, and honor them with special feast days, just as we honor those living by celebrating their birthdays.

Gen. 19:1 - Lot venerates the two angels in Sodom, bowing himself with his face to the ground.

Gen. 42:6 - Joseph's brothers bow before Joseph with the face to the ground. This is veneration, not worship.

Exodus 28:2 - it is especially important to honor religious leaders. Sacred garments for Aaron give him dignity and honor.

Lev. 19:32- we should also honor "the face of an old man." When the elderly die in Christ, we should continue honoring them, because death does not separate them from us or the love of Christ.

1 Sam. 28:14 - Saul bows down before Samuel with his face to the ground in veneration.

2 Chron. 32:33 - Hezekiah was honored at his death. We honor our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Sir. 44:1-2 - we should praise and give honor to those who the Lord apportioned great glory. It is our family in Christ.

Answer 8

Mary and the "saints" can't hear anyone "praying" to them. Anyway the Bible says that all believers are saints, including ones alive today.

Catholics are not saved and are not Christians. Catholics believe a false gospel of works that leads to eternal hell.

Bible teachers that said that the Vatican and the catholic cult are an antichrist: John Bunyan, John Huss, John Wycliffe, John Calvin, William Tyndale, John Knox, Thomas Bacon, John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Samuel Cooper, John Cotton, and Jonathan Edwards

Answer 9

I want to commend 'Born again Catholic", "Fidelis", and 'Maria" for giving excellent answers. I could not have said it better.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 10

NOWHERE in the Bible are we told to pray to Mary and/or whomever the catholic church deems to be saints.

"Since God is holy and we are sinners, it is impossible to approach Him alone. We need a mediator to cleanse us from sin and present us to God. The mediator is Jesus Christ: 'For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all' (1 Timothy 2:5). He only is the mediator because He alone shed his blood to secure the freedom of his people from the slavery of sin.
Sadly, tradition has obscured the clear teaching of the Bible. Unwilling to trust the Word of God, people have invented other 'mediators'."