Why do Catholics asks saints to intercede?

Hello there, your question is very good. I will try and explain. Since we are all part of the body of Christ, the communion of Saints which is mentioned in the 'Creed' refers to the unity among all believers both living and dead who are committed followers of Christ. We are all part of God's family also called the Mystical Body of Christ. Just like with other believers here on earth who we may ask for help or prayers from the Saints in Heaven also. The Saints in Heaven are very much alive and with God. They are free from sin and care about us here on earth. We know that since the Saints and Angels are closer to God they can place our prayers at the Lords feet interceding for us before the throne of God if they are petitioned in prayer. (Tobias 12:12, Rev 5:8, Rev 8: 3-4). All the the Martyrs who died for the faith and are Saints also are aware of things here on earth. (Rev 6:9-11). Think of it like asking a good and faithful friend to pray for your needs also. A good way to learn about and understand the spirituality of the Saints is to read up on them. We can learn a lot about improving our faith and loving Jesus more by following their example. There are thousands of Saints who's lives and love of Christ is very inspiring. Some interesting Saints to read up about include, St Gemma Galgani, Sr. Faustina, St. Padro Pio, St Damien of Molokai, The Cure of Ars, St Philomena, St Don Bosco The list is endless but you may find it very helpful and beneficial. The Catecism of the Catholic Church also provides a very good explanation of all such questions. A thinner more concise version may be bought and for young people another version simplified and straightforward called Youthcat. God Bless

Let's put it this way. Have you ever gone to a grandparent or aunt or uncle to talk to your parents on your behalf for something you really wanted? Especially when that someone was close to your parents or ? Even the head waiter asked MARY to talk to Jesus to help when he ran out of wine. THAT is Biblical.

I was a Protestant for 50 years before becoming a Catholic. As a Protestant we of the Church prayed for one another. I am not familiar with Protestant sects that forbid the praying for one another or having prayer partners. The Church is made up of the Church Militant which are the saints here on earth. The Church Suffering which are those of the Church preparing for Heaven and the Church Triumphant which are the saints of the Church who have the beatific vision. Jesus' greatest Commandment was for us to love one another and we exhibit our obedience to Christ and His command by praying for one another.

"James 5:16
Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

I hope this helps.

If you have further questions please email me or go to my blog, both of which can be accessed from my profile.

God bless!

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

If you had a problem, I am sure you would pray about it, but I expect you would ask other members of your church to pray for you as well. And you would probably expect the people who are holier and closer to God to pray more effectively than those who were lukewarm in their faith. Catholics think in the same way - its just that we have a wider understanding of who is in the church.

From a Catholic point of view, the church is not just the believers who are alive today. Instead, the church consists of all who belong to Christ, whether in this life or in the next. All are a part of Christ's body (1 Cor 12), which cannot broken by death. So the saints are able to pray for us, and we are able to honour and respect the saints for the good that God has worked in them.

It is written in the letter of St James that the prayer of a righteous man has great power (Jas 5:16), and the saints in heaven are surely the most righteous of men and women. They have been made perfect by God, because if they were not perfect they would be unable to be in heaven at all. And they are no longer restricted by human frailty, but are able to present their prayers continually and directly to the throne of God.

Finally, it is a little recognised fact that the Bible contians hints about prayer to 'saints' being a part of Jewish practice. There is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, where the rich man dies and requests help from Abraham (Lk 16:19-31). Also, there is the incident at the crufixion where the onlookers think Jesus is calling on Elijah, and apparently half-expected that Elijah would hear and rescue him (Mark 15:34-6). This would be a strange mistake for the onlookers to have made, unless prayer to Elijah was a recognised Judaic practice. I realise that these couple of examples are not conclusive, but they do suggest that prayer to the saints could have developed out of Jewish custom, rather than being something the early church invented from nothing.

Jesus exalts his family in heaven. Everyone who goes to heaven is a saint.

Catholics believe there is truly a family in heaven. When you ask a member of his family for something, the message will get to God.

Do Catholics say you have to pray to a saint? Absolutely not. But if you like the life of a certain saint and you feel like you connect with them you can ask them to intercede.

Our God is a selfless God. He showed us this when he died on the cross. He has no problem elevating his loved ones in heaven to help us.

Here is a good reference that explains it as well if you want to read more. You ask good questions.

Likewise, the two "witnesses" of Rev 11:3-13 are saints who had come back to life, thought by many commentators to be, again, Moses and Elijah, and by others, Enoch and Elijah. Thirdly, the prophet Samuel (not just a demon impersonating him) appears in 1 Sam 28:7-20, as the great majority of commentators hold (the "Apocryphal" book Ecclesiasticus makes this clear - 46:13,20). "Many bodies of the saints" came out of their graves after Jesus' Resurrection and went into Jerusalem, appearing to many (Mt 27:50-53). Lastly, Jeremiah returns to earth (2 Maccabees 15:13-16).

All of these occurrences involve long-dead figures (as op-posed to other resurrections such as Lazarus and Jairus' daughter), and demolish the notion of Protestantism that there is an unbridgeable gulf between heaven and earth - a sort of spiritual "Berlin wall." There is no such bridge, according to the Bible, because there is only one Church and Mystical Body of Christ, and death cannot affect the communion between its members of whatever estate. It's interesting to note that Moses and Samuel, who together appear in two and perhaps three of the five examples above, are renowned among Jews and Christians for their powerful intercession (Ex 32:11-12; 1 Sam 7:9; Ps 99:6; Jer 15:1 - implied after-death prayer).

http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2007/02/communion-of-saints-biblical-overview.html

That's actually a very good question. I've never thought of it. I suppose that people were always used to praying to specific gods for specific areas of life. One might pray to a god of fertility, for example or a god of war. Perhaps, once the concept of 'saint' was developed, those converting from earlier panthiestic religions moved their prayer over to the saints. It's not really in keeping with the original teaching, but what of Catholicism really is anyway? It could be that the concept of the ONe God was just easier to teach when Saints were included?

I'd be interested if anyone can expand on this from a more scholarly perspective.

absolutely right in that Jesus is the only intercession for us to God. we are NOT to pray to nor ask mary and/or dead saints to pray for us.

never in the full bible does God or Jesus or a proper angel allow such.

a lady came up to Jesus to do this - put mary up on a pedestal and Jesus rebukes her, telling her better to bless people who spread the gospel.
we are NOT to put mary and/or dead saints up on a pedestal.

as a matter of fact all Christians are saints and priests in Christ's kingdom ( a royal priesthood)

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it is interesting yahoo name you have as Kingdom come - the kingdom of Christ is already here and all Christians are a member of it.

first of all you do not realize death.actual death is thye key to new life it is eternal with God and a similar God Jesus Christ. The entrys for this requirement is to be baptist with water and spiirt like he instructed Nicoledamus and doing the choose of God and lead a chase and good life following the commanents and the Beatutude so subsequently the lifeless are like Angelic beings as defined by technique of Jesus to the guy who ask about the ressuraction.tow hich Jesus responded Abraham Issac and Moses are in Heaven Prophet Moses and Elijah regarded to Jesus on the Mountain for the duration of transfiguration interior the Gospel of John.Prophet Moses died a actual mountain overlooking the promised land and Elijah turned into body and soul taken as a lot as Heaven by technique of a chariot of fireplace. So in the experience that they are pressummingly lifeless how can in addition they be alive then and talk to the Almighty Gpd as stated by technique of Saint Peter and his disciples The e book of Macabees also saew Judas Macabee providing funds to the Jewish temple for the souls of the lifeless. subsequently obviously someone is listening it would want to God or the finished Saints If u say that death is the top, then you actually might want to haven't any concious and subsequently nor feeling and subsequently no eternal life with God Yours in Christ

Thou shall have no other gods! Exodus 20:2-3, Exodus 23:13, Exodus 23:24, Exodus 23:32, Exodus 34:14.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)

So it matters not whether Mary and the Saints are worshipped as gods, idols, intermediaries or anything else it still goes against God's direct orders!

Catholics keep trying to claim only they can be Christian and that is why

Christianity has been split into over 39,500 different denominations, sects and cults setting Christian against Christian and Christians against everyone else!

God's work? Hardly!

It must be the Devil and the Antichrist working together to divide, conquer and destroy Christianity from the inside!

They are led by the nose by their church which is opposed to the true knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ and His Gospel to replace with themselves.

The Roman Catholic Church seeks to bring people into bondage to it for its own importance and continuance. As the Jews of old murdered Christ to maintain their own positions, so the RCC is filled with the same spirit.

It is of course a bastardised religion derived from old Paganism and dressed up with a few Christian labels to deceive.





In praying to saints they are seeking to communicate with the dead which God absolutely forbids but even worse they are blaspheming against Christ and trampling His Sacrifice underfoot.


He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?



Despite all the revelation of God to the contrary, they insist in offending against that, and it might be compared to deliberately sticking their fingers in God's eyes.




You see cristoiglesia evidences his own disloyalty and betrayal as his authority that you should listen to him. That should tell you something if nothing else does.