Archive
Week of 12/01/07
Week of 12/01/07
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Why Do Catholics Pray to the Saints?
When we pray, we often pray alone – in the morning when we wake up or before
we go to bed at night. But when there is something particularly important we want
to pray for, we will ask others to pray with us or for us. A couple celebrating
their 50th wedding anniversary might invite their family and friends to a Mass to
help give thanks to God for their happiness. Or if a family member is sick, you
might ask friends to pray with you for that person’s recovery. If we are happy,
we want others to share our joy. If we are worried about something, we want the
comfort and support of others.
Who do we ask to pray for us? Generally we ask those who are closest to us – our
parents, children, brothers and sisters, or close friends. There are prayer circles
where people share their prayer requests and pray for each other. All of these
people that we may ask to pray for us or with us have something in common. They
are people we believe are good examples of our faith; people whose prayers on
our behalf will be effective.
The Church teaches us that the saints in heaven do hear us when we ask them to
pray for us (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2683). The saints are free from
all sin and in the presence of God for eternity. They have no distractions or
concerns of their own and can devote their entire selves to prayer. St. James
tells us, “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.” (James 5:
16) If we are looking for others who can pray effectively for us, can we make a
better choice than asking the saints?
To learn more about praying to the saints, you can read The Intercession of the
Saints or Praying to the Saints on the Catholic Answers web site.
When we pray, we often pray alone – in the morning when we wake up or before
we go to bed at night. But when there is something particularly important we want
to pray for, we will ask others to pray with us or for us. A couple celebrating
their 50th wedding anniversary might invite their family and friends to a Mass to
help give thanks to God for their happiness. Or if a family member is sick, you
might ask friends to pray with you for that person’s recovery. If we are happy,
we want others to share our joy. If we are worried about something, we want the
comfort and support of others.
Who do we ask to pray for us? Generally we ask those who are closest to us – our
parents, children, brothers and sisters, or close friends. There are prayer circles
where people share their prayer requests and pray for each other. All of these
people that we may ask to pray for us or with us have something in common. They
are people we believe are good examples of our faith; people whose prayers on
our behalf will be effective.
The Church teaches us that the saints in heaven do hear us when we ask them to
pray for us (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2683). The saints are free from
all sin and in the presence of God for eternity. They have no distractions or
concerns of their own and can devote their entire selves to prayer. St. James
tells us, “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.” (James 5:
16) If we are looking for others who can pray effectively for us, can we make a
better choice than asking the saints?
To learn more about praying to the saints, you can read The Intercession of the
Saints or Praying to the Saints on the Catholic Answers web site.