[topcat54]

Take Moses, for example. Moses died and was buried prior to Christ's resurrection and so had not yet entered into heaven. And yet, during the transfiguration, Moses is able to present himself before Jesus in a physical form and talk with him. How can Moses do this if he is both a) dead and b) not resurrected yet?

We know that this was true in the case of Moses because we have God's infallible revelation on the subject. The irrational part comes about when folks attempt to extrapolate the extraordinary, very limited events in Scripture to some general rule. IOW, just because Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration specifically to testify to His messiahship does not mean that we can automatically transpose that special case to all the other saints that have gone before.

It's interesting that we do not find the apostles and early church praying to Moses or Elijah, even though they are known to be with Christ. In fact when was the last time you prayed to Moses or Elijah? Where did they pray to angels? Where did Jesus encourage His disciples to pray to angels or men? Your case would be air-tight if only you had infallible truth on your side.

There are many facts that point to the arbitrary nature of the Roman Catholic practice on praying to saints. At least be consistent and say these practices are purely based on the tradition and magisterium of your church, and don't try to twist the Scripture to make your case.

[mike182d]

We know that this was true in the case of Moses because we have God's infallible revelation on the subject.

Where in the Bible does it claim that the Book of Matthew is the infallible revelation of God?

To claim that a book is infallible because it is infallible sounds awfully irrational to me, don't you think?

It's interesting that we do not find the apostles and early church praying to Moses or Elijah,

Perhaps, unless you find it equally interesting that none of the Apostles refer to the New Testament as being Scripture. Or maybe you find it interesting that none of the Apostles used the word "Trinity" or speak of God as "one in three persons." Or maybe you find it even more interesting that prayers of intercession to the Saints have been found in many manuscripts from the early Church in the 3rd century?

Such as...

Origen
"But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep" (Prayer 11 [A.D. 233]).

Methodius
"Hail to you for ever, Virgin Mother of God, our unceasing joy, for to you do I turn again. You are the beginning of our feast; you are its middle and end; the pearl of great price that belongs to the kingdom; the fat of every victim, the living altar of the Bread of Life [Jesus]. Hail, you treasure of the love of God. Hail, you fount of the Son’s love for man. . . .(Oration on Simeon and Anna 14 [A.D. 305]).

Cyril of Jerusalem
"Then [during the Eucharistic prayer] we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition . . . " (Catechetical Lectures 23:9 [A.D. 350]).

John Chrysostom
"He that wears the purple [i.e., a royal man] . . . stands begging of the saints to be his patrons with God, and he that wears a diadem begs the tentmaker [Paul] and the fisherman [Peter] as patrons, even though they be dead" (Homilies on Second Corinthians 26 [A.D. 392]).

Jerome
"You say in your book that while we live we are able to pray for each other, but afterwards when we have died, the prayer of no person for another can be heard. . . . But if the apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, at a time when they ought still be solicitous about themselves, how much more will they do so after their crowns, victories, and triumphs?" (Against Vigilantius 6 [A.D. 406]).

Augustine

"A Christian people celebrates together in religious solemnity the memorials of the martyrs, both to encourage their being imitated and so that it can share in their merits and be aided by their prayers" (Against Faustus the Manichean [A.D. 400]).

Fact of the matter is that the Church established by Christ has believed this for over two thousand years.

There are many facts that point to the arbitrary nature of the Roman Catholic practice on praying to saints.i>

Name them. Like I said, two thousand years of consistent belief from the time of Christ is present in only one Church on earth.