I disagree, MD, to the extent that anyone is saying the Pio has perfect, situational awareness. That is omniscience.
To the extent that any deceased saint’s awareness is first filtered through God, then that is God having perfect situational awareness, and I already believe in that.
Which raises the key point: If the saint’s situational awareness is filtered through God in the first place, then it makes more sense to go ahead and use the direct route to God.
Pray to God.
If you desire, then, to ask God to pass a message to a loved one, then feel free to do so.
Since everything happens by the will and knowledge of God, why do we post messages on FR? Why not just tell God?
I mean clearly there's something about direct communicationenabled by God. How can we think about this?
In other news: Can you tell me where somebody said perfect situational awareness and meant by that knowing what's going on everywhere? I just don't remember that kind of claimbeing made? Not saying it wasn't, just saying I don't remember it.
Which raises the key point: If the saint's situational awareness is filtered through God in the first place, then it makes more sense to go ahead and use the direct route to God.
Pray to God.
If you desire, then, to ask God to pass a message to a loved one, then feel free to do so.
Amen. I believe my darling dad in heaven in some way knows of my life and my children's lives and is happy that I am happy and that his child's life is meaningful, as any parent would want to know of their children.
To that I believe that my dad (along with all the saints in heaven) is spending 99.999% of his time and effort praising God and glorifying His name.
But I would no more pray to my dad than I would pray to a palm tree or a muffin tin.
As to the standard Catholic response that the saints in heaven are living, and not dead, that kind of parsing of God's word will not end well. Nothing in Scripture tells us to pray to anyone in heaven other than the Triune God.
That's pretty much Christianity 101.
Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them. O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield." -- Psalm 115:1-9"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.
This is going to be one of those times we will disagree. I think what you are suggesting is the camel's nose inside the tent, so to speak. In no short order it leads to by passing God and going straight to talking with the dead. Look at all the Mary "veneration". It probably started the same way.
Duet. 18:11-12 ...or a medium, or a spiritualist, or one who calls up the dead....are an abomination..
I Sam. 28:1-25
IChron 10:13
Isaiah 8:19