[Elsie]

956 The intercession of the saints. "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness.... They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus.... So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped."

Conjured up from thin air!!

[Elsie]

One would think; with all these 'saints' in heaven having GOD's ear; that Catholics would be in MUCH better shape on earth than the rest of us mere mortals.

Why do the insurance companies gouge RCC members when the data OBVIOUSLY shows that they do NOT get sick as much; stay in the hospital a LOT less time than others and their lifespans are greater as well.

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If I were a Catholic I'd complain about this disparity!!

[boatbums]

as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus.... So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped."

Yeah, "the Treasury of Merit". What I remember about this is it's like a special savings account in heaven's bank and, since the Saints and Mary had more than enough good works to merit heaven for themselves, their excess is saved up in that special account. Then, when we pray to them or do things for those in Purgatory (like a Requiem Mass, indulgences, etc.), those extra merits get "credited" to their/our accounts and along with our own merits give them/us what we need to get out of Purgatory into heaven. See? Simple! Now, I'm sure the "official" version is worded a little differently so as not to sound as simple, but that's what I recall.