[Mad Dawg]

Do Catholics really think that God is not going to answer but some redeemed being is? Are they trying to get prayer answered that they are afraid that God won’t answer so they bypass Him?

I don't know what "Catholics really think" (in the sort of sociological statistical sense) but I have some idea of what the Church teaches, and the Church would, um, Guffaw to the Max - :-) - over the idea that the Saints were sneaking behind God's back to grant favors to their petitioners.

I'll ask around about where/when the practice doctrine arose. I have no idea of the history of it.

[Quix]

Perhaps the Magicsterical would guffaw to the max over that.

However, I suspect you’ve been around plenty long enough to have DIRECTLY OBSERVED an abundance of those in the pews behaving and speaking precisely in those ways.

It’s an interesting technicality, pershaps. However, the rubber meets the road in PERSISTENT WORDS AND ACTIONS on the part of the masses in the pews.

They VERY PERSISTENTLY SOUND AND APPEAR to be speaking and acting exactly as one would expect of those EXPECTING THE ‘SAINTS’ to DO things FOR the earth bound petitioner.

Then when it gets over into magical talisman sorts of ornaments and practices e.g. with plastic Joseph’s, Jesus’s, Mary’s on dashboards etc. . . . Sheesh.