[Campion]

Why do Catholics pray to her? Don’t they think they can take their requests to God?

Why does Paul ask people to pray for him? Doesn't he think he can take his own requests to God?

[metmom]

Mary died. We are not commanded to pray to dead people FOR things.

Asking someone to pray FOR us is not the same as praying TO them FOR things.

[Quix]

Hey, gang, who has the numbered straw dog list?

Or do we need to start one?

This one could be #1:

1. Why does Paul ask people to pray for him? Doesn’t he think he can take his own requests to God?

[metmom]

For one thing, Paul is not praying TO other believers for them to do something for him that only God the Father can do.

Here on earth, we can't read each others minds. So in order for people to pray for him, we have to tell our requests to each other.

Now, presuming that people in heaven to whom someone prays can hear their prayers, that person in heaven must be able to somehow be able to know what's going on here on earth. If they can hear our prayers and know what's going on on earth, then there's no need for us to pray TO them.

Now maybe they do pray for us, BUT, we are not and never have been commanded to pray to them for us.

So why not pray to any dead person then? Could be they're in heaven capable of praying for us and granting us favors like those who have been labeled *saints* are. Then I could pray to my dead parents or grandparents just as easily as to someone the Catholic Church calls a saint.

Why not that?