But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
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Luke 18:11-13 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
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John 14:13-16 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
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Jesus gives quite a few examples of prayer. In the Lord's Prayer He provides us the instruction that when we pray - it is to "Our Father." At no point is there ever a reference to praying to any saint. Moses, David, Abraham, Solomon, Daniel, Elijah, Ezekiel - all prayed to God. Never to a saint.
Jesus clearly tells us - Pray to the Father - in Jesus' Name.
If the saints answered prayer there would never be any reason to pray to God. God and God alone answers prayers. God is omnipotent; not saints. All power comes through God and no one else.
Exodus 20:3 Thou shall have no other gods before me.
It is God who answers the prayers, the saints who are home with God pray to God as well on behalf of the living believers.
“If the saints answered prayer there would never be any reason to pray to God.”
Why do you believe this? Who taught you this? You don’t understand how intercession works. We are commanded to pray for one another.
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As many posters have already said, Catholics do not believe that saints answer the prayers, but rather that they act as a "go-between" between other human beings and God, presenting their prayer requests to God in a better way.
God often chooses mere human beings to act as "go-betweens" in the communications between God and other human beings, and anyone who would deny that would be foolishly and willfully ignorant (and wrong).
For example, did God choose to write the books in the Bible with His own finger (as He easily could have), or did God always choose in His Sovereign Divine Power to always make use of mere human being go-betweens to write every single word and book in the Bible, every single time, combining the inspiration of God with the actual physical writing of a mere human being "go-between" for the entire Bible, in order to communicate with us?
If God does choose to use mere human beings to speak to us through them (such as in the written books of the Bible), then God is obviously NOT adverse to using mere human being go-betweens in God's communications with other human beings, and actually often chooses to communicate that way (via a go-between human being).
But RCs do not derive their doctrines from Scripture, but in condescension to evangelicals Scripture is appealed to by RCs trying to make her traditions look Scriptural, which here has further exposed their unScriptural nature.