Three Things You're Probably Getting Wrong about Praying to the Saints

Shameless popery ^ | April 20, 2015

[Salvation]

Wonderful post. Thanks.

[Resettozero]

Given the option of how and to whom to pray, I will follow Jesus’ teachings.

Roman Catholicism does everything possible to prevent its worshipers from having a born-of-the-Spirit encounter with Lord Jesus Christ. It decoys worshipers away from the only thing that can save their eternal souls, even claiming that RC worshipers partake of the very flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, to make them "feel" closer to Jesus while worshiping, in fact, Catholicism itself, not to be confused with Christianity.

The RCC continues to downplay the Lord Jesus Christ's work He FINISHED on the cross by perpetually keeping Him on the cross as the perpetual victim .

Roman Catholicism has no idea Who Jesus Christ really is nor the Church He founded on Himself.

Such a belief system is abhorrent to believers in Lord Jesus Christ alone, once they are allowed to see what it is that the RCC promulgates year after year.

[WVKayaker]

Lots of Scripture quotes, but none giving credence to your premise...

Here's a quote from a RCC favorite...

James 2: 2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

[Mrs. Don-o]

It's all intercession within the Body of Christ. I think some of the critics of this holy and continual mutual help do not understand what our unity in the Body of Christ means in practice.

That said, the words "Pray for us" are usually part of the prayer; and when they are not explicit, they are nevertheless understood. Nobody thinks that the saints in heaven act as independent agents, dispensing favors by their own power or piety, apart from Christ Our Lord.

Notice HERE (Link), the the classic Litany of the Saints, the difference between how the Saints are addressed, and how Our Lord is addressed.

The Lord is asked to have mercy on us and save us.

And you'll notice (tagline) the angels, too, intercede, by offering our prayers to God.

[RnMomof7]

YOPIOS. By what authority do YOU interpret scripture?

This is really funny ... The magisterium has only "infallibly" interpreted a few verses of scripture.. every homily, every RC bible study, every RC apologist and every RC posting on FR are doing nothing more that YOPIOS ... and because of biblical ignorance have no idea what they are talking about

[Salvation]

Not appropriate on a Religion forum thread. This thread isn’t about Satanism.

[Mrs. Don-o]

That's a very beautiful quote, WVKayacker. It has a lot of relevance in our lives, though I'm not sure howyou mean it to connect the topic at hand.

[Elsie]

This belief takes two general forms: first that the souls of the just are “asleep” until the Resurrection; second, that the souls are isolated in Heaven.

Makes me wonder just where crazy ideas like this get started...

Psalm 13:3
Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

 

Psalm 90:5
Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning:

 

Daniel 12:2
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
 
 
John 11:12-13
His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”
Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

 

1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Listen, I tell you a mystery:

We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

 

Ephesians 5:14
This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

 

 
1 Thessalonians 4:13
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
 

[daniel1212]

THERE WERE NO CHAPTERS IN THE EPISTLES WHEN WRITTEN ...So Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 are the same topic.. So what is the topic of chapter 11??? IT IS THE ROLL CALL OF SAINTS SAVED BY FAITH

Correct: The text, "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" refers to just that, being in the company of such as part of the same body, but not as communicating with them in Heaven, which is nowhere seen. Nor any Roman purgatory.

[Salvation]

The souls in Purgatory did not do the reparation for their sins while on earth....that is the purpose of Purgatory. To purge them of their sins so that they can be purified to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross saved them. They need to do their part now.

[Mrs. Don-o]

The purpose of the many Scripture verses about "glory" is to refute this statement of yours:

"They glorify personalities. And that makes the demons tremble gleefully party." As is clear from these quotes, it is God who has the power and the desire to glorify His saints; when the saints are glorified, God is glorified.

[Elsie]

It’s not like God is too busy to hear my prayer.

I think it's kinda like a spiritual spam filter.

My ISP gets rid of most all the junk that is flying my way; trying to clutter my in basket; so that I can deal with the important stuff; so these undead saints can toss the chaff out that wouldn't get answered anyway.

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Ya gotta remember these saints just work in the mailroom; the Executive Secretary works REALLY close to the throne...

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Let's try some easy math:

There are approximately 1.2 billion Catholics world wide;

If merely 1% of them  'ask' Mary for help just once each day;

that means that 12 million separate prayers are headed Mary's direction every day.

Given that there are 86,400 seconds per day... (24 hours times 60 minutes times 60 seconds)

...that means that Mary has to handle approximately 139 'requests' per second!

Purty good fer someone NOT 'divine'!

[RnMomof7]

The souls in Purgatory did not do the reparation for their sins while on earth....that is the purpose of Purgatory. To purge them of their sins so that they can be purified to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Yea they missed their 3 "Hail Marys" and 3 "Our Fathers".. so they have to do some burn time

Thank God that Jesus took the punishment I deserved for me...

[Elsie]

It is simply to ASK those home with God to PRAY to GOD for you!

Anyone ELSE 'home with GOD' right now?

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

YOPIOS. By what authority do YOU interpret scripture?

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That smear really works much better when it includes the cereal box picture.

[RnMomof7]

1 Cor 2:14But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

They just can not understand or rightly divide the word of God

[Elsie]

We can hope, but we can’t assume.

Oh YEAH???!!!

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

The RCC continues to downplay the Lord Jesus Christ's work He FINISHED on the cross by perpetually keeping Him on the cross as the perpetual victim .

Rev 5:6

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.

What does this mean, if Christ's sacrificial death on the cross is completed?

Jesus Christ is the son of David and the king of the new and heavenly Jerusalem. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and He is the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world, as it said elsewhere in Revelation. But here in heaven on the throne of glory, after His crucifixion, Hs resurrection, His ascension, His enthronement, He still looks like a lamb. He still looks as though He had been slain. Why not clean up the body? Why not wipe away the wounds? Why continue resembling a lamb? Because He's continuing the Passover offerings, the sacrifice. Not by dying, not by bleeding and not by suffering but by continuing to offer up Himself as the firstborn and as the unblemished lamb, as the perpetual, timeless, everlasting sacrifice of praise to the Father.

And what do the people do? They rejoice and they break out into a song. And what is the song, "Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals for thou was slain." Past tense, "And by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." And what has he done? He's become a priest to be sure, but for what purpose? "He has made them a kingdom and priest to our God." He has made those whom he has saved priests. And what do priests do? They offer sacrifice.

Has Christ's sacrifice ended all sacrifices? No. Christ's sacrifice has ended all ineffective, bloody animal sacrifices that never did anything anyway. Now for the first time in history we can really begin to offer sacrifice to God. Romans 12 says, "Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God." And it wouldn't be holy and acceptable except that it's united to Christ's perpetual sacrifice. He's not bleeding. He's not dying. He's not suffering, but he is offering a sacrifice as a lamb does, as a priest king does continually, forever.

And that's what it's all about. John wouldn't see a lamb looking as though it had been slain if the whole kit and caboodle was completed and done. Yes, it's completed and done, but it's still going on, and it's going to go on forever in the future. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, as Hebrews tells us.

The Eucharist as the Lamb's Supper

Christ's once-for-all sacrifice on the Cross is re-presented in the Eucharist, in a manner analogous to the Seder meal making-present the Passover of Exodus.

This sacrament was instituted by Christ in the upper room, as described by St. Paul.

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep [i.e., died].

Early Christians:

The Didache

"Assemble on the Lord’s day, and break bread and offer the Eucharist; but first make confession of your faults, so that your sacrifice may be a pure one. Anyone who has a difference with his fellow is not to take part with you until he has been reconciled, so as to avoid any profanation of your sacrifice [Matt. 5:23–24]. For this is the offering of which the Lord has said, ‘Everywhere and always bring me a sacrifice that is undefiled, for I am a great king, says the Lord, and my name is the wonder of nations’ [Mal. 1:11, 14]" (Didache 14 [A.D. 70]).

Pope Clement I

"Our sin will not be small if we eject from the episcopate those who blamelessly and holily have offered its sacrifices. Blessed are those presbyters who have already finished their course, and who have obtained a fruitful and perfect release" (Letter to the Corinthians 44:4–5 [A.D. 80]).

Ignatius of Antioch

"Make certain, therefore, that you all observe one common Eucharist; for there is but one Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and but one cup of union with his Blood, and one single altar of sacrifice—even as there is also but one bishop, with his clergy and my own fellow servitors, the deacons. This will ensure that all your doings are in full accord with the will of God" (Letter to the Philadelphians 4 [A.D. 110]).

[Resettozero]

The souls in Purgatory...need to do their part now.

This one error in RCC teaching alone is responsible for many a RC lifelong worshiper postponing the most crucial decision of their life while they COULD have made the correct choice (believing in Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone), and instead, now they face the Great White Throne judgment after their resurrection from the dead.

That's what even the Catholic Bible says. (How did THAT happen?) Read it again. It's more important that winning an Internet chat.

[Elsie]

OTOH, just as you have probably asked a friend to pray for you, there is nothing wrong with asking a saint to do the same thing.

None of my DEAD friends get asked very much these days.