Q. Why pray to saints?
Q. My friends don't understand praying to Saints. Why not pray directly to God?
Q. If Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.", why then do we pray to Mary and the Saints?
Q. Why pray to angels?
First of all, we don't pray to saints but through them. Catholics can and do pray directly to God; the prayers of the Mass are directed to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Prayer to God is the most important thing we can do, but there is nothing wrong with asking the angels and saints to intercede with God in our behalf. After all, the angels witnessed the fall of one of their own (Satan) while they remained obedient to God and the saints faced the same problems and temptations that confront us, and overcame them with lives of holiness. No Christian hesitates to ask their friends and neighbors to pray for their intentions and needs. The greatest friends we have are those who are in heaven cheering us on as we struggle to overcome our sinful nature and live the Christian life.
All through the Old Testament there are examples of people (Abraham, Moses, the prophets) praying for the benefit of others; and of honor given to angels (Joshua 5:14; Daniel 8:17). In the New Testament we read "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16, NIV). Who is more righteous than one who has achieved their place in heaven? Just because someone has ceased his or her earthly life doesn't mean that they are beyond our reach, or that they have ceased caring for us. The saints are alive in heaven as 1 Corinthians 15:22 tells us and Revelation 5:8 tells us that the prayers of the saints are offered to God. The saints are God's masterpieces and what artist would say "Don't look at my works, pay attention only to me?" We give honor to God by praising His accomplishments.
When Jesus established his Church, He didn't establish one Church on earth and another unrelated Church in heaven. This is why, when we recite the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed (the Profession of Faith in Mass), we say that "we believe in the communion of saints"; we are all part of one spiritual community, God's family. As family, we care about what happens to one another. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, He replied that the first was to love God, and the second was to love our neighbor. The saints in heaven keep this second commandment by interceding for us and helping us to love God. We are all alive in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22) and since we affirm the resurrection of the dead, asking the saints for assistance should pose no problem.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only pathway linking heaven and earth. The saints are ones who have lived the Christian life and received their eternal reward; they have walked in Jesus' footsteps. We ask that by their example and assistance, that we may walk in those footsteps as well. We do not pray to the saints to avoid Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life, but we do ask for additional assistance in directing our needs through Jesus to God the Father.
Recommended reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, paragraphs 946, 954-959, 2674-2679, 2683-2684, 2692
Keating, Karl, Catholicism and Fundamentalism, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, 1988, pages 259-267
Mbukanma, Rev. Jude O., Is it in the Bible?, Scripture Keys Ministries Australia, Broadford, Victoria, Australia, 1987, pages 8-9
Q. Why do you have statues to praise to?
Q. Why do Catholics pray to statues?
Q. Isn't it a sin to kneel before statues and icons?
Q. How do we answer those who criticize us for worshiping idols?
The use of statues, icons, pictures, and even stained glass windows have their origins in the Old Testament. Statues are nothing more than three-dimensional pictures, while icons and stained glass windows are two-dimensional pictures. No one feels uncomfortable carrying a picture of a loved one in their wallet or displaying their photo or portrait in a prominent place in their home; these pictures remind the viewer of the person depicted. So it is with statues, icons and pictures of the saints; they remind us of the person depicted and the honor which they bestowed upon God.
The use of all images in worship of God is not forbidden by the first commandment (second commandment as the Protestants number them). Exodus 20:4-5 says
- "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God" (NIV).
The prohibition here is not the manufacture of images (pictures), but the worship of the images instead of God. This may be more clearly seen five chapters later where God commands the Israelites through Moses to:
- "make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover (of the Ark of the Covenant)" (Exodus 25:18, NIV).
Cherubim are angels; something in heaven above. Then God commands them to make an image of something on the earth:
- "Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft, its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms . . . Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms . . . " (Exodus 25:31-36, NIV)
The Israelites would kneel before these images as part of their Temple worship; not in worship of the images but in worship of God.
All Christians, Protestant and Catholic, use a symbol of a fish to depict Jesus. The fish is something in the waters below.
When one sees a person kneeling in prayer before a statue, this doesn't mean that the person is worshiping the statue (or the person depicted by the statue). Worship is given only to God. Honor and praise are given to the saints for the example and assistance they have provided in our quest to do God's will. As was noted in the chapter titled "MARY", "Protestants, in their worship services, offer songs and praise and prayer to God; this is their highest form of worship. Since they don't have a priesthood, they have nothing else they can offer. Catholics on the other hand, offer the Sacrifice of the Mass to God. Our offering of sacrifice is made only to God and is our form of worship. This allows us to give lesser things such as songs and praise and prayer to those who can pray in our behalf before God: the saints and especially the Blessed Virgin Mary. When the Protestants see us offering what is their highest form of worship to someone other than God, it appears to them that we are worshiping someone other than God."
As it can be seen, the use of images has Old Testament origins where it is ordered by God; not as objects of worship, but as objects used in the worship of God. Statues, icons, and stained glass windows became popular in the early church as the people had no Bibles (printing hadn't been invented yet) and even if they had been able to possess them, the average Christian couldn't read. The images told the Bible stories and were used as methods of evangelization and instruction.
Recommended reading:
Mbukanma, Rev. Jude O., Is it in the Bible?, Scripture Keys Ministries Australia, Broadford, Victoria, Australia, 1987, pages 2-4
There are billions and billions of saints that we don't know of yet. When we think of Saints today, we think of people whose lives are notable for their holiness and heroic virtue. St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians (1:2) uses the term "saint" for Christians in general. Bestowal of the title of "Saint" by the Church declares that these people are in heaven and may be publicly invoked for devotion. There are no doubt many saints in heaven who have not been declared Saints. It has been said that while we are all "saints," we must continue striving all our earthly life for the capital "S".
Recommended reading:
Stravinskas, Rev. Peter M. J., Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia, Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, IN 46750, 1991, pages 860-861
Q. Who was the last person to become a Saint?
The latest person, as of this writing, to be declared a Saint was Edith Stein (also known as Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) who was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1998. Prior to this canonization, the most recent were Edvige, queen of Poland in 1300, canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 8, 1997; and John of Dukla (Poland) of the 14th -15th centuries, canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 10, 1997.
The first to be canonized a Saint by a Pope was Saint Ulrich by Pope John XV in the year 993. Prior to that time, communities of devotion developed around certain holy individuals, particularly martyrs, and these communities grew until the persons were declared Saints by popular acclamation.
Q. Who has given the greatest contribution to the Church and what was it?
The greatest contribution was given to the Church by Jesus, who gave His life in order to establish it. Next in line after Jesus are the martyrs, who gave their lives rather than profane or deny it.
Q. Why do we have novenas to different Saints?
A novena is the praying of a formula prayer for personal devotion. The prayer is said for nine consecutive days or once a week for nine weeks. Most often these prayers are for a personal intention and are in honor of a particular saint (who may have overcome a similar problem) or an aspect of Christ Himself (e.g., Sacred Heart). Although the practice of praying novenas didn't come about until the 17th century, the number nine is taken from the time that the Apostles, Mary, and the other disciples spent praying in the Upper Room between the Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 1:12-14).
Q. What good are all the medals and statues you have?
The medals and statues are just reminders of the persons they represent. When we see them, we are reminded of God's grace and our attention is focused on God. The statues and medals serve only to remind us to pray to God for the strength and perseverance to be like those who have gone before us to be with Him.
Q. Why are some angels, like St. Michael, considered Saints and others are just angels? People think that only humans can be Saints.
It is true that normally we think only of humans becoming Saints. According to the dictionary, the word "saint" is derived from the Latin sanctus, which means holy or sacred. An angel is a purely spiritual being and as such is noted for being holy. Heaven is the place where the angels who surround God live, along with the saints. The three angels which we refer to as "Saints" are the only three who are named in Holy Scripture. Michael remained faithful to God and led the victory against the fallen angels (Revelation 12:7-9). Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she was to bear the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38). Raphael identified himself as "one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One" (Tobit 12:15, RSV-CE). They are referred to as Saints because they are holy, they dwell with God, and they have a name to which we can add the title of "Saint."
Recommended reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, paragraph 326
Q. Do people become angels when they die?
No. Angels are purely spiritual beings who were created by God with an intellect and a free will. People were separately created by God and are physical beings with a spiritual soul and who also have an intellect and a free will. When we die, our soul goes to heaven to be with God forever and this is where we await the general judgement when we will be reunited with our glorified body. Angels have never had a body with which to be reunited.
Recommended reading:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994, paragraph 1023
Q. Did St. Patrick raise people from the dead?
Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland and Nigeria, is believed to have died and been buried in or about the year 461. Recorded details from that time are scarce, especially since the Church in Ireland was under persecution for centuries, including the time of Saint Patrick. Biographers in later years have written many things which, when compared with one another, appear muddled, mythical, and even contradictory. The details of his life in Ireland are uncertain.
