In celebration of All Saint’s Day (Nov. 1), I want to cover another very common misconception about the Catholic Church. Many people believe that Catholics worship the saints (most particularly Mary). This is not true.
CCC #2683 ~ The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom, especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives, the transmission of their writings, and their prayer today. They contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were “put in charge of many things.” [Matt. 25:21] Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.
The Saints are great examples of people who gave their lives up to Jesus. They are disciples who have gone before us and reached the ultimate goal of heaven. But, think about this for a minute…what are they doing in heaven? We, as Catholics, believe that they are in heaven glorifying God and interceding for the Church on earth.
James 5:16 ~ Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
If the prayer of a righteous man on earth availeth much, how much more should the prayer of a man (or woman) who is in heaven?
When we asked the saints for their intercession, it’s the same as asking a close friend or a family member to pray for us. They aren’t acting as messengers that separate us from praying directly to God, they’re brothers and sisters in Christ who are lifting us up in prayer. The only difference is that they are in heaven and we’re on earth.
What a blessing it is to have communion between all the saints, both those who are running the race, and those who have finished it!
Pax Christi,
~the Catholic apologist
Comments
Posted by Songwriter It makes my head spin. I've read up on Catholicism. One of my best friends is a Catholic and I wanted to make sure I knew what they believed before I started arguing with her. Which I ended up not doing because she doesn't like to debate with me, I guess.
I was talking to another Catholic friend and we got into a religion discussion and she told me about this guy she thought I'd like to talk to because he was a Catholic, but he didn't believe it, and in fact, he could prove it wrong. I said I could, too. But, I came to realize I could prove only certain points wrong. So here is my question. What is the deal with the praying/confessing to the pope? "There is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ." because what you say might differ from what i've read.
Songwriter <><
Posted by thecatholicapologist Thanks for your comment! To answer your question, we do not pray to the Pope (unless he is one of those in heaven, which I have written a post about here.) Obviously, since our pope right now is still on earth, he wouldnt be able to hear from halfway across the earth. :)
As for confession, Ive written up a post about it which you can read here. I hope those can answer your questions, if not, dont hesitate to leave another comment or send me an email!
Pax Christi,
~the Catholic apologist
Posted by ~ Mrs. Jack Sparrow a.k.a. babysquirrel
Edited by BabySquirrel on Nov. 12, 2006 at 4:44 PM
Posted by thecatholicapologist As a Catholic, I do pray to the saints, but I do NOT worship them. You are right, there are not gods. The only one worthy of our worship is Yahweh.
The Saints, although they are in heaven, are still a part of the Church. They still have a role in the Body of Christ. We believe that that role is to pray for those who are still on their way to heaven. The Catholic Church teaches that we can still have communion with these brothers and sisters and ask them to pray for us just as we would ask a friend for prayer here on earth.
Thank you for commenting and adding me to your friends list! I have added you as well!
Pax Christi,
~the Catholic apologist
