Why do Catholics pray to Saints?
Is it biblical to ask the saints in heaven to pray for us? Catholics say yes, since we are all part of the communion of saints. As the word suggests, the communion of saints refers to the bond of unity among all believers, both living and dead, who are committed followers of Christ. In Christ, we are made part of God’s family (1 Tim 3:15), children of God (1 John 3:1), joint heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17), and partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4). This family communion of saints is known to Catholics as the Mystical Body of Christ. We are joined in a supernatural union as members of Christ’s own body, and thus as members of one another. Each of us participates in the divine life of Christ Himself.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER
What we have said about the communion of saints gives us the biblical reasons why Catholics ask the saints to intercede for them:
(1) All Christians are members of Christ’s body and one another (Rom 12:5 and many others).
(2) Jesus has only one body (Eph 4:4; Col 3:15).
(3) Death cannot separate Christians from Christ or from one another (Rom 8:35-39).
(4) Christians are bound in mutual love (Rom 12:10; 1 Thess 5:11; Gal 6:2).
We are members of Christ’s one body, united in His divine life even beyond the grave, and concerned for each other’s salvation and growth in God’s family. In that union, we call for help and support from our older brothers and sisters who have already won their crown of glory. Just as in our human families we naturally turn to our siblings for aid and example, how much more should we turn to our supernatural family for help and inspiration.
Several objections are directed against the Catholic position on intercessory prayer.
OBJECTION 1: The saints are dead. Catholics practice necromancy, communication with the dead, which is condemned (Dt 18:10-11).
Answer: Necromancy means summoning forth spirits from the shadowy underworld (OT “Sheol”), in order to converse with them. By asking the saints in heaven to intercede for us, Catholics are not conjuring roaming spirits or communicating in any “spiritualistic” way. So prayer to the saints has nothing to do with necromancy.
Nor are the saints dead. The saints in heaven are alive and with God: “He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Mk 12:26-27). In Mark 9:4, Jesus is seen conversing with Elijah and Moses. Jesus tells the Good Thief: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43). In fact, the saints in heaven are more alive than we are. They are free from all sin. They enjoy the fullness of God’s life-giving presence. Flooded with God’s love, they care more about us now than they did on earth.
Just as Paul asked fellow believers (saints) to pray for him (Rom 15:30; Co14:3; 1 Thess 5:25; Eph 6:18-19; 2 Thess 3:1), now we can ask Paul and the other saints in heaven to pray for us. We are not cut off from each other at death, rather we are brought closer through the communion we share in Christ.
We know that angels and saints place the prayers of the holy ones at God’s feet (Tob 12:12; Rev 5:8; Rev 8:3-4), supporting those prayers with their intercessions. The martyrs underneath the heavenly altar cry out for earthly vindication (Rev 6:9-11), showing they are aware of, and concerned with, earthly affairs. The angels and saints in heaven will intercede for us before the throne of God if they are petitioned in prayer.
OBJECTION 2: 1 Tim 2:5 says there is one mediator between God and man. Isn’t prayer to the saints in violation of 1 Tim 2:5?
Answer: I Tim 2:5 must be understood in the light of 1 Peter 2:5: “let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” St. Peter says that Christians share in the one, eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. Jesus is mediator between God and man because of His priesthood. Therefore, to share in Christ’s priesthood means to share in His mediatorship, both in heaven and on earth.
1 Tim 2:5 confirms that we share in Christ’s mediation, when we read it in context. In verses 1-7, St. Paul asks Christians to participate in Christ’s unique mediation by offering prayers and intercessions for all men: “this is good and pleasing to God.” We are called to unite ourselves to the one mediator Christ, “who gave himself as a ransom for all,” by praying for all men, through Christ.
Because Christians share in the priesthood of Christ, we share in a lesser and dependent way in His unique mediation, interceding for all men.
Fellow Christians on earth intercede for each other in prayer without contradicting the unique mediation of Jesus Christ. Likewise, there is no contradiction of I Tim 2:5 if the saints in heaven intercede for us with their prayers. All prayer, whether in heaven or on earth, is in Christ and through Christ, our one mediator and high priest.
The principle is this: although God alone possesses all perfections, we can participate in God’s perfections by sharing in His divine life. For example, the Bible says only God is good (Mk 10:18). Yet we can share in that absolute Goodness: “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:23).
Jesus shares many of His unique roles with Christians in lesser ways. Jesus is the Creator of all things (Jn 1:3; Col 1:16-17), and yet He shares this role with men and women in procreation. Jesus is the only Shepherd (Jn 10:11-16), yet He delegates his role to St. Peter (Jn 21:1546) and later to others (Eph 4:11). Jesus is the eternal High Priest, mediating His once-for-all sacrifice for our redemption (Heb 3:1, 7:24, 9:12. 10:12), and yet Christians are also ca1led to join in Christ’s priesthood, as we have seen (1 Pet 2:5; Rev 1:6, 5:10).
Obviously, Christ is the unique and primary Creator, Shepherd, and Priest, but each Christian participates in these roles in subordinate ways. By sharing Christ’s divine life, Christians also share in Christ’s role as the only mediator.
OBJECTION 3: The saints in heaven can’t hear us.
Answer: Why not? Aren’t they more alive now than when they were with us? The medium of communication is Christ himself - the vine between the branches. We and the saints form one communion, one body of Christ, being members of Him and members of one another. Heb 12:1 tells us that we are surrounded by “a cloud of witnesses.” How could those watching be unconcerned about our welfare? Look at Rev 5:8 and Rev 8:3. The petitions offered as incense to God must be for those who still need help, the holy ones on earth. They are offered by those who can help the most, the holy ones in heaven.
In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16:19-30), the departed rich man is able to pray to Abraham and intercede for his brothers. This implies that there can be communication across the abyss, and that fraternal charity extends beyond the grave.
We are certain that the saints in heaven enjoy the face to face vision of God (1 Cor. 13:12; 1 Jn 3:2). It is in this vision that they are aware of our prayers to them.
OBJECTION 4: How can saints hear all these prayers, from all different people, all the time? It must sound like a deafening babble.
Answer: Heaven has no space or time. Everything appears to God as one eternal present. Like God, the saints are outside of the limitations of space and time. Our earthly way of knowing is limited and incomplete. “At present, we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then 1 shall know fully, as 1 am fully known” (1 Cor 13:12). Our heavenly way of knowing is full and perfect.