On Praying to the Saints

I pray to the saints for divine intercession. I’ve had miraculous results praying to the saints. I’ve heard criticism from being idolatrous to being unChristian for doing so. Scripture indeed declares that we are to honor God as our single source of adoration; however, praying to the saints doesn’t negate this commandment. Praying to a saint acknowledges God as the source of our brotherhood with saints and allows us to engage in a form of fellowship with someone we’re tied to through the blood of Christ. Praying to a saint is like asking a brother or sister to pray for us.

God ordained saints specifically for the strengthening of His body of believers, “For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). Saints are there to help us increase in our spiritual walk with Christ. It is through Christ that the saints endured their tribulation and in Him that we are connected to them:

“Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness...They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus...So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped:

Do not weep for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during life (St. Dominic, dying to his brothers).

I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth (St. Therese of Lisieux, The Final Conversations, tr. John Clarke, Washington ICS, 1977), 102).” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 956).

In other words, death does not separate us from our loved ones or the saints who are pre-selected to build us up:

“We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one church; and we believe that in this communion of God and His saints is always attentive to our prayers (Paul VI, CPG Section 30), (Catechism of the Catholic Church 962).

So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another (Romans 12:5):

“For if we continue to love one another and to join in praising the Most Holy Trinity--all of us who are sons of God and form one family in Christ--we will be faithful to the deepest vocation of the Church (LG 51; cf. Heb. 3:6),” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 962).

In summary, asking someone to pray for intercession during a time of need is not only okay, but encouraged. The saints are ordained individuals who achieve holiness by living in His will. And what I appreciate most about the saints is that they are annointed for specific areas of life. For example, St. Dymphna is the saint of those who suffer emotional distress; St. Christopher is the saint of travel...and the list goes on. Continue to pray according to our Catholic teachings and let the nay sayers criticize away, because we’re not doing anything wrong.