Why We Catholics Pray to the Saints

What Exactly Does it Mean to “Pray to the Saints?”

When we pray to God, we are asking the Source of all Goodness to take care of us. We trust that God has the power to answer our prayers (because He is omnipotent) and that He wants to answer our prayers (because He is all-loving). This is not how we approach the saints.

Rather, we see the saints as our brothers and sisters in the Family of God, just as we see members of the Church on earth as our brothers and sisters. We ask the saints to pray for us in the same way we ask anyone else to pray for us.  The saints in Heaven, the souls in Purgatory, and the baptized on Earth are all part of the same Family of God (the Church).  The power of the Resurrection means that those who have passed on do not cease being members of our Family. They are not “dead and gone.” They are very much alive and active in the Family of God. We ask other members of our family on earth to pray for us all the time - because that’s what family does for each other. God loves that! He wants us to support each other as we strive for holiness and Heaven.

Now it is true that because of their holiness and their closeness to God in Heaven, the prayers of the saints are more effective - even sometimes resulting in miracles. But these miracles don’t come from the saints. Answered prayers and miracles that happen through the intercession of saints still come only through Jesus. It is the power of Christ that answers prayers and causes miracles. Saints have no power to do these things in and of themselves. So even though our language gets sloppy, we don’t actually “pray to saints.” Instead, we ask the saints to pray for us.

Isn’t This a Form of Idolatry or Necromancy?

With this understanding, we can see that praying to the saints is not idolatry. We are not appealing to the saints as if they are gods or as if they are replacing Jesus in our lives.

But what about necromancy (talking to the dead)? Talking to the dead is explicitly prohibited by God multiple times in the Bible. For example, Isaiah 8:19 says, “When they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” This is exactly what some critics point to. Why don’t you go right to God rather than through the saints? Praying to the saints differs from necromancy in a number of ways:

1. Necromancy is done through the power of the magician who claims power over the preternatural world. Attempting to control the spiritual world (e.g. the gods) is the hallmark of paganism and is the opposite of true faith, hope, and charity. Praying to the saints is done through the power of Jesus and should be approached with great humility, seeking God’s will to be done in all things. We don’t use magical rituals or rites that attempt to exert our will over the spirits. We humbly approach them through Jesus and ask their help.

2. Necromancy doesn’t care where the spirit being contacted resides. This is what makes things like the Ouija Board so dangerous.  Contacting a spirit opens you to be influenced by any spirit, and since you’re not going through Jesus, you’re inviting demonic activity. When we pray to the saints, we are specifically communicating with sanctified souls who are connected to God, and we’re doing it through Jesus.

3. Necromancy is usually performed for selfish reasons out of a lack of trust in God. People who contact the spirits do so for entertainment, to get an edge, to know the future, or to gain power somehow. In contrast, prayer is an act of trust in God. Praying to the saints is an extension of that trust to the Mystical Body of Christ that unites all in grace, and is ultimately rooted in our trust in God as well.

Why Not Just Put Your Faith In Jesus?

When we pray to the saints, our faith is in Jesus! We believe that the power of the Resurrection means that those who have gone through the portal of death are alive and united to Jesus. They are part of the Mystical Body of Christ, and so are united to us through Jesus. We ask them to pray for us because faith is always exercised through the Covenantal Family.

Doesn’t the Bible Say that Jesus is the Only Mediator Between God and Man?

It sure does! Saint Paul tells Timothy this . . . right after he encourages Timothy to intercede for others!

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time 1Timothy 2:1-6.

So doesn’t this mean that the saints cannot intercede for us, cannot act as mediators? Not at all. The fact that Saint Paul encourages Timothy and the members of Timothy’s church to pray for the pagan rulers who don’t have recourse to the one true God, shows us that intercessory prayer is not only acceptable but encouraged. If we can pray for the pagans, why can’t the saints pray for us?

So what does Saint Paul mean by “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”? Well, in the context of the surrounding verses it would seem that Paul is contrasting Jesus as the true path to the true God to the false pagan gods of the rulers. “Pray for your kings because their gods cannot save them.” Jesus is the only mediator between God and man - the pagan gods have no real connection to the divine.

Secondly, I want to reiterate the point once again that when we pray to the saints, that prayer takes place within the Mystical Body of Christ. So whether I ask you or Saint Thomas Aquinas to pray for me, we are still praying within the Mystical Body of Christ who is the only true mediator between God and man.

Why Isn’t This Practice in the Bible?

The practice of venerating the holy dead actually is in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Abraham, Moses, King Asa, and King Hezekiah, and the prophet Samuel are all venerated after their death. In the New Testament, Saint Paul makes it clear that this type of honor should be paid to those who die in Christ.

But the practice of asking the dead to pray for the living is not found in the Bible. Surely this is a sign that God never intended such a practice, right?

Well, not so fast. In the Old Testament venerating the dead was seen as a noble thing to do, but seeking help from the dead was condemned. In 1Samuel 28 King Saul asks a spiritual medium to conjure up the spirit of the prophet Samuel, only to have Samuel himself chastise Saul for the action.

First of all, Saul actually shows us exactly why necromancy is evil. He was trying to circumvent God by seeking knowledge from Samuel! This is very different from asking a saint to pray for us. So that speaks to our previous question. More relevant to this question, in the Old Testament the dead were not yet united to Christ. The unity of the Mystical Body of Christ is what makes the aid of the saints possible.

We see a change in the New Testament beginning with the Transfiguration of the Lord, where Moses and Elijah appear and converse with Christ. Saint Paul also teaches us about the Mystical Body of Christ and hints that the saints (e.g. the “great cloud of witnesses”) are united to us and supporting our efforts to grow in holiness. In Revelation, we see the saints and the martyrs around the throne of God actively praising God and praying on behalf of those on earth. But we don’t see very much about the practice of appealing to the saints to pray for us. Why not?

Well, quite simply, at the time the New Testament was written the concept of sainthood within the Mystical Body of Christ was a pretty new concept. We see Saint Paul thinking about the ramifications of the Resurrection as he offers words of hope regarding “brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in Christ.” We see the precursors to the practice - honoring the saintly dead, imitating their example, and being aware that they support us from beyond, but we don’t see the mature act of asking saints for prayer. The Bible makes clear that the saints pray for us. The earliest Christian tradition also clearly shows this belief continued. But it shouldn’t surprise us that the Church would continue to reflect on our relationship with followers of Christ on the other side of death.

So When Did This Practice Start in the Church?

In fact, the belief in intercessory grace is clearly documented from the very beginning of the Church in the accounts of the martyrs. Christians would ask those to be martyred to pray for them, knowing that the abundance of grace in their loving sacrifice would make them powerful intercessors. There is good reason to believe that those asking for this intercession believed it would happen before and after the martyr’s death.

Unfortunately, the historical evidence for the beginning of the practice of asking saints to pray for the living is not very clear. We have pretty good evidence from the 3^rd century that Christians regularly sought Mary’s intercession. We also have records of inscriptions written on Christian tombs from the 3^rd century asking the deceased to pray for those left behind.  Written references of asking for the intercession of the saints begin in the 4^th century. But that’s just the historical record. That doesn’t mean that the practice didn’t exist before then, just that nobody was writing about it. Given the precursors to the practice in Sacred Scripture, it’s not unreasonable to believe it did.

What Does It Mean to Have a Devotion to a Saint?

The term “devotion” calls to mind prayer books in most Catholics. You might define a devotion as a specific set of prayers recited every day that asks for the saint’s intercession.

But Saint Francis de Sales tells us that devotion is actually a spiritual virtue. To have “true devotion” to God means to love Him and to actively seek to grow in your relationship with Him. The particular “devotions” or devotional prayers are simply tools to help us do that.

Likewise, to have a devotion to a saint means to have a growing relationship with the saint. The particular prayers that we call “devotions” or “devotional prayers” are tools that help us to do that. But to truly grow in relationship with the saints we need to go beyond pre-written prayers. Don’t get me wrong, pre-written prayers are a great place to start. But true devotion requires growth in intimacy and connection.

How Can I Deepen My Devotion Without Falling Into Idolatry?

To deepen your devotion to a particular saint, you first want to get to know that saint. Second, you want to reflect on how that saint’s spiritual journey reflects your own. Then you can approach the saint in a more personal way.

Idolatry is not a question of how intimate or personal your relationship with a saint is. In fact, more intimate and personal prayer to the saint could actually keep you from slipping into the mistakes that approach idolatry. It’s usually the simple formulae that lead us to superstition and magical thinking.

Learning the weaknesses and struggles of the saints keeps us from thinking that their goodness is inherent and that the saint didn’t need grace or conversion.

Approaching the saint with “please pray for me that . . .” can also remind you that you’re ultimately seeking help from God. Saints do not have any inherent power to help us except for the efficacy of their prayers. So the words that we use in our prayer can help us remember exactly what we’re doing.