A: The first thing I would like to clarify is that Catholics do not worship the Saints.  To “Pray” does not mean to “Worship” … There’s a big difference.  Praying means “communicating” i.e. “I pray thee tell me the truth!” or  “pray tell, was the story good or bad?”  This is a play on words. Don’t get pulled into word games.  This is a distraction tactic from the Enemy to divide Christians rather than have them be united. (I will discuss “praying” to Mary a little later.)

I find most of the time the objections to praying or speaking to the Saints or Mary are the following…

“It says here in the bible, do not speak to the dead.  Speak only to the living and have nothing to do with the dead.”  (which would be necromancy)

Another objection is “why are you asking or praying to the Saints or Mary, why not just Pray and ask God directly yourself?”

The point might be brought up, “How can you think they can hear you, they’re in heaven, do you think they’re omniscient?

Why do you kneel before the statues? That’s idol worship! (click for answer)

All of these are valid questions and concerns. 

So let’s take this one point at a time and I think we’ll see that we have more in common as Christians than differences.

Remember, it is always with the spirit of Unity in Christ that this website has been created.  Rather than closing yourself off to some of these concepts, give them a chance.  Ponder them, pray about it and you will undoubtedly find that none of these beliefs go against your own.  You may not wholeheartedly agree with them or the way they are carried out but that’s ok.  Every Christian has different ways of expressing their love and beliefs. 

Think of it this way, Protestants can be a left hand, Baptists a foot, Catholics can be a right hand, Pentecostals can be a right foot etc.  We all may be different parts and have different functions but we are all part of the same body of Christ.  We don’t shoot ourselves in the foot or step on our own hands.  A house divided against itself won’t stand and neither will a body.  Together, united, we function more perfectly and harmoniously, the way God intended.

So back to the question at hand. First, let me ask you this, when you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Savior, you believe you have everlasting what…….?  “Life!” Correct!

So let’s just establish the fact  that we are speaking with the living and not the dead…(Mark 12:27) He is God, not of the dead, but of the living. (Luke 20:37-38) And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him everyone is alive. Also…”He who believes in the Son has everlasting life…” (John 3:36) and …”Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” (John 6:47).

So heaven is full of saints, living in the presence of God. Now of course we always say that when a soul is saved, heaven rejoices. So does that mean angels and saints are omniscient? Of course not, but only a childlike mind would believe that spirits not of this world, would be bound by the physical limitations of this world. How would they be aware of what’s happening in our world? Does God give them quarterly reports? Do they have holyvision channel 7? If we can listen or see someone on the other side of the planet, would you believe that God can do less for his beloved? Furthermore, it is scriptural that they are not limited physically. 

Think of Moses and Elijah when they visited Jesus.  “And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.” (Matthew 17:3). Did they take a bus?

(Rev. 6:9-11) says… 9 When he broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of all the people who had been killed on account of the Word of God, for witnessing to it. 

10 They shouted in a loud voice, ‘Holy, true Master, how much longer will you wait before you pass sentence and take vengeance for our death on the inhabitants of the earth?’ 

11 Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little longer, until the roll was completed of their fellow-servants and brothers who were still to be killed as they had been.

(Rev 5:7-8) 7 The Lamb came forward to take the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne, 

8 and when he took it, the four living creatures prostrated themselves before him and with them the twenty-four elders; each one of them was holding a harp and had a golden bowl full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.

(Rev 8:3-4) 3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. A large quantity of incense was given to him to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that stood in front of the throne; 

4 and so from the angel’s hand the smoke of the incense went up in the presence of God and with it the prayers of the saints.

Now one thing people sometimes say is “well, we’re the saints”.  No, anyone who does the will of the Lord is.  Do I know anyone on earth so well as to know their heart or their mind?  Am I called to judge?  No. We are only allowed to be fruit inspectors.  By the promises of Jesus Christ and by studying the lives of those that have completed their mortal life on earth, Whether they made the greatest sacrifice any man can give which was to give his life for another, and or by their life/testimony acceptance and living by the Will of God, we can declare (or the seat of Peter) can by Jesus’ own authority, who is a “canonized” saint. 

Just what is it that they do in heaven after all? They don’t shoot pool and play darts! They praise and glorify the Lord! They intercede and pray for us, that we all may be saved and for our petitions! Thus, we ask (pray) the saints ask the Lord for us, for our health, our lives, our family, just as I would ask a brother or sister saint here on earth to pray to the Lord for us. It’s not that we can’t pray to God directly.  If I asked you to pray for my mom or my brother because they’re sick, you wouldn’t say…”Why? Why don’t you ask God yourself?!” You would say, “Of course, what’s their name?” We ask both here on earth and in heaven to pray for us. Why? Because we know that the prayer of a righteous man is heard.

(James 5:15-16)  15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. 

16 So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another to be cured; the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully.

(Proverbs 15:29)

The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous

Regardless, whether you wish to ask a brother or sister on earth or heaven to pray for you, it is not a matter of salvation.  It is simply a matter of one’s own faith and how they choose to practice it.  It is biblical, but it is not a requirement of salvation.