HOW
TO RESPOND WHEN SOMEONE SAYS:
“PRAYING TO THE SAINTS IS IDOLATROUS”
Many
Protestants object to Catholic practice of praying to the saints and
asking for their intercession. God
alone is worthy of worship and adoration (ef. Exodus 20:2-5), and He
forbids any form of idolatry (that is, worshipping a false god, or
placing anyone or anything ahead of our loyalty to Him). Prayer and devotions to the saints seemingly detract from
Christ’s unique role as Savior, for as 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “There is
one God and one mediator between God and men, the name Jesus Christ.”
Catholic
Response
Jesus
is indeed our Savior, and “Salvation is found in no one else, for
there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be
saved” (Acts4:12). However,
Jesus has freely chosen to work through His Church, and there is no
reason to believe Christians can no longer help and pray for their
brothers and sisters on earth once they themselves are in heaven.
Indeed, because of the perfect love which exists in heaven, the
saints would presumably be even more willing and able to intercede for
others than they were on earth. Praying
to the saints is not the same as worshipping them; all the saints,
except Mary were themselves sinners, and all the saints, including Mary,
were themselves in need of God’s free gift of salvation. By honoring
the saints, we honor the God Who created them; we should ask for their
prayers, just as we ask our fellow Christians on earth to pray for us.
Scripture
Passages Supporting the Catholic View
Luke
20:37-38 – “But in the account of the [burning] bush even Moses
showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord “the God of Abraham,
and the God Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” He is not the God of the dead, but of the living for to Him
all are alive.” Comments:
Jesus states that all are alive to God – and those who live in His
presence can and must demonstrate love for others.
The saints do this by interceding on our behalf in response to
our prayers.
Luke
9:30-31 – [During the Transfiguration] “Two men, Moses and Elijah,
appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.
They spoke about His departure, which He was about to bring to
fulfillment in Jerusalem.” Comment:
Moses and Elijah, though no longer physically alive on earth, were
involved in concerned with the process by which Jesus was to save
humanity.
1
Timothy 2:1,3 – “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers,
intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone…This is good, and
pleases God our Savior…” Comment:
If indeed it pleases God when we pray for others, the saints –
who are perfect in love-surely must pray for us.
2
Corinthians 1:10-11 – “On Him we have set our hope that He will
continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.
Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor
granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” Comment:
If a great saint like Paul could be helped by the prayers of
imperfect Christians on earth, surely we can be helped even more by the
prayers of those who are in heaven after being made perfect through
Christ’s grace.
A
Few Final Thoughts
Catholics
honor and esteem the saints, but do not worship them.
Having paintings and statues in their honor is no more idolatrous
than keeping photographs of our loved ones; praying to them and asking
their help is no more idolatrous than a widow or widower’s practice of
talking aloud to a deceased spouse at his or her gravesite.
Referring to the saints, Hebrew 12:1 says that “we are
surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.”
The holy men and women of every age – if we wish – intimately
involved in our lives, and their witness or example can be a source of
guidance and inspiration as we undergo our own struggles to be faithful
to God. This truth is an
important part of our Christian belief in the unity of the Body of
Christ, a belief dating back to the earliest years of the Church -–and
Catholicism, more than any other religion, has preserved it.
Let us ‘imitate those who through faith and patience inherit
what has been promised” (Hebrew 6:12).
-by
Fr. Joseph Esper, Pastor,
Our Lady of Loreto Church (Redford, Michigan)
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