One of practices of Catholic faith that causes more confusion among Protestant friends is the practice of praying to the saints. For those who aren't familiar with Catholicism it comes across as having "middle men," or to the more extreme anti-Catholics as "polytheism" or even "idolatry."
However, perhaps the following idea will help my Protestant friends understand why we do this, and maybe it might encourage them to think more deeply about those who have passed into Heaven before us.
How often have you, a Protestant, asked a friend or family member to pray for you concerning some issue, need, dilemma, decision, etc., etc.? Happens all the time—explains all the prayer lists, email feeds, and such that I get on a daily basis full of prayer requests from other people, so I can pray for them.
Catholics do the same thing, except that we not only believe that those who are living alongside us can intercede on our behalf just like you or another friend can, but also that the "eternally" living "saints" in heaven can pray for us too. After all, the righteous that have died before us have the distinct privilege to be right there in God's throne room, why not have them right there interceding in God's presence for us, too?
Nearly everyone who mistakes this practice for polytheism or idolatry hasn't taken the time to read many of the prayers that are often prepared for a particular cause or saint (prepared prayers are commonplace as a direction for thought). Every one of those prayers is not a request to provide us some "benefit" like we would pray to God directly for, but that they would "pray [to God] for us." Go ahead, read some of 'em. In fact, throughout whole Litany of the Saints, the response to the name of each saint is "pray for us."
So, before a friend accuses you of "not dialing direct," explain it to 'em in a way they'll understand it.
Thoughts?
—S.B.
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