BLOG POST | Hey Deacon!

Another popular R.C.I.A. question: Why pray to Mary and the saints when I can go straight to Jesus?

The Bible actually tells Christians to pray for one another.  In James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” 

Praying for one another is powerful and the prayers of a righteous person are very powerful.  And when it comes to asking Mary to pray for us, what human, other than the God-Man Jesus, is more righteous than her?  She is full of grace (Luke 1:28) and blessed among women (Luke 1:42).  Mary is our mother; Jesus extended her motherhood to all humanity when he was on the cross (John 19:26-27). What good mother isn’t concerned with her children? 

The book of Revelation supports that humans and angels in Heaven are conscience of and pray for Christians on Earth. Revelation 8:3-4 reads “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.”  This text clearly states that angels in heaven are offering up the prayers of the saints.  

Who are they praying for? Well, they are not praying for the people in heaven, they don’t need prayers and they have been saved and are with God in Heaven. They aren’t praying for people in hell because they are eternally damned. They must be praying for the Church on Earth and those in Purgatory to intercede on our behalf. The Catholic Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has always known and taught this from its start (33 AD).

Many times non-Catholic Christians accuse Catholics of praying to the Saints and not going to Jesus. Catholics have always gone to Jesus. During every Mass Catholics recite the Lord’s Prayer. If one listens closely during Mass, everything is asked, “Through Christ our Lord”.  Practicing Catholics have the most intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, greater than any Protestant Christian group; by Christ’s command we actually consume his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity at every Mass. Christ literally becomes part of us and strengthens us on our road to holiness and salvation.

Just like Catholics who go directly to Jesus, but also ask Mary and the Saints to pray for us, Protestants themselves ask for the prayers of their pastors, ministers, elders, family and friends. There is nothing wrong with this.  All Christians should have an intimate relationship with Jesus, but also be united with the other members of the Body of Christ in prayer.  With this in mind, how much greater are our prayers when we seek the intercessions of Mary and the angles and saints.



Author Bio:
Deacon Dan Vaughn