13 May 2008 - My first email question has come in! I've
requested feedback many times about the site, however, not many responses have ever
been submitted. If I had to choose one or the other, though, I very much prefer that
people question me on my faith, about which I am so passionate, rather than making
comments on the format of a web-page. 8-P I firmly believe that by discussing our
faiths openly, people can come to the realization that most differences are simply
semantic, and we can have the unity that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel According to
John, "I pray not only for them [the apostles], but also for those who will believe
in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and
I in you, that they also may be in us... (John 17: 20-21)."
My sincere thanks go out to Tom both for asking such a great
question and for letting me post his message in a reflection! Along with that, I
would encourage anyone else out there who has questions about my reflections to
submit them. All questions will remain anonymous and unannounced unless you
specifically say its ok for me to mention anything. I'll be the first to admit that
I'm no theologian and don't have many of the answers that people might ask, but
thankfully, I know some extremely knowedgeable people who have the resources to
answer most any question about the Roman Catholic faith.
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Daniel,
I read your article about Divine Mercy where you mentioned praying to St. Faustina.
I'm not catholic but want to know what you mean when a catholic prays to anyone other
than God.
-Tom
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People more intelligent than I have pondered this exact question,
and have written down their conclusions starting with paragraph 954 of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church:
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"When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will
be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his
disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still
others are in glory, contemplating 'in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly
as he is'":
All of us, however, in varying degrees and in different ways share in
the same charity towards God and our neighbours, and we all sing the one hymn of glory
to our God. All, indeed, who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and
in Christ cleave together.
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The main idea expressed here is that those, who remained faithful
during their life and are now in eternal glory, are just as much a part of the Body of
Christ as are the faithful currently living on earth. The fact that we who remain here
are a part of God's "Pigrim Church" on earth, speaks simply to the fact that we have
not yet arrived in Heaven but continue to earnestly seek his glory. The people whose
souls are now in the direct presence of God are seen to be part of the "Church
Triumphant," a group which I'm sure all Christians one day hope to be in! These are
the people who can say, "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept
the faith (2 Timothy 4:7)."
Since as Catholics, we acknowledge the Communion of Saints, the
Catechism goes on to say in paragraph 957:
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"It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory
of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the excercise of
fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit my be strengthened.
Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ,
so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain
and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself":
We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's
disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards
their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples!
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There are several really good points about the Catholic faith which
are highlighted here. First of all, our devotion to the saints is centered around
Christ. Forming a type of "Holy Hall of Fame", their lives were completely devoted
to loving God despite the shortcomings of their humanity. I personally take immense
comfort in the fact that sinners with seemingly weak flesh can still attain to
the greatest grace through Christ who is love.
Additionally, it should be noted that Catholics definitely do
approach the one, triune God with our petitions as the primary step. Our worship for
and relationship with God through the mediation of Christ is of utmost importance
to our Catholic faith.
Finally, we see the importance of other believers to our own
relationship with God. I've become completely aware of the fact that I will never
fully understand the greatness of love that comprises God on my own. Each person
whom I encounter likely has experienced a completely different facet of the infinite
compassion that God shows to his creations. By opening myself up to the perspectives
of my responsible faith role-models, I've come to have a much deeper appreciation
than I ever would have reached on my own. Through study of their lives and
especially through the intercession of the saints, I seek to sanctify my own life by
emulating the holiness that they exhibited during their lives.
This brings me to the point of (finally) answering your question.
;-) When I "pray" to the saints, I am asking for them to intercede to God on my
behalf. My personal thought is that much of the misunderstanding between Catholics
and many Protestant communities comes from our understanding of the word "pray."
When I was a practicing Protestant, before 2004, I understood the
concept of prayer to be defined as talking with God. My Catholic understanding of
the word is more like communicating with God.
Please don't misunderstand me to be saying that we Catholics put the
saints on the same level as God, because this is most certainly not the case. A good
way to better explain my belief would be to give an example.
When most Christians encounter a difficult situation, such as trying
to decide whether or not to move into a completely different job, they would talk
the situation over with a few trusted friends, asking for their advice. Most would
then go on to ask for their friends to pray for them during their discernment of the
situation so that they would be able to correctly follow God's will. The communion
and intercession of the saints is, in essence, no different than this. Their
petitions on behalf of the faithful on earth simply seek additional communication
with God. As paragraph 956 on the Catechism states:
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"Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix
the whole Church more firmly in holiness. ...[T]hey do not cease to intercede with
the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through
the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus ... So by their fraternal
concern is our weakness greatly helped."
"Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I
shall help you then more effectively than during my life." -- St. Dominic, dying, to
his brothers
"I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth." -- St. Thérèse
de Lisieux
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It very much stands to reason that those who were so keenly
concerned with love for and the well-being of others during their lives would not
abandon their selfless passions after they enter the gates of glory. Now in the
presence of the Almighty Triune God, we do believe that they ever seek the will
of God through their prayers gathered around his throne. When any saint hears of
a need of one of the faithful pilgrims on earth, I'm certain that they begin
fervent prayer for the intention to be done if it is within the will of the
Father.
Before I went through the formal rite of being accepted into the
Catholic Church, on the feast of the Assumption of Mary, I heard a homily from
one Fr. Ben who said, "The Hail Mary prayer is no more than a friend asking
another friend to pray for them in a difficult situation. Its just that the
latter friend gave birth to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." I think that
this idea speaks volumes to how I personally approach my relationship with the
saints. Firmly believing that my friends are in the presence of the Almighty,
I can prayerfully and hopefully ask for their prayers to be added to my own
in requesting God's mercy.
In closing, please allow me to give an example from my own life.
My grandfather just passed away this past February, bringing a great sense of my
own loss. Based on the way in which he followed God during his days on the
earth, I have no doubt in my mind that he is in heaven. Despite this belief, I
still couldn't help but feel a bit of despair not only for the fact that I would
not get to listen to his stories any longer or hear his laughter at one of the
many jokes told by my family, but mainly because my son would never have the
opportunity to meet so wonderful a person.
At the mass which I attended the Sunday after his death, the
Holy Spirit called my attention to something that is said every week during the
celebration of the liturgy.
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"Therefore, joining with the choirs of angels and saints in
proclaiming your glory, we sing, 'Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.'"
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I can hardly type this now without tears coming to my eyes,
but these failing words cannot express how comforted I was in that moment. To
be shown by God that my voice would join with Grandpa's as he sings of God's
glory around his very throne, was absolutely amazing. I can say that I felt
just as connected with my grandfather at that moment as I did when he was alive,
if not moreso!
One of my favorite memories is when as much of the family as
could, would gather at Grandpa's house for Easter to hear the Christmas story
as told in the Gospel according to Luke. Every year, we would always end by
singing carols and praises to God in thanksgiving for his live for us. Now, to
think that every Sunday I get to sing with Grandpa remains a great comfort to
me. The only difference is that one of us remains a pilgrim while the other
triumphantly stands at the throne of God, praying without ceasing for those who
remain on earth.
Thanks be to God!
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St. Edward the Confessor
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St. Juan Diego
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St. Thérèse de Lisieux
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Questions about this article or any other faith-based issue? Send Daniel an
email and he'll do his darndest to find the
answer!
Sources:
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Catechism of the Catholic Church. “Paragraph 5. The Communion of Saints.” USCCB.org. 13 May 2008. http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm
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