Answer:
The issue of
Catholics praying to saints is one
that is full of confusion. It is the
official position of the Roman
Catholic Church that Catholics do
not pray TO saints or Mary, but
rather that Catholics can ask saints
or Mary to pray FOR them. The
official position of the Roman
Catholic Church is that asking
saints for their prayers is no
different than asking someone here
on earth to pray for you. However,
the practice of many Catholics
diverges from official Roman
Catholic teaching. Many Catholics do
in fact pray directly to saints
and/or Mary, asking them for help –
instead of asking the saints and/or
Mary to intercede with God for help.
Whatever the case, whether a saint
or Mary is being prayed to, or asked
to pray, neither practice has any
Biblical basis.
The Bible nowhere instructs
believers in Christ to pray to
anyone other than God. The Bible
nowhere encourages, or even
mentions, believers asking
individuals in Heaven for their
prayers. Why, then, do many Catholic
pray to Mary and/or the saints, or
request their prayers? Catholics
view Mary and saints as
"intercessors" before God. They
believe that a saint, who is
glorified in Heaven, has more
"direct access" to God than we do.
Therefore, if a saint delivers a
prayer to God, it is more effective
than us praying to God directly.
This concept is blatantly
unbiblical. Hebrews 4:16 tells us
that we, believers here on earth,
can "...approach the throne of grace
with confidence..."
1 Timothy 2:5 declares, "For there
is one God and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
There is no one else that can
mediate with God for us. If Jesus is
the ONLY mediator, that indicates
Mary and saints cannot be mediators.
They cannot mediate our prayer
requests to God. Further, the Bible
tells us that Jesus Christ Himself
is interceding for us before the
Father, "Therefore He is able to
save completely those who come to
God through Him, because He always
lives to intercede for them"
(Hebrews 7:25). With Jesus Himself
interceding for us, why would we
need Mary or the saints to intercede
for us? Who would God listen to more
closely than His Son? Romans 8:26-27
describes the Holy Spirit
interceding for us. With the 2nd and
3rd members of the Trinity already
interceding for us before the Father
in Heaven, what possible need could
there be to have Mary or the saints
interceding for us?
Catholics argue that praying to Mary
and the saints is no different than
asking someone here on earth to pray
for you. Let us examine that claim.
(1) The Apostle Paul asks other
Christians to pray for him in
Ephesians 6:19. Many Scriptures
describe believers praying for one
another (2 Corinthians 1:11;
Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:19; 2
Timothy 1:3). The Bible nowhere
mentions anyone asking for someone
in Heaven to pray for them. The
Bible nowhere describes anyone in
Heaven praying for anyone on earth.
(2) The Bible gives absolutely no
indication that Mary or the saints
can hear our prayers. Mary and the
saints are not omniscient. Even
glorified in Heaven, they are still
finite beings with limitations. How
could they possibly hear the prayers
of millions of people? Whenever the
Bible mentions praying to or
speaking with the dead, it is in the
context of sorcery, witchcraft,
necromancy, and divination -
activities the Bible strongly
condemns (Leviticus 20:27;
Deuteronomy 18:10-13). The one
instance when a "saint" is spoken
to, Samuel in 1 Samuel 28:7-19,
Samuel was not exactly happy to be
disturbed. It is plainly clear that
praying to Mary or the saints is
completely different from asking
someone here on earth to pray for
you. One has a strong Biblical
basis, the other has no Biblical
basis whatsoever.
God does not answer prayers based on
who is praying. God answers prayers
based on whether they are asked
according to His will (1 John
5:14-15). There is absolutely no
basis or need to pray to anyone
other than God alone. There is no
basis for asking those who are in
Heaven to pray for us. Only God can
hear our prayers. Only God can
answer our prayers. No one in Heaven
has any greater access to God's
throne that we do through prayer
(Hebrews 4:16).