Intercession archivos

“Ask a Priest: What If I’m Considering Catholicism but at a Crossroads?”

September 15, 2020 / Ask a Priest, Doctrine, Mary

Q: I am scheduled to be baptized in a few months in a nondenominational church. I am a college student and have been a Protestant my whole life. I do not want to put off my baptism if at all possible. However, this last year I began researching Catholicism and Protestantism. The result of all my reading has been absolute confusion. I am no longer convinced that Protestantism is correct. And I no longer believe Catholicism is synonymous with idolatry. I admit that there seems to be merit to Catholic doctrine. I don’t know how to find clarity. I don’t feel comfortable attending a Catholic church, in part because I recently watched an interview with a Protestant where he stated that praying to Mary and the saints was a serious offense against God and could keep someone from heaven. I am not sure what I am supposed to do at this point. I am aware of a Newman Center on campus and a Catholic church near me. In many aspects I think I have a fairly decent grasp on Catholic teachings. I just don’t know whether they are right or not. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! – C.M.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It sounds as though the Holy Spirit has been working in your heart and nudging you further on your journey to seek the truth.

A quick clarification if I may: Although you have a genuine desire to be a Christian, it takes baptism to be linked ontologically – that is, in your very being – to Christianity.

If you find merit in the Catholic faith, it might be good to pursue that and to delve deeper into your research.

You will find that Catholicism has an internal coherence; all the parts fit together.

This isn’t to say that there will be some mysterious bits and there. Jesus didn’t reveal everything, after all. But what he did reveal, he revealed for our spiritual good. And it is the Catholic Church that guards and teaches what Our Lord taught and did.

As for praying to Mary and the saints: We ask Mary and the saints to intercede for us, much as someone might ask a friend to pray for a sick relative. For Mary and the saints are fully alive and capable of interceding for us.

We know that they are alive, since Scripture itself points to the endurance of souls after physical death.

Moses, who died (Deuteronomy 34:5), appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration (Matthew 7:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). And Our Lord tells the Sadducees, “Have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living” (Matthew 22:31-32).

Intercession itself is common throughout the Bible.

Think of the intercession of Moses for the Israelites in the desert. “Then the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray to the LORD to take the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people” (Numbers 21:7). [italics mine]

Elsewhere the Israelites wanted Moses to intervene — in the other direction: “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we shall die” (Exodus 20:19).

Then think of the Gospels. Jesus’ first miracle, the changing of water into wine at Cana, came at the intercession of Mary his mother (John 2:1-11). If the intercession of figures such as Moses and Mary won favor with God in this world, it’s not hard to imagine that they could still intercede in heaven.

At this point you might consider attending Mass at the Newman Center (though refraining from receiving Communion). Just hearing the readings and the prayers and the homilies and being in the presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist will help you.

In the meantime try to make time for prayer each day. Feel free to speak with someone at the Newman Center or at that nearby Catholic parish.

If you feel drawn to the Church, you might consider joining an RCIA program at a parish. You might not need too much instruction if you are already familiar with Catholic teaching.

You might take a look at Patrick Madrid’s Surprised by Truth. Also helpful might be our free Retreat Guides.

And feel free to send any further questions to Ask a Priest. Count on my prayers.

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“Ask a Priest: Why Pray for Someone If God Won’t Force Grace on the Person?”

April 16, 2019 / Ask a Priest, Prayer and Spiritual Growth

Q: I have struggling a bit with our practice of asking others for prayers and praying for others. I can understand that I need to pray to God to help me. But how I can pray to God for graces for others who do not ask directly of God, as Our Lord won’t force things on us? I recall a homily where the priest said many people asked him for prayers. He reminded us that we can’t outsource prayers. This really spoke to me. Also, I struggle somewhat when we give a lot of credit to St. Monica’s prayers for St. Augustine’s conversion – does that mean if we have a mother like St. Monica, or someone who prays like her for someone, that that person will be converted and become a saint? — J.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: Intercessory prayer for others is a great act of charity.

Scripture backs this up. St. Paul writes, “I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

But what might be some of the reasons behind intercessory prayer?

First, prayer is very hard for some people. Some people might not even think to pray for themselves. There could be lots of reasons – such as fear or ignorance or shakiness in the faith. So they turn to others for help.

Second, some people are holier, and their prayers might have more weight with God, so to speak. And these holy people are sometimes in demand as intercessors.

Third, keep in mind that God has given all of us the power to help one another. I can help people by changing their flat tire, or even by passing them the salt during dinner. Why not help them by praying for them? This capacity to help one another is one of the beautiful aspects about being created in God’s image.

The Catechism in No. 2634 says, “Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners.He is ‘able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.’ The Holy Spirit ‘himself intercedes for us … and intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.'”

No. 2635 says, “Since Abraham, intercession — asking on behalf of another — has been characteristic of a heart attuned to God’s mercy. In the age of the Church, Christian intercession participates in Christ’s, as an expression of the communion of saints. In intercession, he who prays looks ‘not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,’ even to the point of praying for those who do him harm.”

God won’t force his grace on anyone, of course. But part of his grace could be precisely to open the heart of someone who needs to be closer to him – and who needs to recognize that basic truth.

The pastor you mention has a good point. People should never presume that they can shift their obligation to pray onto someone else’s shoulders. That would be a mockery of intercessory prayer. Nevertheless, intercessory prayer in principle retains its value.

As for the case of St. Monica: Her example is certainly praiseworthy, and over the centuries it has given more than a few moms a source of hope for their wayward children.

Still, prayer is not like using a vending machine. There is no guarantee that someone will insert coins (prayers), and outs pops the candy bar (a conversion and a saint). There are lots of factors involved. Some souls resist grace. Other souls might convert, though it might take a lot of people’s prayers. It’s not easy to do a simple calculation when it comes to prayers and divine favors.

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“Ask a Priest: What About Mariology, Prayers to Saints and Absolution of Sins?”

May 12, 2015 / Ask a Priest, Mary

Q: I have been raised Protestant and have held Protestant views for nearly my entire life. Recently, I have felt as though something is missing from it all. I have felt a pull from Catholicism, but there are parts of it that I still am unsure of, particularly Mariology, prayers to saints, and priests being able to absolve sins (although I find no other issue with the sacrament of confession). How can I know if Catholicism is the true church as it claims? Any guidance would be much appreciated. -Z.W.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: Thanks for your note. I can’t give you proof about the veracity of Catholicism. If I could, then there would be no need for faith. It takes faith to accept any creed. But I could offer a few points that might help you with your doubts.

Nothing in Catholicism contradicts Scripture. You mention a difficulty with Mariology. Catholics venerate, but not worship, Mary as the Mother of God. Our veneration of her is certainly in line with Scripture, for Mary says, “From now on will all ages call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). And, indeed, we call her the Blessed Mother.

Regarding prayers to the saints: It is normal for Christians to ask one another for prayers. We do it all the time. The intercession of fellow Christians — which is what the saints in heaven are — doesn’t interfere with Christ’s role as the unique mediator between God and man. St. Paul emphasizes that point: “There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

Notice, however, in the preceding verses that St. Paul also praises the practice of intercessory prayer. “First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

As for priests being able to absolve sins, Scripture itself indicates that this is a power God has chosen to delegate. “‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ — he then said to the paralytic, ‘Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.’ He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings” (Matthew 9:6-8). Notice that plural, human beings — the passage isn’t just referring to Jesus’ power to absolve. And later on, in the Gospel according to John, Jesus explicitly delegates this power to his apostles: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained'” (John 20:22-23).

The idea of a person being an instrument for the wiping away of sins should be familiar to Protestants. After all, baptism takes away all sin — and baptism is routinely administered by Protestants to people entering their denomination.

What might be helpful is for you to start looking more closely at the teachings of the Church.

A good place to start could be the Compendium of the Catechism; it has references to specific numbers in the heavier Catechism of the Catholic Church. You also might like the series of books edited by Patrick Madrid under the title “Surprised by Truth.” These books consist of short chapters written by men and women who have come into the Catholic Church after long journeys of study and discernment.

Beyond that, take all this to prayer. Ask Jesus for guidance, and have confidence that the Holy Spirit “will guide you to all truth” (John 16:13). I hope some of this helps. God bless.

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“Ask a Priest: Why do we pray to the saints?”

September 19, 2014 / Ask a Priest, Prayer and Spiritual Growth

Q: I have been trying to explain why we pray to saints to one of my sisters and I’m a little lost. Is there some book I could read that would give me as simple an explanation as possible to relate to her? -M.O.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: The simple way to think about our praying to the saints is this: All the faithful are part of the Church, the mystical body of Christ. And as with a physical body, the good of one part of the body helps the other parts too.

The Catechism in No. 947 says, “Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others. … We must therefore believe that there exists a communion of goods in the Church.”

That “communion of goods” includes the ability of the saints – those souls who are in heaven – to intercede for us. The Catechism in its part on Christian Prayer says in No. 2683: “The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom, especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives, the transmission of their writings, and their prayer today. They contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were ‘put in charge of many things.’ Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.”

Intercession of the saints builds on a common practice we see in this world. Think of how often we might say, “I am praying for you” or “Please pray for my Aunt Beth who is having surgery tomorrow.” It is a sign of our concern for one another’s well-being. Think too of the more-mundane examples of intercession that are common. As children perhaps we learned to go to Mom first if we wanted something from Dad. Or we used our influence to get a relative a job or a legitimate favor from a local politician.

None of this, of course, is meant to discourage praying directly to Christ. Our closeness to Christ in fact engenders our closeness to one another, so those petitions for intercession seem to be a fitting way to involve others in our prayer life.

Intercession is encouraged in the Bible. For instance, 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says: “First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior.”

Intercession is a natural and supernatural way we help one another and build bonds. In the Church this is part of what the “communion of saints” is about. Another part is that you and I can pray (intercede) for the souls in purgatory — thus we can still do acts of charity for loved ones who have died. Indeed the faithful on earth as well as the souls in purgatory and heaven all form part of the body of Christ. (By the way, the Catechism is the most accessible book I could recommend on the notion of praying to the saints. A helpful article can be found here.)

I hope this helps. And I pray that you help enlighten others about the richness of praying to the saints. God bless.

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Intercession

“Ask a Priest: What If I’m Considering Catholicism but at a Crossroads?”

Got a question? Need an answer?

“Ask a Priest: Why Pray for Someone If God Won’t Force Grace on the Person?”

Keep learning more with Ask a Priest

Got a question? Need an answer?

“Ask a Priest: What About Mariology, Prayers to Saints and Absolution of Sins?”

“Ask a Priest: Why do we pray to the saints?”

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