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Intercessory Prayer

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

/ 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?”

/ 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: Does My Prayer Help Anybody?”

/ Ask a Priest, Prayer and Spiritual Growth
Q: As I am getting on in my spiritual life, stumbling and getting up, a lot of questions and doubts arise in my mind. One such question is, how does my prayer help anybody? If everybody has a free will, and God will not violate anyone’s will, how will my prayers help? Wouldn’t God do what he needs to do for every soul without someone asking him? He loves us more than anyone else. So wouldn’t he do everything on his own accord without anyone asking him? -B.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: Thanks for your note. Let me try to answer your questions briefly.

“How does my prayer help anybody? If everybody has a free will, and God will not violate anyone’s will, how will my prayers help?”

There is no dilemma between praying for someone and God’s will and the other person’s free will. Imagine if you have a flat tire on a deserted road. A husband and wife stop their car, and the husband offers to change your tire for you. His offer of help and his subsequent toil to change the tire don’t violate your free will.

Similarly, by praying for someone, you are trying to help the person. God in turn might offer help the person in one form or another, but ultimately the person still has the freedom to accept or reject the help.

The Church esteems and encourages intercessory prayer. The Catechism in 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.”

Now, on to your next questions: “Wouldn’t God do what He needs to do for every soul without someone asking him? He loves us more than anyone else. So wouldn’t he do everything on his own accord without anyone asking him?”

God sees and knows everything — past, present and future. There might be times when God will grant someone help precisely because he has already foreseen that someone would pray for that help. It is good to remember that, in a sense, prayer is also for our benefit — it gives us the chance to recognize our dependence on God and to show our faith in his providence.

There is no contradiction, by the way, between God’s love for us and his foreknowledge of what we need, and the need for prayer.

Imagine a rich man who has a son. The rich man can give his son any material thing he needs. But the father in his wisdom will require his son to work for certain things (an allowance, for instance) or to ask for certain things (to foster a sense of gratitude). The father doesn’t require these things out of a lack of love; rather, it is because of his love that he wants to cultivate certain virtues in his son.

In truth, God gives us plenty of things without our asking. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). Long before we could even talk, God was feeding and clothing us, via the help of our parents. At some point, though, he wants us to ask for things, to pray for things, so that we can grow closer to him, to be more aware of our dependence on him, to show our gratitude to him.

Another analogy might help here. Imagine parents who are delighted when their children help out one another, even though the mom or dad would have been able to give the help given by the siblings. The parents, like God, prefer at times to give their children the space they need to become generous with one another.

By all means, try to see your prayers as having a positive value for yourself, for others, and for the glory of God.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!