We Are Never Alone
A saint is simply a person who is in heaven. The Church does not "make" saints; God does. The Church merely recognizes that certain people have successfully run the race and are now with God. They are the "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) surrounding us.
A saint is a person in heaven, and the useful part is what each of them actually did to get there. Catholic/Christian Pro gives you audio devotionals on the saints, guided prayers including novenas and litanies, in-depth Bible studies on Hebrews 12 and Revelation 5 where the communion of saints is set out, worship playlists, and offline access. The cloud of witnesses is available to you today rather than at some later point. $49 one-time, lifetime access, no subscription, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Get Pro for $49 One-time payment. No recurring charge. 30-day money-back guarantee.They aren't dead! "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Mark 12:27). Moses and Elijah appeared alive at the Transfiguration. In Revelation 5:8, the elders in heaven offer up "bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."
Praying to saints is not worship; it is intercession. Just as you ask your friends on earth to pray for you, we ask our friends in heaven (who are much closer to God and have no distractions) to pray for us.
Anyone who has been told that asking a saint to pray is idolatry knows how quickly the conversation moves past what the texts say. Pro gives you in-depth Bible studies on Revelation 5:8, Mark 12:27, Hebrews 12:1 and 1 Timothy 2:5, the passages both sides argue from, plus audio devotionals, guided prayers, worship playlists and full offline access. Learn the answer before you need it. $49 one-time, lifetime access, no subscription, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Get Pro for $49 One-time payment for lifetime access. No subscription. 30-day money-back guarantee.The process is rigorous and can take centuries:
Catholics don't pray TO saints as gods, but ASK saints to pray FOR us, just as we ask friends on earth to pray for us. The saints in heaven are alive in Christ (Matthew 22:32) and their prayers are powerful (James 5:16, Revelation 5:8). We always pray through Christ as our one mediator.
Yes. Revelation 5:8 shows the saints in heaven offering prayers to God. Hebrews 12:1 speaks of being surrounded by a 'cloud of witnesses.' 2 Maccabees 15:14 shows the deceased prophet Jeremiah praying for the living. The early Church unanimously practiced asking saints for intercession.
Canonization involves: (1) Investigation of the person's life and writings, (2) Declaration as 'Servant of God,' (3) Verification of heroic virtue leading to 'Venerable,' (4) A confirmed miracle for 'Beatification' (Blessed), (5) A second miracle for 'Canonization' (Saint). This process can take decades or centuries.
Canonization takes centuries. Asking one of them to pray for you takes nine days, and there is no reason for you to wait. Pro gives you guided novenas and litanies to the saints, audio devotionals on their lives, in-depth Bible studies on the communion of saints in Hebrews, Revelation and the Gospels, worship playlists, and offline access to all of it. Praying to the saints is free, your parish is free, and no account here is needed to read this page. Pro buys the audio and the study material and nothing else, and it has no bearing on your standing before God. $49 one-time, lifetime access, no subscription, 30-day money-back guarantee.
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