Many people, Christians and those who embrace a non-Christian belief, are uncomfortable with those of us in the catholic tradition (which includes the CCC) who include prayer to (or with) the saints in our lives. The assertion that “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1Timothy 2:5) can be particularly troubling for some who are uncertain about the relationship we cultivate with the saints. Hundreds of books and articles on apologetics have address all sides of this issue. I am glad about this, as it is impossible for me, in this modest blog space, to even attempt to do justice to the issue. What I will try to do is to share my understanding.

Let me first assert that I agree absolutely with the writer of 1 Timothy. I also invite you to examine the rest of the passage, which is almost entirely concerned with intercessory prayer. If we the living are invited to pray for our fellow humankind, what of those who have died? Another statement from Paul will suffice to show my position on this. Our God is God of the living, not of the dead. All those who sleep in Christ have eternal life.

By the first century AD many Jews were beginning to embrace the concept of life after death. Many, but not all, anticipated a resurrection on a future Day of the Lord. When she confronted Jesus after her brother died, Mary confessed her faith in the resurrection. For some, the notion of a conscious life after death was not unfamiliar. Jesus’ parable recorded in Luke, Chapter 16, of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar was addressed to an audience that would have had little or no problem accepting the idea of a conversation between the deceased rich man and Abraham.

Although it is mentioned only in passing, in the Passion account graves were opened and many saints were seen walking. Saint Paul writes that we are “surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). It is clear to me that the concept of the Body of Christ and Communion of Saints was understood in Apostolic times.

But what of active, participating saints who intercede on our behalf. In Revelations Chapter 8 there is a scene where elders are present before God. When reading this passage I find that their role is to receive the prayers of the faithful and present them before God. This clearly shows active participation in the cares of living people!

As a church that is fully catholic, in that it adheres to the teachings of the undivided church and her first seven ecumenical councils, the Celtic Christian Church (one of many) confesses the Nicene Creed. We unequivocally state, “We believe in the Communion of Saints.” There are some who would hold that the “saints” are only those here on earth who are Christians living in faith. This is a distortion of what the Council meant. The Communion of Saints includes all who have been saved, here on earth and in Heaven.

As noted above (cf. 1Timothy) Christians are called upon to pray for others. One does not stop being Christian when one enters Heaven. There is abundant Church teaching that recognizes that, having truly shed the limitations of mortality, the saints in Heaven are better able to worship God and to pray than we can imagine here on earth.

Now, about prayer TO the saints. Perhaps it is a limitation of our vocabulary that makes this difficult for some people. If “prayer” is exclusively a means of addressing our minds and hearts to God, then we certainly do not pray to the saints. If, however, we broaden our definition of prayer to include addressing our thoughts in some metaphysical way to any entity that is not part of the material world – be they saints, angels or God – then we might better understand the catholic position. I can speak to you. Why can I not speak in some way to my dear departed mother, or to Mary the Mother of Jesus, or to my guardian angel?

If I should ask any of the saints for help I am not in any way denying or diminishing God’s role in creation. He is the source of ALL and nothing happens that is not within His will. This does not preclude me from asking the angels and saints to pray on my behalf.

If Jesus alone is sufficient for our salvation, then why did He leave the church in the care of humans? (OK, the Father also sends the Holy Spirit, but I think you get my point.) Why are Christians given gifts, or charisms, to help build the church? In my own way of looking at it, I see Jesus as being entirely consistent in His resurrected state as He was in His physical life. He is humble. He chooses to work through human “agents”. From another perspective, IF we are one with Him, as He prayed at the Last Supper, then what we do is precisely what HE does. Why should this stop simply because someone has passed from this world into the next? We believe that it does not stop; it only gets better.

The Communion of Saints is the great treasure of the church. As individuals, it is our goal to be joined with this Body. As members of the Living Body of Christ, we can do no less than participate in His Will and His Plan for creation. Approaching the saints in a spirit of cooperation and mutual belonging to His Body is a gift we can only dimly perceive in this life. Despite the limits of my ability to perceive and understand, I am profoundly grateful to Almighty God for this wondrous gift.