CatholicTheology.info

Choose a topic from Part 3 Suppl:

• Penance (Continued)
• Extreme Unction
• Order (Holy Orders)
• Matrimony
• The General Resurrection
  • 69. The Place of Departed Souls
  • 70. Quality of a Separated Soul
  • 71. Suffrages for the Dead
  • 72. Prayers to the Saints
  • 73. Signs Preceding General Resurrection and Judgement
  • 74. The Fire of Judgment Day
  • 75. The Resurrection of the Body
  • 76. The Cause of the Resurrection of the Body
  • 77. Time and Manner of the Resurrection of the Body
  • 78. The Starting Point of the Bodily Resurrection
  • 79. The Risen Body
  • 80. The Integrity of the Risen Body
  • 81. The Quality of Those Risen from the Dead
  • 82. The Impassibility of Risen Bodies
  • 83. The Subtlety of Risen Bodies
  • 84. The Agility of Risen Bodies
  • 85. The Clarity of Risen Bodies
  • 86. The Risen Bodies of the Damned
• The Last Things
• Appendix I (The Innocents in Limbo)
• Appendix II (Two Notes on Purgatory)

72. Prayers to the Saints

1. The saints are all the human beings who have reached heaven.They enjoy the beatific vision, seeing, directly and intuitively,God in his essence. They behold in God all that they ought to knowabout themselves and about their glory. Now, it is part of theirglory to assist others, and help them serve God and reach heaven.Thus the saints cooperate with God; thus they are made godlike. Butthe saints cannot assist others unless they know these others andunderstand their needs. Therefore, the saints know in Godthe devotions, prayers, and promises of people on earth who pray tothe saints.

2. It is right to pray to the saints for their aid. Wepray for one another here on earth. St. Paul, great apostle as hewas, asked humbly for prayers (Rom. 15:30). Our brethren with Godin heaven are in far better position to offer our petitions to himthan are our brethren on earth. Besides, the Church prays to thesaints, as, for example, in the solemn Litany of the Saints.

3. The prayers of the saints for us are effective. Thesaints pray in complete conformity with God's most loving willtowards us, and they ask favors for us according to that will.Thus, their prayers are always granted.

"The one thing necessary which Jesus spoke of to Martha and Mary consists in hearing the word of God and living by it."
R. Garrigou-Lagrange, OP

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"The greatest glory we can give to God is to do his will in everything."
St Alphonsus de Liguori

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"Obedience is the true holocaust which we sacrifice to God on the altar of our hearts."
St Philip Neri

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