Catholics, why would one pray to someone who is asleep in Christ?

Question

Scripture as follows:

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

1 Thess 4:13 (KJV)

According to the word of God (The Father, not man)- those who have died in Christ, are asleep in Christ.

Based on that alone why would you pray to these people? What can they do for you?

peace and blessings

Answer 1

What difference does it make what they pray to? You are all just talking to yourselves.

Answer 2

Why would anyone inscribe the little prayer:  "Rest in Peace" on a tombstone? Why plead to God to show mercy on a dead soul? Answer: Because there is a soul holding place after death before final judgment! This holding place is based on scriptures.

A passage in the New Testament which refers to a prayer for the dead is found in 2 Timothy 1:16-18, which reads as follows:May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain, 17but when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently, and found me 18(the Lord grant to him to find the Lord’s mercy in that day); and in how many things he served at Ephesus, you know very well."

Protestants (and "new" branches of Christianity) have actually removed part of their Bibles! Yikes! It states In Deuteronomy 4:2 not to add to or remove Bible scripture from the Bible! The removed books are called the Apocrypha. Anther chapter that was removed is 2 Macabees. This supports prayers for the Dead. Jewish people pray for the dead. Is not the Jewish faith what Christians base their faith on? Jesus was a Jew! Jesus prayed for the dead! I hope you can find an Older Bible, the original version that was not adulterated. Catholic Christianity was the first faith. Other Christian faiths branch off from it. Wouldn't you rather be a part of the original thing?

Catholics do not pray to Saints or dead people. We could ask if God would allow a Saint to "intercede" on our behalf. We can ask God to allow the Saint to pray WITH us. The Saints are in Heaven now. We could have them pray WITH us just as we would ask a friend here on earth to pray with us.

Answer 3

Catholics pray for each other as an expression of love for one another and we would never ask one to pray to pray for us who is dead in Christ , only those among us wo are alive in Christ.

First of all it is disingenuous to state that the practice of praying for each other has no biblical foundation, we are instructed in Scripture to have a prayer life for others as it is part of God’s commandment to love one another.

(2Co 5:8 DRB) But we are confident and have a good will to be absent rather from the body and to be present with the Lord.

The Catholic Church does not teach that it is absolutely necessary for one to ask for the intercession of saints for salvation. The Church does teach that prayer to God is necessary for salvation for all believers. For a Catholic it would be wrong to ignore the liturgical worship offered to God at feast days for the saints and the prayers asking for their intercession.

The Communion of Saints is a dogma of the ancient Church and is recorded in the apostles Creed. It simply states that the faithful because of their relationship with Christ are alive even after the death of their flesh and worship with us. To us the Church is made up of the Church militant who represents all those believers living out their hope in the flesh.

(Phi 2:12 DRB) Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but much more now in my absence) with fear and trembling work out your salvation.

(Phi 2:13 DRB) For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will.

It consists of the Church Suffering who are those who are temporarily in need of further purgation from sin so that they may enjoy the presence of God.

(2Ma 12:46 DRB) It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.

Lastly, the Communion of the Saints consists of those who have won the race:

(Phi 3:14 DRB) I press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus.

Their immortal souls are in heaven in God’s presence:

(Rev 5:8 DRB) And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

The universal stream connecting all of God’s creation is His love, which we take on in our baptism into our journey towards sanctification. This is not an emotional but a desire placed in us by the Spirit of God that endures as a desire for those other than ourselves and this love extends even to our enemies. This is truly a love that comes only from God and is a foreign concept and nonsense to those who have not received God’s salvific grace. This desire within our souls does not end with the death of our flesh but continues into eternity where the saints through their intercession in prayer encourage us in our race and assist us to endure unto our union with God.

I think that some people of faith, who do not understand the Communion of Saints, somehow believe that asking saints to pray for us is detracting from our love or our trust in God. In truth it is impossible, if we truly love as God commands and has given us the grace to understand, not to pray to those whom we love and in turn we expect them to return that same love to us by praying for us and presenting our prayers to God.

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

Answer 4

Prayer for intercession of those in heaven was already practiced by the early Christians even before the Christian Bible was compiled and canonized by the Church.  Here are a few writings of the early Christians refering to intercessory prayer of the saints:

Origen

"But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep" (Prayer 11 [A.D. 233]).

Cyril of Jerusalem

"Then [during the Eucharistic prayer] we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition . . . " (Catechetical Lectures 23:9 [A.D. 350]).

Anonymous

"Atticus, sleep in peace, secure in your safety, and pray anxiously for our sins" (funerary inscription near St. Sabina’s in Rome [A.D. 300]).

Answer 5

They can still guide us and speak to our Lord on our behalf.

Answer 6

The dead have no consciousness. They will not hear any prayers nor will they keep in touch with us or speak up for us.

Jesus is our ONLY mediator with the Father. Our prayers must be TO God, THROUGH Jesus and ON BEHALF OF those still living, who need our prayers.

Answer 7

Just ONE proof text for your argument? Come on ....

Jesus spoke of Abraham, who was alive, and who was glad to see his coming.

Then we see both Elijah and Moses with the transfigured Jesus.

And then there's the resurrected souls that appeared in Jerusalem along with Jesus, on the first Easter.

Let's not forget the very conscious spirit of the prophet Samuel, in the old testament.

Anyone who has been admitted to heaven now rules and reigns with Christ.

You obviously have no idea the kind of awesome power that God wields, and is quite willing to share with those he loves.

http://douglawrence.wordpress.com/a-shor...

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Answer 8

Well, Moses and Elijah were there at the Transfiguration of Christ. Also, in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus tells us that the rich man called out from h**l to "Father Abraham." Obviously, according to Jesus, Father Abraham was not asleep.

Your misinterpretation of a Scripture here in 2008 does not mean the Catholic Church (which existed before the Bible) has been wrong for 2000 years.

A more literal and accurate translation reads: For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again; even so them who have slept through Jesus, will God bring with him.  

Answer 9

Before Jesus, this is what was said of those who died.

Jesus set the captives free,and they rose with him, he was the Resurrection, that is from death. On the cross he said today you will be with me in paradise to the thief. Paul said he didn't know which was best to live or go to be with the Lord, now The Lord is risen and seated on high.

We see this as it is like a relay race, the old is passing on to the new, but they still speak the language of the old.No one went to heaven before Jesus came to set the world free,we are told the saints intercede for us around the throne of God, that is they still do the work of Jesus in the next life, just as Jesus still works for us in interceding before the father,They where righteous men and woman, whom God honoured with high seats in his presence, they have the ear of the king, but every thing they do for us is through Jesus, like in cana, you see Mary intercede for the attendants at the wedding.We see them as Friends, brothers and sisters in Christ that have gone before us to be with the Lord.