by Thresia Paulose

Created on: October 17, 2009

Praying is nothing but a personal conversation with God. It is an ideal communication with God with or without words or thoughts. Prayer is the manifestation of our faith. We pray for our needs. We pray for others. Through payer we accept that all of us are children of God. In prayer we are all bonded in that divine love as one body.

Catholic Church teaches about praying through the saints and asking their help. It teaches that saints are connected with us through the same faith and that all of us are the children of God. All the humans past, present and future make one body. Just as we ask the help of our elders to support to achieve our needs, we request the saints, who went ahead of us, to pray for us and to pray along with us.

Ten Reasons For Catholic Teaching To Ask the Help Of The Saints

1) We Are Confidant In Prayer

When we are having a hard times we ask others to pray for us. We seek the prayers of our trusted friends, who understand our problem, or someone who we think are closer to God in faith and prayer. The same are the reasons we ask saints to pray for us in times of trouble.

2)We Believe In The Church

The Church is not hierarchical set up. It is a body of people. The Church prays as one body. It cares for the joys and sorrows of all who are shared in the same body of Christ.

3) We Believe in The Communion Of Saints

We believe the Catholic Church teaching about the communion of saints. The Church is in three stages- 1) those have already gone to enjoy the heavenly reward, 2) those who are still suffering for their shortcomings of their lives, awaiting their reward after some purification and 3) the Church still living making their journey on this earth. The Church teaches that these three are interconnected and can help one another.

4) Saints are Our Intercessory Friends

There is a misinterpretation among people that the Catholics replace saints in the place of God. Saints to Catholics are none but our own brothers, sisters and friends who are also members of the One Body of Jesus Christ. The lives and virtues of the saints encourage us and help us in following Christ.

5) Saints Lived On This Earth Before Us

Since saints once led holy lives on this earth and are now close to God in heaven, we feel that their prayers are particularly effective. They struggled in their lives and conquered their weaknesses. Often we ask particular saints to pray for us since we feel that they have a particular interest in our problem. For example, people

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