Verified answer

Of course.

As saints we pray for one another.

We do believe that Jesus is the way. What made you think we did not?

We pray for one another out of love which is His commandment. Are you against prayer for one another ?

The Bible says that Jesus is the only "mediator" but that we have many intercessors who pray for one another.

What made you think that we do not direct all our prayers to Him. the fact is that we do. God bless!

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

1. Mary and other saints point us to Christ. That's it. Just like you try to point people to Christ, right? Nothing wrong with it because it's not taking Jesus' place.

2. Catholics DO believe that Jesus is the only Way. You simply would rather believe we don't than accept what is actually true. You might want to ask yourself why you can't accept the truth that Catholics worship Christ and trust Him alone for salvation.

3. Jesus doesn't need any help, but He asks us to cooperate in the work of His Kingdom. Check out Matthew 28:19-20.

4. When we pray to Mary we ALSO pray to Jesus. It's not either/or, it's both/and.

5. The Bible doesn't say to pray ONLY to Jesus. Even Jesus said to pray to the Father! So, we don't direct ALL our prayers to Jesus because we also direct our prayers to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. And when we ask a saint who LIVES with Jesus in heaven to pray with us and for us, prayer is the only vehicle of communication available to us.

Because we are all part of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12). Someone doesn't stop being part of the Body of Christ when one goes to heaven (that would make no sense). The bible teaches that God does His will through His body. The bible teaches that believers are to help and pray for others. So asking for help and prayers from fellow believers in heaven is the same as asking for those here on earth. Certainly asking other for help and prayers doesn't replace worshiping God - and the Catholic Church teaches that it shouldn't. Asking fellow believers for help and prayers is optional in the Catholic Church - worshiping God is not. The Catholic Mass is all about worshiping God and it's considered a sin to miss Mass.

So why would God not allow believers in heaven to follow biblical teachings of helping and praying for others? Why do you think it's wrong to ask fellow believers to do things that Jesus told them to do? Where in the bible does it say that we are to exclude fellow believers from our faith lives?

Your "questions' just demonstrates that you're able misunderstand and misrepresent Catholic teaching. It says nothing about actual Catholic teaching.

1) CATHOLICS do you believe John 14:6?

Of course they believe that.

2) So how does Mary, the saints, your passed on relatives, figure into this?

What Catholics believe:

a - Mary and the other saints: "indirectly, in the same what that you fit in when I ask you for prayer"

b - passed-on relatives: "hopefully they are already partakers, are already on their way to the Father" (Catholics in general do not pray to their dead relatives - they pray **for** them)

3) If Jesus says He is the only way, I am curious as to why don't you believe Him?

Before accusing Catholics of believing something, you should learn for yourself what it is that they believe.

4) Do you believe Jesus needs any help in your prayers of intercession through outside lobby?

They believe no such thing.

5) And for you that say "well when we pray to Mary, we are actually praying to Jesus", does that sound a bit illogical?

That is illogical. I've never heard prayer to Mary described that way by a Catholic.

6) why not direct ALL your prayers to Him?

Understand what it is that Catholics believe regarding saints! We can simplify by restricting ourselves to the apostles (all of whom are considered saints excepting Judas). If you had a desire to ask someone to pray for you, and you had a choice between me (devout Fundamentalist Christian) **or** Peter, Jesus' hand-picked apostle, which would you choose?

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jam%20...

In light of that Bible verse, I'd choose Peter to pray for me over anyone I know alive. Wouldn't you?

The difference between Catholics and (you and I) in this matter is that we don't believe that Peter is waiting for us to ask him to pray for us. However, Catholics **do** believe that. Catholics believe that Peter is alive in Heaven and willing to pray on their behalf! The other saints as well!

So: **if you accept** (as Catholics do) that the saints are especially devout and holy people willing to pray on the behalf of their fellow Christians, it makes **perfect sense** that people would ask those saints to pray for them **in addition** to praying to God in the name of Jesus!

Of course, if you do NOT accept that particular belief, it seems (at best) worthless to ask the saints to pray for you. BUT...praying to the saints is perfectly reasonable, perfectly *Christian* thing to do ***if*** you believe that the saints are ready to pray for you!

- Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/

Please, produce some Catholic Doctrine i.e., Canon Law, CCC, Baltimore Catechism, Ecumenical Councils, &c., supporting your claim that the Catholic Church teaches that there is more than one Mediator to God the Father.

If you can produce that information, then you may have a debate on your hands. If not, then that would tell you something; you are making false assumptions and should humble yourself enough to correct yourself.