Thanks for this question and all the answers. It was something I wondered about myself. What is the official word on praying to those who are not saints? For example I am sure Mother Angelica will become one in time but I already pray to her because she was so wise, so holy and instrumental in bringing me back to the Catholic Church. I feel she is helping me already. Hello all, by the way, I'm a new poster but have been reading the forum for a good while!
Welcome Brigid. I can't see any harm in praying to someone you believe to be in Heaven like, for example, a baptised child who died in infancy. There are plenty of examples of folk praying to people whom they believe to be in heaven after leading a holy life, otherwise how would anyone get to be declared a saint unless they had been martyred. I'm editing this to say that maybe titles like "Servant of God" are applied to holy people before it is considered ok to pray to them. I hope someone else comes in with a more informed response to your question.
When I first started on my faith journey, if I was asked to pray for somebody's intention I used to always add "if it is your will" at the end of the prayer, I figured if the priest said this at the prayers of the faithful then it must be ok! A few years on, I discovered I was actually praying in doubt instead of faith, it's so long ago now that I can't actually remember how I discovered it. Anyhow I stopped praying like that and focused instead on believing that what I had asked for would be given, I had also read scripture that our faith can make demands on God, Mt 8:13. It was not up to me do decide what was God's will but it was up to me to pray in faith! I rarely pray to any particular saints nowadays, everything is filtered through Our Lady, but if I was praying with somebody for healing etc I would ask all of the saints and angels and holy souls to intercede.
To be honest, it never occurred to me to add "if it be God's will" to prayers until some years ago when a friend had terminal cancer. A very holy lady very learned in the faith who bore her suffering with great dignity, it was she who told me that I should add if it be God's will when praying for her recovery. Now it makes sense to me because it could be God's will to call them home to their heavenly reward. Isn't that what we all hope for, so are we being selfish by praying that our terminally ill friends or loved ones will be cured and remain with us rather than being taken into God's presence? Anyway, I prayed again for your friend at today's Mass.
We are reminded to pray to the saints in revelation "constancy in the saints" Border I don't know if you seen this before but I posted this quote from Fr Gobbi after reading a message from Medjugore.. Here Must Appear the Constancy of the Saints "Today, look to me, your heavenly Mother, in the splendor of my glorified body assumed, with my soul, into the glory of paradise. I am the Woman Clothed with the Sun. I am your heavenly Leader. I am the Queen of all the saints. Look to me as a sign of sure hope and of consolation, in these times of the purification, of the apostasy and of the great tribulation. The times of the struggle and the greatest conquest on the part of the Dragon, of the beast which comes up from the earth and of the beast which comes up from the sea have come. These are therefore the times when a civilization without God is being constructed and all humanity is being led to live without Him. These are the times when Satan and the diabolic forces are making themselves adored by an ever increasing number of men, and thus the spread of the satanic cult, of the sects and of the black masses is becoming vaster. These are the times when an idol is being built to be put in the place of the true God and of the true Church, and this idol is a false christ and a false church. These are the times when all those who will follow this idol will be signed with its mark on the forehead and on the hand. These are the times when the faithful followers of the Lamb will be subjected to marginalization, to persecutions, to prison and to death. These are therefore the times of your constancy. Here must appear the constancy of the saints. Here must appear the constancy of those who belong to the Lord, who put into practice the commandments of God and who remain faithful to Jesus. Here must appear the constancy of those who will be persecuted and led to martyrdom, because blessed are they who die in the Lord, who find rest from their labors, and the good that they have done accompanies them. Here must appear the constancy of those who do not adore the beast and who will not allow themselves to be signed with his diabolical mark. Those, on the other hand who will adore the beast and its statue and will receive its mark on the forehead and on the hand, will drink the wine of the wrath of God, poured out from the chalice of his terrible chastisement and will be tortured, in the presence of the Lamb and of the holy angels, with fire and sulfur. Here must appear the constancy of those who bear, written upon their foreheads, the name of the Lamb and the name of his Father, because they have not betrayed their God, there has never been a lie in their speech, and they follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Here must appear the constancy of all my little children, whom I am calling to consecrate themselves to my Immaculate Heart, to live out with me the conclusive moments of the battle and of the fall of Babylon, when the vintage of the earth will be harvested, and the grapes will be cast into the wine press, which represents the great chastisement of God. For this reason I invite you all today to look to me, your heavenly Mother, in the splendor of my glorified body, that my light may illumine you, my Immaculate Heart enfold you, and my motherly love support you to be, in these times, courageous witnesses of constancy before the Church and before all humanity."
Amen!!! "Lord, Jesus, through the intercession of the Immaculate Conception, in your Divine Will, make us Saints and big ones and quickly!"
I don't think we are being selfish by praying in faith as Jesus thought us. My point is in your sentence "it could be God's will", a lot of people seem to put it this phrase as an excuse for their own weak faith. They don't spend any time praying to see if it is God's will or not, and He will let us know if we are sincere in our prayer. He doesn't want us wasting time praying the wrong way. An example: I was praying for a close friend some time ago who suffered a stroke, all of his family and other friends expected him to die. I was praying if faith that he would be ok. A few days into his sickness I received holy communion while going to visit him. The Lord showed up in that communion and revealed to me I was praying the wrong way, that it was His will that my friend's time was up and that his family were strong enough to cope without him. I changed my prayer to a happy death. He died the following day. I always pray in faith for people and expect the Lord to show me if it is not His will. If I don't hear from Him I take it in faith that it is His will. So many people get caught up in the wondering is it His will or not that they lose sight of faith. One can't believe firmly in anything if there is a "what if" etc lingering in the wings of one's mind.
Well, even if you aren't into praying to saints, I am and I am including your friend in my novena to St. Anthony but I'm leaving out the "if it be God's will" part because, believe it or not, I understand what you're saying. God won't heal anyone if He doesn't want to. If you lived close enough I could give you a blessed lily after the feast day.
Thanks for your prayers Dolours, they are much appreciated! It's not that I am not into praying to saints, but I just never did get into praying to them if you know what I mean!
