Question about the saints and the deceased

[Anti-Fear]

I am not a Catholic but I am not anti-Catholic either. I have a question about Catholic theology. I know that as a Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Christians can pray to individuals who have earned title of a saint. Does that imply that my deceased relatives can hear or see me as individual minds? I dont mean to ask whether I can pray to them, but is there anything Catholic church claims regarding this issue?

 

[GK]

Can you explain a little more what you mean by "hear or see me as individual minds"? Are you asking if they're peeking into the thoughts in your head? Or just asking if they, as individuals, retain an individual ability to commune?

 

[Servus Iesu]

My belief in this matter is that they receive our petitions through the ministry of the angels. I don't believe my departed friends and relatives know my thoughts and my mind, though it is possible. Our angels do know our thoughts.

 

[Anti-Fear]

I mean, can they hear me if I speak to them? Or maybe peek into mind, yes? Because if the Saints are deceased from this world and they can hear me, does this apply to non-Saint people?

Can you explain a little more what you mean by "hear or see me as individual minds"? Are you asking if they're peeking into the thoughts in your head? Or just asking if they, as individuals, retain an individual ability to commune?

 

[Skripper]

I mean, can they hear me if I speak to them? Or maybe peek into mind, yes?

It would make sense, if the Catholic doctrine regarding the Communion of Saints is true, that yes, God permits them to be aware of our prayers (which in a sense can be considered a "peek into our mind" and thoughts) when we ask for their intercessioin of prayer. Of course, this would be due to God granting them this grace and not of their own doing, since they are not "mini-gods" or anything like that; they are not omniscient, as God is.

Because if the Saints are deceased from this world and they can hear me, does this apply to non-Saint people?

You mean like those in hell? Good question. While it's possible, it doesn't necessarily mean it is so. Because if God permits this of those experiencing heaven it doensn't necessarily follow from this that this would also "have" to be the case with respect to those experiencing hell, since it would also make sense that those experiencing heavenly glory are likely to receive graces from God that are not received by those experiencing hell. In that vein, this could be something that those experiencing heaven are permitted that those experiencing hell are not. Then again, since negromancy and divination are prohibited by God, it stands to reason that God also (at least at times) permits other than those experiencing heaven to have some degree of awareness of those still on earth. So who knows. If they are, though, it would, again, be due to God permitting it and making it possible and not due to any of their own doings or any "power" of their own, not granted by God.

 

[chilehed]

Anti-Fear,

To clarify, when the Church declares someone to be a Saint it only means that we know that that person is definitely in heaven. If someone hasn’t been declared a Saint they could still be one, but we just don’t know for sure.

So if you think that your loved one is there then you can go ahead and pray to them to pray for you. After all, if they’re in heaven then they can’t be dead.

My understanding is the same as Skripper’s. When we ask someone in heaven to pray for us God allows them to be aware of it, they don’t know about it directly. This makes sense to me, since in heaven we are fully in union with Him.