Praying to the saints

[Jipsah]

Catholic Catechism -
Catholic church is the one calling it "communion with the dead" when praying to the dead in heaven.

Certainly they are - here. But if they were dead in Heaven as well, how could they make intercession for us, or do anything else. You're trying to play a verbal shell game here and it isn't even close to working. Next tack is to accuse us of necromancy. Wanna give that a go? <Laugh>

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Catholic church is the one calling it "communion with the dead"

that statement is a falsehood. The Catholic Church in the Creed calls it "The communion of saints"

With reference to CCC 958, that section is one paragraph in a much larger portion of the CCC. The summary of the larger portion is this

IN BRIEF

960 The Church is a "communion of saints": this expression refers first to the "holy things" (sancta), above all the Eucharist, by which "the unity of believers, who form one body in Christ, is both represented and brought about" (LG 3).

961 The term "communion of saints" refers also to the communion of "holy persons" (sancti) in Christ who "died for all," so that what each one does or suffers in and for Christ bears fruit for all.

962 "We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers" (Paul VI, CPG # 30).​

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Adventists teach soul sleep - that the body goes to the dust and death and the soul/spirit goes to God in the same dormant "sleep

Do they? Fundamental belief number 27 says that Body, mind, and spirit are an indivisible union, doesn't that mean that these words describe a single entity that cannot be separated into constituent parts that have some sort of independent existence after the indivisible unity ceases to be alive?

 

[Erik Nelson]

common errors on discussion boards

...include "claims" without "evidence & reasoning" ?

Turek noted that, as a "royal priesthood", no Christians can be considered "laity".

By analogy to the physical temple in physical 1st century Judea, one could still ask whether every "Levite" was also (T)the High Priest?

 

[BNR32FAN]

I like to invoke the saints in prayer. Asking things like

Saint Isidore of Seville pray to the Lord our God for the stability and usefulness of our internet connections.​

When my internet connection is not stable, or non-existent. And also, things such as this

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for me, a sinner, now and at the hour of my death.​

When I approach God through Jesus Christ for the things most needed for eternal life and godliness.

I have heard from some that such prayers are in some way undesirable. And to them that may be so, but for me these are part of my faith in God and the promises he has made regarding the state of the saints who have passed out of this world's day to day life.

The scriptures that I count as canonical includes passages that relate to the invocation of angels and saints. But I have heard some call those passages "apocryphal", yet to me that are part of my faith in God and his revealed purposes for me and the world as well as his saints in the heavens.

So, I wondered if those who have qualms about these practises give much thought to the deep meaning that they do have for the Catholic and Orthodox faithful.

I personally don’t practice it but I do see relevance in the reasons why the Catholic & Orthodox believers do practice it and I see no problem with it. It’s certainly not forbidden in the scriptures. Some might claim that the saints can’t hear or acknowledge the multitude of prayers that are prayed to them but it’s still irrelevant. Maybe they can, maybe they can’t but I assure you that God does know all of our prayers regardless of who we pray to.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

I personally don’t practice it but I do see relevance in the reasons why the Catholic & Orthodox believers do practice it and I see no problem with it. It’s certainly not forbidden in the scriptures. Some might claim that the saints can’t hear or acknowledge the multitude of prayers that are prayed to them but it’s still irrelevant. Maybe they can, maybe they can’t but I assure you that God does know all of our prayers regardless of who we pray to.

And God, our Father, can enable the saints in heaven to hear the prayers of those who ask for their intercession. What is impossible according to men is possible for God.

 

[The Liturgist]

I think I would say, 'I pray with the saints' and by that, I would include the saints both living and departed.

Me too. My prayer life has been greatly enriched, especially through seeking the intercessions of Our Blessed Lady Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to God in the Incarnation of the Word. I love God, and by extension, I love the most godly people, and while I only worship God, I venerate and ask for the prayers of the saints, especially Mary. I have developed in recent years a deep Marian theology I did not previously have, and it has been a blessing.