Why should we follow the saints?
For centuries, Christians have looked to the saints as god’s intermediaries, praying to them for protection, comfort, inspiration, and miracles. People have called on saints to defend everyone from artists to alcoholics, and as patrons of everything from childbirth to whale conservation.
Why do you Honour saints and pray to them?
The Catechism tells us that the saints’ “intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.” Just as we are called to pray for ourselves and the world while we are here on earth, so that job will continue when we get to heaven.
Why do we pray to statues of the saints?
Churches often have statues of Mary and some saints. Catholics do not worship Mary or the saints, but ask them to pray to God on their behalf. … Statues can also help to focus a person’s mind on an aspect of prayer or worship. For example, a statue of Jesus on the cross can help us remember the sacrifice of Jesus.
What is the purpose of Catholic saints?
They were believed to be men and women of “heroic virtue” who after their deaths held a privileged place with God in heaven. Because of this, saints were considered to be spiritual guides and mentors, who would add their prayers in heaven to those offered by Christians still living in the material world.
How do we honor the saints?
In the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, veneration is shown outwardly by respectfully bowing or making the sign of the cross before a saint’s icon, relics, or statue, or by going on pilgrimage to sites associated with saints. In general, veneration is not practiced by Protestants.
Why do Catholics honor Mary and saints?
From Christ to Mary in the Roman Catholic tradition
In Roman Catholic teachings, the veneration of Mary is a natural consequence of Christology: Jesus and Mary are son and mother, redeemer and redeemed. … Mary is seen as contributing to a fuller understanding of the life of Jesus.
Is it a sin to pray to statues?
Exodus 20:4: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth, you shall not bow down to them or serve them.
Is praying to the saints considered idolatry?
Since giving a person, in either the heavenly or earthly realm, undue attention could be an act of idolatry, many Christians consider praying to saints — even if these saints are believed to be in heaven — an act of idolatry.