Well, you’re right and I had thought to mention it in that post; many Catholics really may think that we “pray to” saints, or at least in a sense they do. I don’t believe that you are engaging in the game of theological “gotcha”. So, I’ll just tell you these folks are misinformed, but I don’t necessarily believe they are technically participating in “idolatry”.
My own mother used to make me wince when she did the old “St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around, something has lost and cannot be found.” Even as a teenager, I would chide her for engaging in superstitious activity. She would then put her hand down on the checkbook, or set of keys that she had lost and pronounce with a smile and a wink at me “Thank you, Tony”. I swear that it worked.
I can only say that for my part, I have tried to educate individuals myself. Correcting it if I hear people getting it wrong and making sure that children that I teach in my catechism class understand the teaching. No one that I have ever spoken with right down to kindergarten believes that they are praying to a statue or to a stained glass window, as some strident and stupid as brick ninnies have implied.
Certainly, I would guess that almost all of the Catholics that I have discussed this with really do not consider themselves partaking in a kind of idol worship, to be honest, I really don’t think that they are. They do not place the saints before God and Jesus. The saints should be a channel by which we see God reflected in the lives of other humans.
There is a lot of what I think is basically Catholic tradition and Catholic culture involved in joining our prayers to the saints. Many converts that I know are not necessarily swept up in the practice, maybe it’s the manner in which we are raised?
As for me, it’s a part of our ancesteral tradition that I enjoy sharing with my family and my children. I have certain “patrons” with whom I have had an affinity with since I was a little boy, including St. Joseph, St. Patrick by name. St. Luke as he is the patron of artists. Therese of Lisieux and the Blessed Mother, basically because they have been very favorable intercessors. I also love the apostles, especially Peter, Andrew and Thomas, becaus ethey were so incredibly flawed and Jesus loved them despite this. I have a particular affinity for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, as she is a teacher like myself and closely linked geographically.
Yeah, I’m not certain why folks do not link to the Old Testament? Again, I think tradition. Originally, and before the whole canonization process was developed the saints were simply considered to be those who had been martyred for the faith. There was no big tribunal and devil’s advocate, etc. If you took one for the team, you got into the pantheon, so to speak. It took a couple centuries to open up the field, hence I think the saints prior to Jesus’s birth kind of get short shrift, except maybe St. Ann and St. Joachim.
To all of this, I might add, that I also like to teach my children by the example of other non-Catholic Christians that I think are inspirational in today’s context; CS Lewis, Martin Luther King, Bethany Hamilton, David Robinson, Tony Dungy and Kurt Warner.
These are inspirational people who proclaim Jesus’s message and even help me to get a little closer to Jesus by way of their attitudes, actions, courage and love of God. Not necessarily in the big book of Roman Catholic Saints, but really, who’s in it for that?
What can I say? I’m a Caatholic. The Communion of Saints; it’s our thing. I like it and I think it’s cool to have friends in Heaven. Non-Catholic Christians should, too.
What an excellent reply (and post). Sure wish I knew you. You are a true blessing and those kids have gotten a real gem in having you as their religious instructor.
When I first became a Christian I was horrified at all the things I was “taught” that the Catholics do. While there are still some things that are so anathema to me personally, I think you said it all about the way we are brought up. And I do agree with you wholeheartedly that the people who would pray to the saints absolutely would not put them on the level of our Lord.
What comes to mind is not to be a stumbling block to our brother and the verse about whatever is sin to us in our mind IS sin.
What I do know is, as I’ve said before, the more I know, the less I know. I have great respect for the Catholic Church, the Pope and many, many truly Christian Catholics. We ALL (every denomination) have a mission field within our own churches. Only God knows who truly has received the circumcision of the heart.
Peace to you my brother.