Real Prayer
Roman Catholic Claim
One of the most important
activities for a Catholic is prayer. Without
it there can be no true spiritual life. Through
personal prayer and the communal prayer of
the Church, especially the Mass, we worship
and praise God, we express sorrow for our
sins, and we intercede on behalf of others
(1 Tim. 2:1–4). Through prayer we grow
in our relationship with Christ and with members
of God’s family (CCC 2663–2696).
This family includes all
members of the Church, whether on earth, in
heaven, or in purgatory. Since Jesus has only
one body, and since death has no power to
separate us from Christ (Rom. 8:3–8),
Christians who are in heaven or who, before
entering heaven, are being purified in purgatory
by God’s love (1 Cor. 3:12–15)
are still part of the Body of Christ (CCC
962).
Jesus said the second greatest
commandment is to "love your neighbor
as yourself" (Matt. 22:39). Those in
heaven love us more intensely than they ever
could have loved us while on earth. They pray
for us constantly (Rev. 5:8), and their prayers
are powerful (Jas. 5:16, CCC 956, 2683, 2692).
Our prayers to the saints
in heaven, asking for their prayers for us,
and their intercession with the Father do
not undermine Christ’s role as sole
Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). In asking saints in
heaven to pray for us we follow Paul’s
instructions: "I urge that supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings
be made for everyone," for "this
is good and pleasing to God our Savior"
(1 Tim. 2:1–4).
All members of the Body
of Christ are called to help one another through
prayer (CCC 2647). Mary’s prayers are
especially effective on our behalf because
of her relationship with her Son (John 2:1–11).
God gave Mary a special
role (CCC 490–511, 963– 975).
He saved her from all sin (Luke 1:28, 47),
made her uniquely blessed among all women
(Luke 1:42), and made her a model for all
Christians (Luke 1:48). At the end of her
life he took her, body and soul, into heaven—an
image of our own resurrection at the end of
the world (Rev. 12:1–2).
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Christian Response
There is no questioning
the priority of prayer in the life of a Christian.
Christians pray for their needs and desires. They
are commanded to pray and there is no such thing as
a Christian who does not pray. God gives new life
in Christ. One of the fruits of new life is prayer.
However, the Roman
Catholic religion insists that those who are alive
on earth should pray for those who have died to this
physical life. Their argument is not reasonable or
Scriptural. First, Rome teaches that Christians land
in a place of their imagination called Purgatory.
Rome lectures us that Purgatory is a place of cleansing
for sin designed for Christians who have died but
are not yet pure enough to go to heaven. This in and
of itself is spurious There is no such place as Purgatory.
It is simply a figment of Rome’s fantastic imagination.
Scripture knows of no place of waiting and purification
called Purgatory. Secondly, according to Rome’s
own testimony, no one can be certain where a person
has ultimately landed after their death here on earth.
How could a person possibly pray to or for another
person if he is unsure of where that person may be?
There is no ‘heavenly security’ for the
dead in the Romish religion. How can a Roman Catholic
know for sure if his beloved relative or wife or friend
is in heaven or in hell?
Rome summons Revelation
5:8 as a proof text that those who have died and gone
to heaven pray for those alive on earth.
REV 5:8 And when
He had taken the book, the four living creatures
and the twenty-four elders fell down before the
Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full
of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
The assumption in
Rome is too much for this highly symbolic text of
Scripture. It is not mentioned that these prayers
are from those who have died and gone to heaven. We
do know that the saints [Christians] alive on earth
are said to offer up to God a pleasing aroma of incense
with their prayers. But there is no mention of saints
in heaven praying continually for those alive on earth.
To do this, the saints alive in heaven would have
to have intimate knowledge of the trials and tribulations
of the saints left on earth. No where in Scripture
are the saints in heaven said to have such intimate
knowledge and a prayer life for believers alive on
earth.
REV 8:3 And another
angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden
censer; and much incense was given to him, that
he might add it to the prayers of all the saints
upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
REV 8:4 And the
smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the
saints, went up before God out of the angel's
hand.
These two passages
seem to indicate that the prayers going up before
the Lord are from His people yet alive on earth. They
are not said to be from the company of elect alive
in Heaven.
We are at a loss
to see the logic of Rome’s citation of 1 Timothy
2:1-4 as a proof for ‘asking saints in heaven
to pray for us.’
1TI 2:1 First
of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers,
petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of
all men,
1TI 2:2 for kings
and all who are in authority, in order that we may
lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness
and dignity.
1TI 2:3 This is
good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
One can readily
read that the apostle would have those alive on
earth pray for those alive on earth. Rome
leaves out the middle verse, “for kings
and all who are in authority”, so as to
leave the impression that Paul is somehow including
those also who have died as part of the his “prayers
for all men.” Rome wishes us to believe that
the apostle Paul is asking us to pray for
and to those who have died when he says,
“…prayers, petitions and thanksgiving
be made on behalf of all men.” Only
in Rome’s imagination does all ‘all men’
equal those in a fictitious place called Purgatory
and those in heaven already!
As to Rome’s
claims that Mary’s prayers are especially
effective on our behalf we have much to say. Rome
claims that Mary was saved from all sin. As proof
Rome cites Luke 1:28,47. Is this what the Bible
teaches?
LUK 1:26 Now in
the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from
God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth,
LUK 1:27 to a
virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of
the descendants of David; and the virgin's name
was Mary.
LUK 1:28 And coming
in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one!
The Lord is with you."
There is no intimation
that Mary was “saved from all sin” in
Gabriel’s announcement that Mary was the favored
one. The Greek term used here charitoo [favored one]
does not mean sinless. It is used in Ephesians 1 of
the fullness of grace given by God to all Christians.
EPH 1:6 to the
praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely
bestowed [charitoo] on us in the Beloved.
Mary, upon hearing
the news from Gabriel cries out in Luke 1:47.
LUK 1:46 And Mary
said: "My soul exalts the Lord,
LUK 1:47 And my
spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
The plain indication
of this text is that Mary understood God to be her
savior in the same sense that God is the savior of
all Christians. There is no hint of a preemptive salvation
for Mary. Mary was not prevented from sinning. She
was to be saved from her sins like everyone else.
Roman Catholics
are taught that Mary was assumed into heaven without
suffering the decay of death. This is said to be “an
image” of the future resurrection at the end
of the world. The terms used here are deliberately
nebulous. How can Mary’s alleged assumption
be an “image” of a resurrection when resurrection
means life from an actual death? The term “image”
is stretched beyond meaning by Rome. Also, what proof
do we have that Mary was assumed bodily into heaven?
The verse given to us is Revelation 12:1,2.
REV 12:1 And a
great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with
the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her
head a crown of twelve stars;
REV 12:2 and she
was with child; and she cried out, being in labor
and in pain to live birth.
Is the woman mentioned
in this highly symbolic book Mary? There is good reason
to think it is not Mary. We notice that the pain of
labor is upon this woman. This would contradict Roman
Catholic theology that spares Mary of original sin
[pain in child bearing] and that denies Mary the normal
birthing process. [Rome holds to a miraculous delivery]
But, even if this woman was Mary (There is no indication
that she is Mary. In the context of Revelation Israel
seems to be the reality behind this symbol) what does
this passage say about a bodily assumption? It says
nothing.
Most Roman Catholics
will not bother to look up passages of Scripture slipped
in beside the audacious claims of Rome. The assumption
is that Rome knows best. The assumption is hat somehow
these passages support the Romish claims. But, as
we can see, the contentions of Rome are not supported
by the Bible.
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