Catholics believe in praying to the saints, as I understand it... where is the Biblical scripture for this?

Actually the Bible's view is quite opposite of praying to Saints

Jesus Christ said: “You should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, . . . ’” So prayers are to be addressed to the Father. Jesus also said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.” (Matt. 6:9; John 14:6, 14, JB) Thus Jesus ruled out the idea that anyone else could fill the role of intercessor. The apostle Paul added regarding Christ: “He not only died for us—he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.” “He is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.” (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25, JB) If we truly want our prayers to be heard by God, would it not be wise to approach God in the way that his Word directs?

Eph. 6:18, 19, JB: “Never get tired of staying awake to pray ( for ) all the saints; and pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and speak without fear and give out the mystery of the gospel.”

(Here encouragement is given to pray for the saints but not to them or through them. The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol. XI, p. 670, acknowledges: “Usually in the New Testament, all prayer, private as well as public liturgical prayer, is addressed to God the Father through Christ.”)

Rom. 15:30, JB version: “I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of the Spirit, to help me through my dangers by praying to God for me.” (The apostle Paul, himself a saint, asked fellow Christians who were also saints to pray for him. But notice that Paul did not address his prayers to those fellow saints, nor did their prayers on his behalf replace the personal intimacy that Paul himself enjoyed with the Father by means of prayer. Compare Ephesians 3:11, 12, 14.)

Unlike some modern Christian churches...Catholics still follow the example that Jesus, the Apostles and Early Christians set.

There is proof beyond the Bible...The Roman Catacombs have prayers to the dead carved into the walls.

Literally a witness set in Stone for all of Time.

Among Church writers Tertullian is the first to mention prayers for the dead, and that not as a concession to natural sentiment, but as a duty: The widow who does not pray for her dead husband has as good as divorced him.

2 Tim 1:15-18 ... prayer for Onesiphorus for “that Day.” 1 Jn 5:14-17 ... mortal/venial sins

2 Mac 15:11-16 ... deceased Onias and Jeremiah interceded for Jews. Another reason those books Protestants regard as for "historical" purposes are lost...

This is what All Christians should believe...

Mk 12:26-27 ... “not God of the dead, but of the living.”

Does this sound like Necromancy???

Matt. 17:1-3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30-31 (In ALL Three Accounts)– deceased Moses and Elijah appear at the Transfiguration to "converse" with Jesus in the presence of Peter, James and John (these may be the two “witnesses” John refers to in Rev. 11:3). Nothing in Scripture ever suggests that God abhors or cuts off communication between the living in heaven and the living on earth. To the contrary, God encourages communication within the communion of saints. Moses and Elijah’s appearance on earth also teach us that the saints in heaven have capabilities that far surpass our limitations on earth.

Just for reasoning ...Why do Protestants consider Prayer strictly defined as worship? That isn't the proper definition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer

God Bless

Saints that have gone before us into heaven no longer pray as we do on earth. "...but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. ICor. 13:12.

Your question touches on one of the great Catholic traditions, and myths. That instead of praying to the saints, we should be working on BEING THE SAINTS.

If you look up intercessor, or intercessory in a concordance; you will never find a passed on saint attached to it. What you will find is that the Holy Ghost and Jesus makes intercession for us. And that's the end of the matter.

Moses and Elijah was a one shot deal to Jesus as his death is the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. That's why they appeared. Compare that with King Saul (ISam. 28) calling up the decease Samuel the Prophet, which was a sin. It's what we bind on EARTH that is bound in heaven. Matt. 18:18; the location is still on EARTH. This is the same key that was given to Peter in Matt. 16:19.

God raised up the Protestant Reformation to begin the process of breaking his people out of traditions of men, and returning them to Biblical principles. That couldn't happen until people could read the Bible in their own language.

Many posters have gone extracurricular to support prayers to saints. I say stick with the Word of God. You'll never go wrong.

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:15-16.

You forgot the last 2 lines of Salve Regina............... Pray for us, O holy Mother of God That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Paul refers to living Christians as saints. All of us in the body of Christ are saints. It would be easy to conclude that this is the only way to use the word "saint." Long before the time of Christ, King David used the term "saint" while speaking to his fellow Jews, "Love the Lord all you his saints" (Psalm 31:23 NRSV and NIV). The KJB has over 80 instances of the word "saint" in the Old Testament that don't refer to "living Christians"(1 Sam.2, 2 Chr.6:41, Job.5:1, Prov.2:8, Dan.7:18, 21, Hos 11:12). Paul sometimes gives the word a distinct meaning: "believers and saints" (Acts 9:32 ), "to the saints and faithful brothers" (Col 1:2). The term is used in a variety of contexts throughout the Bible. The word "saint" simply means "holy one" or "sanctified" (Sanctus). It could be a Jew of the Old Testament, a Christian of the New Testament, a faithful Christian living today, or a Christian in Heaven. I can't imagine someone saying that Mary's belief in Christ didn't make her holy. I think Evangelicals would agree there is no woman in the Bible more holy than Mary. We Catholics think Mary is the holiest human ever, because of her relationship to Jesus. Catholics think she still is a humble servant who serves Jesus tirelessly. Catholics believe Mary's soul still "magnifies the Lord" for Christians of our generation who choose to relate to her. Currently, Catholics are pretty well the only ones upholding the biblical prophesy to call her blessed, which was intended for all generations, and for all Christians.

You understand it wrong. Catholics don't pray to saints. It's generally understood that as saints are in heaven and in communion with the lord, that they can hear our prayers. To pray to something is to offer worship and supplication. Since God is the only one worthy of worship, and the only one from whom we can seek supplication, it would be foolish to pray to saints. But Since saints can hear our prayers, we can ask them to also pray for us, to add their prayers to ours.

The short answer to your question is, "There is no such thing as a 'dead' Saint."

The Communion of Saints is made up of every believer, both on earth and in Heaven. Just because they have died, that doesn't mean that a Christian isn't still conscious and aware:

Jesus said, "For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him." (Luke 20:38)

Because the Saints are alive in Heaven, they can intercede for us just the same as you would ask a friend or family member to pray for you here on earth. So if you've ever asked your pastor or your mom to pray for you, you've done exactly what we do when we ask St. Anthony for his prayers or request that the Blessed Mother intercede for us. The Saints have already been purified of their sins, so they are in a better position to know how to pray and what to pray for.

The only difference between a live believer and one who is no longer in the body is location, not ability and intention.

Edit:

For those of you who claim to pray "only to the Father and to Jesus," have you ever asked anyone to pray for you? If so, you are "guilty" of doing what we Catholics do when we ask a Saint to intercede for us.

God answers our prayers, not the Saint. But believers are encouraged to pray for one another, and that is precisely what we do when we ask a Saint in Heaven to add his or her prayers to ours.

So unless you enjoy being hypocrites, I suggest you stop haranguing Catholics for something that you do, too.

As a Roman Catholic for almost 60 years now, I'd like to recommend the answers of "Cristoiglesia" / Father Joseph, "Wolfblayde", "Catholic@Heart", "denise t", "JMR", "Veritatum17", "Tapestry6", "William I", "Misty", and "imacatholic2". Those are very knowledgeable, and Christian answers. Others I have read are ignorant and beneath mentioning. If I've missed any of the answers similar to the ones I have mentioned, it's because my eyes are tired at this late hour. God Bless you.

The proper way to "pray" to a saint in Catholicism is really more of asking the saint for pray for us.

It's distinct from any sort of worship, which is reserved for God alone.

We know that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and answered by God: James 5:16-18.

Those who are in Heaven are made perfect in Christ: Heb 12:22-23.

Those who are in Heaven pray for us: Rev 5:8, Rev 8:3-4.

Asking the saints to pray for us does not take away from Christ's mediatorship - neither does asking a living person to pray for us: 1 Tim 2:1-4. Paul asks the living many times to intercede for him - that is, to ask the Lord in prayer for Paul's safety, health, success in missions, etc: Rom 15:30-32, Eph 6:18-20, Col 4:3, etc.

And we know that Jesus Himself answered prayers from the living for the benefit of others: Mk 9;17-29, Lk 8:49-55.

Lastly, we hold that all who live in Christ - all the elect - are in constant communion, and those who have died in Christ comprise part of the "great cloud of witnesses" that Paul writes of in Heb 12:1.

So Scripturally, is there harm in asking the saints, as friends in Christ, to pray for us, if Scripture tell us that God answers their prayers? This is really all that Catholics mean by "praying to the saints."

We do not pray to the saints. We ask them to pray for us just like how you would ask a friend to pray for you.

Well I would say start with Maccabees but then you would say that ain't in my Bible. (it is good we offer prayers for the dead)

The communion of saints are part of our extended family there are those in Heaven and Purgatory that can pray for us and we can pray for them.

We are spiritual community and they are well aware what is going on in the world they aren't cut off from where they lived. Miracles happen for those who believe. You could check Revelations there is several passages that point to those in white robes who pray for us daily, when you love one another that love goes beyond the abyss between this life and Eternity.

This is just a small sample of what the Scriptures have to teach about Intercessory Prayer to the saints: God Desires and Responds to Our Subordinate Mediation / Intercessory Prayer

1 Tim 2:1-2 - because Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), many Protestants deny the Catholic belief that the saints on earth and in heaven can mediate on our behalf. But before Paul's teaching about Jesus as the "one mediator," Paul urges supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. Paul is thus appealing for mediation from others besides Christ, the one mediator. Why?

1 Tim 2:3 - because this subordinate mediation is good and acceptable to God our Savior. Because God is our Father and we are His children, God invites us to participate in Christ's role as mediator.

1 Tim. 2:5 - therefore, although Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and man, there are many intercessors (subordinate mediators).

1 Cor. 3:9 - God invites us to participate in Christ's work because we are God's "fellow workers" and one family in the body of Christ. God wants His children to participate. The phrase used to describe "fellow workers" is "sunergoi," which literally means synergists, or cooperators with God in salvific matters. Does God need fellow workers? Of course not, but this shows how much He, as Father, loves His children. God wants us to work with Him.

Mark 16:20 - this is another example of how the Lord "worked with them" ("sunergountos"). God cooperates with us. Out of His eternal love, He invites our participation.

Rom. 8:28 - God "works for good with" (the Greek is "sunergei eis agathon") those who love Him. We work as subordinate mediators.

2 Cor. 6:1 - "working together" (the Greek is "sunergountes") with him, don't accept His grace in vain. God allows us to participate in His work, not because He needs our help, but because He loves us and wants to exalt us in His Son. It is like the father who lets his child join him in carrying the groceries in the house. The father does not need help, but he invites the child to assist to raise up the child in dignity and love.

Heb. 12:1 - the “cloud of witnesses” (nephos marturon) that we are surrounded by is a great amphitheatre of witnesses to the earthly race, and they actively participate and cheer us (the runners) on, in our race to salvation.

1 Peter 2:5 - we are a holy priesthood, instructed to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. We are therefore subordinate priests to the Head Priest, but we are still priests who participate in Christ's work of redemption.

Rev. 1:6, 5:10 - Jesus made us a kingdom of priests for God. Priests intercede through Christ on behalf of God's people.

James 5:16; Proverbs 15:8, 29 - the prayers of the righteous (the saints) have powerful effects. This is why we ask for their prayers. How much more powerful are the saints’ prayers in heaven, in whom righteousness has been perfected.

1 Tim 2:5-6 - therefore, it is because Jesus Christ is the one mediator before God that we can be subordinate mediators. Jesus is the reason. The Catholic position thus gives Jesus the most glory. He does it all but loves us so much He desires our participation.