Catholics what passages in the bible instruct asking saints in heaven to pray for us?

None.

But the question is kind of invalid in the first place. Think about it. What saints were even in heaven for someone to pray to during biblical times? None of course (except maybe Moses and Elijah). The gates of heaven were locked to all. Christ died and rose to open the gates and make salvation possible. So why would there be a command in the bible to pray to saints when, in the bible, there were as of yet no saints in heaven? Even if God wants us to pray to saints, such a command would not be in scripture. Imagine if it were - "disciples, pray also to the saints in heaven." ..."but Lord, there are no saints in heaven yet." It would make no sense.

And on top of that, Catholics do not subscribe to the notion of sola scriptura. In other words, while Catholics do not want beliefs to contradict scripture, they really don't give a flying **** if it's not mentioned in scripture.

I'm not a Catholic - I'm a Fundamentalist Christian. However: there is a problem with your question.

You assume that this has to be in the Bible. Why? Probably because you are a "sola scriptura" Christian - that is, a Christian who believes that no religious practice is allowed unless it is found in the Bible.

Catholics are not "sola scriptura" Christians. You asking a Catholic to find this in the Bible is like me asking you to find the recipe for Tuna Casserole in the dictionary. The dictionary will tell you the meanings of "tuna" and "casserole", but it won't tell you how to make the dish. Catholics believe that the Bible is **not** the only source of Christian doctrine - just like the dictionary is not the only source of information on Tuna Casserole.

There's a further problem. Which of these things - practiced by most Christians, probably some of them by you and your fellows - can you find in the Bible?

- praying with palms pressed together or with fingers interlaced

- celebrating Christmas

- celebrating Easter

- making use of a church (a building expressly for the use of Christians to gather in worship)

- using pews

- using a Bible (hint: many of the apostles died before the last of the Bible Scriptures was written)

- attending church service on Wednesday evening and Sunday morning but not other days

And there are many, many other practices. I have *never*, *ever* met a Christian or read about a Christian sect which:

a - practiced *only* the religious practices that the Bible teaches us was practiced by Christians

b - believed *only* the religious beliefs that the Bible teaches us were believed by Christians

So: you are implying that Roman Catholics are engaging in religious practices not mentioned in the Bible while you are at the same time almost certainly doing the very same thing!

Conclusion:

a) The Bible is not the source of the religious practice that Catholics call "intercessory prayer to the saints", nor do Catholics consider it necessary that the Bible be the source.

b) Unless I am mistaken you, also, engage in non-Biblical religious practices - - so why do you question Catholics about the "Biblicality" of their religious practices?

- Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/

Saints in Heaven praying for us? Psalms 103 & 148, Revelation 8:3-4.

Icons? God commanded the Cherubim to be carved upon the Mercy seat (Exodus 25:18-22). Since God can not contradict himself, why would He command an image He previously forbade? The only logical answer is a two part answer:

1) God had not revealed Himself in a physical form at that point, which He later did reveal Himself through Jesus and the Holy Spirit descending as a dove at the baptism of Jesus, and:

2) Graven images does not refer to pictures, but rather false gods, which is the worship of is prohibited in via the First Commandment.

Pretty easy to explain Brandon. There are tons of passages referring to those who went before us and how Jesus taught us to live. The Catholics have been around since 33A.D. when Jesus appointed Peter the first vicar of Christ/Pope. In the very early days of the church, there were great miracles at the hands of the Apostles who went out to preach, forgive sins and heal people exactly how Jesus taught them and instructed them to do. These traditions are two thousand years old.

Also, it is not just the Catholics. Look up in your local yellow pages or google the names of various Christian Churchs of all kinds of denominations. Kind of funny, but you will find so many named after Saints and even Mary Herself.

The practice of venerating Saints is not just a Catholic thing, although it might seem that way as the Catholic faith dominates Christianity since being the first and largest single church on earth worshipping Jesus as Lord.

You may be surprised to learn you already probably pray to people who are not even listed as Saints. Do you have a Grandma, Grandpa or Aunt that did something really well like math, science, etc??? Ever catch yourself asking them, although they died years ago, to watch over you or help you or get you the strength? You were not worshipping them of course. You were simply acknowledging that they are probably in heaven as they lived holy lives of loving God and their family and they might be in some position to look down and help you somehow. We don't know how. We just have that faith that all things are possible in Christ.

Hope this helps clear up your confusion and God bless you.

Good question. It's called the communion of the Saints, and the belief in Catholicism is that those who die in Christ do not cease being members of the body of believers just because they are physically dead. This idea is taught in the Bible. Since Christian Saints are not dead but are alive in Christ, the idea stems that we can petition those in heaven, just as we do those on Earth, to pray for us before the throne of Christ (The saints themselves do not receive prayers, but are asked to petinion Christ and pray for us). There are two notable verse in the Book of Revelations (Revaltions 5:8; 8:4), which describe intercessory prayer.

As for iconography, there is no mention or instruction in the NT. We have to remember that at the time the NT letters were written, Christianity was still a movement within Judaism, which forbade the use of images because of idolatry and their inability to capture the essence of the divine (this was a pagan practice. Pagans believed that their statues and images were direct connections to their gods and that the gods dwelled within them, which is why they received worship). Since Christians believe that Jesus is God and took on human form, the creation of images were a little easier to incorporate. If we look at the catacombs of Rome and the remains of ancient Churches (dating prior to Constantine's edict of Milan and the toleration of Christianity), Christians were using iconography since the earliest centuries as tools to communicate the mysteries of the Bible (such as the fish). Be aware that there is a HUGE distinction between idols and idolatry and the use of iconography and images in Christianity (Catholicism/Eastern Orthodoxy).

As Scripture indicates, those in heaven are aware of the prayers of those on earth. This can be seen, for example, in Revelation 5:8, where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God under the form of "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." But if the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us.

The intercession of fellow Christians—which is what the saints in heaven are—also clearly does not interfere with Christ’s unique mediatorship because in the four verses immediately preceding 1 Timothy 2:5, Paul says that Christians should interceed: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and pleasing to God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1–4). Clearly, then, intercessory prayers offered by Christians on behalf of others is something "good and pleasing to God," not something infringing on Christ’s role as mediator.

Catholics believe that the saints in Heaven are to be honored and invoked, that they offer prayers to God for man, and that their relics are to be held in veneration.

In the Bible (Genesis xix, 1) we read that Angels were worshiped by Abraham and Josua. Samuel and Eliseus were treated with great respect (I Kings, I Samuel xxviii, 14). In other places in the old Testament we find tribute to the saints. But the feeling we have for the saints is not that which we must have for God. We honor and venerate the saints. We worship God, our feeling toward God means adoration, the highest degree: towards creatures it means only respect, reverence due them because of exceptional virtue or position.

Christians pray to God. They also realize that it is good to ask the prayers of holy persons who are here upon earth. St. Paul did this (Romans xv, 30).

The Bible says that it is allowed and very useful to ask the prayers of people on earth and the prayers of the angels in heaven ; from this we conclude that it is also allowed to ask the prayers of the saints who reign with Christ in heaven and who are still our friends. St. Paul Rom. 15, 30, said: "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, through our Lord Jesus Christ, | and by the charity of the Holy Ghost, that you help me in your prayers for me to God." The same he said in his letter to the Ephes. 6, 18, and Tess. 5, 25.

That the saints know something of what passes on earth and can sympathize with us, may be inferred from what our Savior says in St. Matthew (xxii, 30), that the saints " shall be as the Angels of God in Heaven' and from what He says in St Luke (xv, 7, 10), "I say unto you, there shall be joy before the Angels of God upon one sinner doing penance" If the Angels see a sinner doing penance, the saints who are like Angels of God can do the same.

Moses, when with God on the mountain, far away and out of sight, was allowed to know that his people had fallen into idolatry. He could see what was passing elsewhere and could pray to God for them. It is only natural to suppose the saints can do the same. These blessed souls in Heaven, who are bound to us by ties of nature and grace, must have a sincere desire to help us in our necessities. We feel that God will not withhold from them this satisfaction. We believe that the Blessed Virgin and the Saints enjoy the power of interceding for us with God, a privilege bestowed upon them by Jesus Christ. They are not Mediators in the sense that Jesus is a Mediator between God and man, because Jesus is a Mediator of Eedemption and intercedes by His own rights and merits. The Saints may intercede only through the merits of Christ. Therefore, all our prayers end with the words "through Jesus Christ our Lord.''

The Church does not forbid our honoring the saints, but rather approves of it, for by honoring those who are chosen friends of God, we honor God Himself. We pray to the saints, but we ask only their help and prayers. We ask this as members of the Communion of saints, in which we, the members of the "Church Militant" on earth, ask help from members of the "Church Triumphant'' in Heaven, either for ourselves or for members of the '' Church Suffering'' in Purgatory. We help each other and keep alive the bond between us.

In Zach. 1, 12, we read that an angel prayed for the Jews: " Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Juda against which thou art angry." God heard the prayers of the angel and said : '' Thou hast spoken good words, consoling words I 'will have mercy on Jerusalem."

In the 11 Epistle of St. Peter 1, 15, we read : "And I will do my endeavor that after my death also you may often have prayers whereby you may keep a memory of these things." St. Peter wished to pray for his friends even after his death.

St. John saw four and twenty ancients “ who fell down before the lamb and all had harps and golden vials full of odors which are the prayers of the saints.'' This proves that the saints in heaven pray for us.

<<Or iconorgraphy?>>

Christian iconography has been around since the 2ᴺᴰ Century. see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blessed_Virgin_Mary_...

Within the Bible confer Gen. 32 & 48. Exodi. 3 ; 32. Num. 22. Josue 5. 3. Reg. 18. 4. Reg. 2. Psalm. 98.

Pax Christi.

First of all it is disingenuous to state that the practice of praying for each other has no biblical foundation, we are instructed in Scripture to have a prayer life for others as it is part of God’s commandment to love one another.

(2Co 5:8 DRB) But we are confident and have a good will to be absent rather from the body and to be present with the Lord.

The Catholic Church does not teach that it is absolutely necessary for one to ask for the intercession of saints for salvation. The Church does teach that prayer to God is necessary for salvation for all believers. For a Catholic it would be wrong to ignore the liturgical worship offered to God at feast days for the saints and the prayers asking for their intercession.

The Communion of Saints is a dogma of the ancient Church and is recorded in the apostles Creed. It simply states that the faithful because of their relationship with Christ are alive even after the death of their flesh and worship with us. To us the Church is made up of the Church militant who represents all those believers living out their hope in the flesh.

(Phi 2:12 DRB) Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but much more now in my absence) with fear and trembling work out your salvation.

(Phi 2:13 DRB) For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will.

It consists of the Church Suffering who are those who are temporarily in need of further purgation from sin so that they may enjoy the presence of God.

(2Ma 12:46 DRB) It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.

Lastly, the Communion of the Saints consists of those who have won the race:

(Phi 3:14 DRB) I press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus.

Their immortal souls are in heaven in God’s presence:

(Rev 5:8 DRB) And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

The universal stream connecting all of God’s creation is His love, which we take on in our baptism into our journey towards sanctification. This is not an emotional but a desire placed in us by the Spirit of God that endures as a desire for those other than ourselves and this love extends even to our enemies. This is truly a love that comes only from God and is a foreign concept and nonsense to those who have not received God’s salvific grace. This desire within our souls does not end with the death of our flesh but continues into eternity where the saints through their intercession in prayer encourage us in our race and assist us to endure unto our union with God.

I think that some people of faith, who do not understand the Communion of Saints, somehow believe that asking saints to pray for us is detracting from our love or our trust in God. In truth it is impossible, if we truly love as God commands and has given us the grace to understand, not to pray to those whom we love and in turn we expect them to return that same love to us by praying for us and presenting our prayers to God.

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

Brandon, thanks. every sincere Catholic must discover there is nothing in the Bible that indicate that we should ask dead saints to help us, since the Lord said "Behold I am with you alway" Mat.28:20 and also "Come to me all ye who labor and are heavy laden"

Sincere Catholics may upon this discovery leave that Church and seek Jesus the only mediator and Savior

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/