Idol Worship?

By Fred Vilbig

When I was growing up, I often heard that Catholics “worship” the Saints. I didn’t think that was what we did, but I really didn’t know how to explain our relationship with the saints until I was much older.

Jesus told us that we should pray for one another (Matthew 18:19), even for our enemies (Matthew 5:44). Paul in his epistles talks about how he prayed for the various churches he had founded. Colossians 1:9. He also asked for prayers for himself. 1 Thessalonians 5:25; Romans 15:30; Colossians 4:3. Jesus told us that He would be present whenever two or more are gathered in prayer. Matthew 18:18-19.

Praying for one another is common in every Christian faith tradition. Many conversations begin and end with, “Please pray for me,” or “I’ll keep you in my prayers.” There’s a long tradition of praying for one another in Christianity.

However, we don’t just ask anyone to pray for us. If we need someone to pray for some special purpose, we probably wouldn’t ask an unrepentant rapist or murderer. We probably assume their prayer won’t be heard.

Instead, we usually would ask a minister, such as a priest in the Catholic Church or a minister in a Protestant church. Or we may ask someone who seems to be particularly close to God, a holy person. We probably assume God will listen to that person’s prayers.

So if we asked holy people on earth to pray for us, why wouldn’t we ask the saints?

If we read the Book of Revelations, we see that the Saints are in heaven with God, even while there are men and women on earth. And what are the Saints doing? Among other things, they are praying. In Chapter 5, it says, “Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.” Revelation 5:8. So the saints in heaven are offering prayers to God.

Why would the saints be praying in heaven? The saints have already won the ultimate victory. We all want to be in heaven, and they are already there. I think the only logical conclusion is that the saints in heaven are praying for us here on earth.

Our lives on earth always involve some uncertainty. We need all the help we can get. The saints fought the good fight and won the crown. They are our heroes. They are more super than any comic book superhero ever imagined. They didn’t fight against creatures that could just kill them; they fought against powerful diabolical forces trying to drag them to hell. And by the grace of God, they won. We certainly should ask them to pray for us!

We should learn about the Saints. We should find one that really appeals to us: maybe it’s a mother or father who was a saint; maybe it’s a saint who had to bear the same crosses we bear; maybe it’s a bold, outspoken saint; or a quiet, meek saint. Maybe you can just relate to a particular saint’s personality. Once we find a saint or saints, we should ask for their prayers and try to imitate their lives as much as we can in our current situations.

So make a saint your hero! And then ask him or her to pray for you. As Paul says in Hebrews 12:1, we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, so they are probably right beside you, just waiting to be asked. All they really want is for you to join them in heaven. And that’s a good thing.