Hello,

Many times I feel down in spirit but I don’t know who to pray to, whether to say many Our Fathers or many Hail Marys, whether to pray more to Jesus or to Our Lady.

I apologize for the banal question but I’m a bit confused.

I kindly await your response.

Thank you

—

Answer from the priest

Dear friend,

1. When you pray, in any case you are addressing the Lord. Even if your prayer is immediately directed to Our Lady or to a Saint, the prayer ends with God because you entrust your prayer to him through the mediation of Our Lady or through the mediation of the Saints.

2. The Liturgy of the Church is our teacher in this as well. Because if you notice in the recitation of the litanies, and especially in the litany of the saints, it begins by saying: “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy, God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us; God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us…” When you then arrive at Holy Mary and all the Saints, you say “pray for us.”

Pray to whom? Evidently, pray to God.

3. Your question, however, gives me the opportunity to remind that Sacred Scripture many times recommends praying to Angels and the Holy Souls, contrary to what one hears from evangelicals and many Protestants.

Well, Sacred Scripture itself recalls that Jacob asked the angel with whom he had wrestled to bless him. Indeed, he said to him that he would not let him go until he blessed him: “I will not let you go until you bless me!” (Gn 32:27).

Likewise, Jacob appeals to the angel who delivered him to bless others: “The angel who has delivered me from all harm, bless these boys” (Gn 48:16).

4. We also see that in Sacred Scripture God praises certain saints as for example in Sir 44:1-2ff: “I will now praise the godly, our ancestors, in their own time, The abounding glory of the Most High’s portion, his own part, since the days of old…” There follows the praise of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron…

If God in Sacred Scripture gives praise to the saints, why can’t we do the same?

It would be strange if, while we honor illustrious men from a human point of view because they were scientists, politicians, artists… we could not honor the Saints who are masterpieces of God.

5. Jesus himself also alludes to the intercession of the saints on our behalf when, regarding those who convert, Jesus says: “I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance” (Lk 15:7).

Well, if they rejoice in heaven, it means they have taken part with their intercession in their conversion.

6. It is true that God does not need to know our prayers and our needs through the mediation of the saints. Moreover, this is not their function.

But it is also true that appealing to the intercession of the saints is a sign of recognition of our unworthiness. And for this reason we turn to the help of God’s friends.

This feeling of unworthiness was aroused by God himself in Job’s friends precisely because they had sinned: “So now take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves, and let my servant Job pray for you. To him I will show favor, and not punish your folly, for you have not spoken rightly concerning me, as has my servant Job” (Jb 42:7-8).

7. What is also read in the Gospel of Luke regarding the centurion who interacts with Jesus through the mediation of his servants is very significant.

Here is the text: “When he had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him. When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave. They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, ‘He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.’ And Jesus went with them” (Lk 7:1-6).

When the Lord is on his way to the centurion’s house, the latter sends some friends to say: “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed” (Lk 7:6-7).

Jesus praises the centurion’s faith.

8. There is no doubt that Christ is the only mediator between God and men and that he from heaven continues his constant intercession on our behalf.

And yet, Saint Paul himself, after having said that “There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus” (1 Tm 2:5) insists on asking prayers from the brethren to help him with God, so much so that he writes to the Romans: “I urge you, [brothers,] by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in the struggle by your prayers to God on my behalf” (Rom 15:30).

I bless you and remember you in prayer,

Father Angelo

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