How To Pray With The Saints

by Debbie Parmiter

God calls us to be saints, to holiness. The saints were ordinary people just like us in many ways. They laughed, they cried, they struggled in their lives. How they lived and responded to the events in their lives was extraordinary. They are true examples to us of the holiness that God calls us to.

Did you know that the communion of saints are there to intercede for us? The word intercession stems from the Latin verb intercedere meaning “intervene, come between, be between.”

The Catechism states:

“Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness…They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus…So by their fraternal concern is our weakness helped. CCC956

St. Dominic said on his deathbed, “Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.”

Saints in heaven are eternally face to face with God Himself, and so able to intervene on our behalf in a powerful way. This isn’t merely a duty for them; it delights the saints to help us, so that we too may one day join them in heaven.

You may be asking, “How do I pray with the saints?” How to I ask them to intercede for me? When you pray a Hail Mary, you are doing just that. You are asking our Mother Mary to intercede for you to her beloved Son. Of course, she isn’t the only saint. There are over 10,000 saints recognized by the Catholic Church. There are patron saints for every type of spirituality and every kind of human struggle. The Catholic Church is for everyone, so you can find someone in the communion of saints that really “gets” you just as a close friend would understand and relate to you.

We at St Timothy are also blessed to have the largest collection of saint relics in the Southwest. Many of these saints are pictured on the mural behind the altar in the church. Consider developing a relationship with a saint from our mural or Reliquarium; you will have the special privilege of visiting their relic in person and attending Mass with them visually, in addition to already always celebrating Mass with the saints spiritually.

To start, these simple steps will guide you into a relationship with a saint:

1. Choose a saint that inspires you. Draw meaning from their life or words they spoke. Find a saint that you related to in some way. If you Don’t know where to look, our parish website contains background information on all the saints in our mural. https://sttimothymesa.org/mural-saints-biographies

2. Speak and pray openly with them on a regular basis, similar to how you pray with our Lord or speak with a dear friend. Ask them for help and thank them for their intercession. By doing this, you will develop a relationship with them.

3. Allow them to lead you to holiness as they became holy in their words and actions while living.