With all respect to my Catholic brothers and sisters, this has always been a stumbling block to understanding the Catholic doctrine of praying to the saints to intercede for us. I'm not debating the theology that those who have already died on earth are alive, with God, in heaven. "For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it." (2 Corinthians 5:7-9)
So help me understand the belief that praying to Mary, or any of the saints who have gone before us, would yield more power in heaven than praying to the Son of God, who gave everything for us? He knows all, He loves all, He earned the right to be our Savior on the Cross, He laid down all of His rights and power to humble Himself in the body of a man, and He experienced all the trials and tribulations that we will ever encounter.
So what benefit is there, other than tradition, to praying to anyone else?
And yes, I understand the doctrine is that Catholics are asking for prayer from the saints, not praying to the saints. I also know the comfort of knowing that good friends and fellow believers are praying for me and my requests. I don't, however, see any biblical mandate to include in that list people who have never met me, don't have a relationship with me, and are incapable of walking with me through my trial. God gives us friends to cry with us, comfort us, and rejoice with us during all seasons of life. But there is no one greater than Jesus, and no one has greater access to the Father than Him. So asking people to pray for me, no issue with that at all. Asking people who have already died, who hold no standing in my current existence other than the fact that they have been raised to sainthood by fellow humans, in my opinion, is not biblical.
I feel the danger in this belief is that we can attribute to the saints of old, attributes which they themselves did not have on earth. This belief can also diminish the power and glory of Jesus, who the Bible says is the only mediator between God and man.
Asking fellow believers to pray for your requests, biblical. Paul models that belief several times in his letters. Asking dead saints to intercede on your behalf, I don't see a biblical model to build a foundational doctrine upon in my beliefs.
