Whether We Ought to Pray to God Alone?
Objection 1: It would seem that we ought to pray to God alone. Prayer
is an act of religion, as stated above (A. 3). But God alone is to be
worshiped by religion. Therefore we should pray to God alone.
Obj. 2: Further, it is useless to pray to one who is ignorant of the
prayer. But it belongs to God alone to know one's prayer, both
because frequently prayer is uttered by an interior act which God
alone knows, rather than by words, according to the saying of the
Apostle (1 Cor. 14:15), "I will pray with the spirit, I will pray
also with the understanding": and again because, as Augustine says
(De Cura pro mortuis xiii) the "dead, even the saints, know not what
the living, even their own children, are doing." Therefore we ought
to pray to God alone.
Obj. 3: Further, if we pray to any of the saints, this is only
because they are united to God. Now some yet living in this world, or
even some who are in Purgatory, are closely united to God by grace,
and yet we do not pray to them. Therefore neither should we pray to
the saints who are in Paradise.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Job 5:1), "Call . . . if there be
any that will answer thee, and turn to some of the saints."
_I answer that,_ Prayer is offered to a person in two ways: first, as
to be fulfilled by him, secondly, as to be obtained through him. In
the first way we offer prayer to God alone, since all our prayers
ought to be directed to the acquisition of grace and glory, which God
alone gives, according to Ps. 83:12, "The Lord will give grace and
glory." But in the second way we pray to the saints, whether angels
or men, not that God may through them know our petitions, but that
our prayers may be effective through their prayers and merits. Hence
it is written (Apoc. 8:4) that "the smoke of the incense," namely
"the prayers of the saints ascended up before God." This is also
clear from the very style employed by the Church in praying: since we
beseech the Blessed Trinity "to have mercy on us," while we ask any
of the saints "to pray for us."
Reply Obj. 1: To Him alone do we offer religious worship when
praying, from Whom we seek to obtain what we pray for, because by so
doing we confess that He is the Author of our goods: but not to those
whom we call upon as our advocates in God's presence.
Reply Obj. 2: The dead, if we consider their natural condition, do
not know what takes place in this world, especially the interior
movements of the heart. Nevertheless, according to Gregory (Moral.
xii, 21), whatever it is fitting the blessed should know about what
happens to us, even as regards the interior movements of the heart,
is made known to them in the Word: and it is most becoming to their
exalted position that they should know the petitions we make to them
by word or thought; and consequently the petitions which we raise to
them are known to them through Divine manifestation.
Reply Obj. 3: Those who are in this world or in Purgatory, do not yet
enjoy the vision of the Word, so as to be able to know what we think
or say. Wherefore we do not seek their assistance by praying to them,
but ask it of the living by speaking to them.
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