Whether the Saints in Heaven Pray for Us?
Objection 1: It would seem that the saints in heaven do not pray for
us. A man's action is more meritorious for himself than for others.
But the saints in heaven do not merit for themselves, neither do they
pray for themselves, since they are already established in the term.
Neither therefore do they pray for us.
Obj. 2: Further, the saints conform their will to God perfectly, so
that they will only what God wills. Now what God wills is always
fulfilled. Therefore it would be useless for the saints to pray for
us.
Obj. 3: Further, just as the saints in heaven are above, so are those
in Purgatory, for they can no longer sin. Now those in Purgatory do
not pray for us, on the contrary we pray for them. Therefore neither
do the saints in heaven pray for us.
Obj. 4: Further, if the saints in heaven pray for us, the prayers of
the higher saints would be more efficacious; and so we ought not to
implore the help of the lower saints' prayers but only of those of
the higher saints.
Obj. 5: Further, the soul of Peter is not Peter. If therefore the
souls of the saints pray for us, so long as they are separated from
their bodies, we ought not to call upon Saint Peter, but on his soul,
to pray for us: yet the Church does the contrary. The saints
therefore do not pray for us, at least before the resurrection.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (2 Macc. 15:14): "This is . . . he
that prayeth much for the people, and for all the holy city, Jeremias
the prophet of God."
_I answer that,_ As Jerome says (Cont. Vigilant. 6), the error of
Vigilantius consisted in saying that "while we live, we can pray one
for another; but that after we are dead, none of our prayers for
others can be heard, seeing that not even the martyrs' prayers are
granted when they pray for their blood to be avenged." But this is
absolutely false, because, since prayers offered for others proceed
from charity, as stated above (AA. 7, 8), the greater the charity of
the saints in heaven, the more they pray for wayfarers, since the
latter can be helped by prayers: and the more closely they are united
to God, the more are their prayers efficacious: for the Divine order
is such that lower beings receive an overflow of the excellence of
the higher, even as the air receives the brightness of the sun.
Wherefore it is said of Christ (Heb. 7:25): "Going to God by His own
power . . . to make intercession for us" [*Vulg.: 'He is able to save
for ever them that come to God by Him, always living to make
intercession for us.']. Hence Jerome says (Cont. Vigilant. 6): "If
the apostles and martyrs while yet in the body and having to be
solicitous for themselves, can pray for others, how much more now
that they have the crown of victory and triumph."
Reply Obj. 1: The saints in heaven, since they are blessed, have no
lack of bliss, save that of the body's glory, and for this they pray.
But they pray for us who lack the ultimate perfection of bliss: and
their prayers are efficacious in impetrating through their previous
merits and through God's acceptance.
Reply Obj. 2: The saints impetrate what ever God wishes to take place
through their prayers: and they pray for that which they deem will be
granted through their prayers according to God's will.
Reply Obj. 3: Those who are in Purgatory though they are above us on
account of their impeccability, yet they are below us as to the pains
which they suffer: and in this respect they are not in a condition to
pray, but rather in a condition that requires us to pray for them.
Reply Obj. 4: It is God's will that inferior beings should be helped
by all those that are above them, wherefore we ought to pray not only
to the higher but also to the lower saints; else we should have to
implore the mercy of God alone. Nevertheless it happens sometime that
prayers addressed to a saint of lower degree are more efficacious,
either because he is implored with greater devotion, or because God
wishes to make known his sanctity.
Reply Obj. 5: It is because the saints while living merited to pray
for us, that we invoke them under the names by which they were known
in this life, and by which they are better known to us: and also in
order to indicate our belief in the resurrection, according to the
saying of Ex. 3:6, "I am the God of Abraham," etc.
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