If Jesus is the one mediator between God and man, why ask others to pray for us?
Saint Paul writes that there is one mediator between God and human beings: the man Christ Jesus. Catholic doctrine whole-heartedly affirms this foundational truth. Only Jesus reconciled fallen humanity to God through his blood.
However, Scripture also explicitly commands Christians to pray and intercede for one another. When we ask a friend, a family member, or a holy saint in heaven to pray for us, that intercession does not compete with or replace Christ's mediation. Rather, it flows directly from it.
All members of the Church are living branches connected to the one Vine, Jesus Christ. Because we share in his life, we are invited to participate in his priestly prayer. When the saints in heaven pray for us, they bring our petitions to the Father through the sole merits and mediation of Jesus Christ.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 956
- 1 Timothy 2:5
- James 5:16
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.