Why do Catholics ask saints in Heaven to pray for them?
Catholics pray to the saints in the sense of asking for their prayers, just as we ask fellow Christians on earth to pray for us in times of difficulty or illness.
Death does not sever the bond of charity between the followers of Christ. The Bible describes believers who have completed the earthly race as a 'great cloud of witnesses' cheering us on. In the Book of Revelation, the elders and saints in heaven offer golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints on earth.
Because the saints are in heaven, united closely with Christ, their intercession is powerful and effective. They do not grant graces on their own authority; rather, they present our petitions before God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 956
- Revelation 5:8
- Hebrews 12:1
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.