I’m not very religious, but whenever I travel to European countries there’s always a local “Patron Saint” that the locals admonish or pray to (like Saint Sebastien – Patron Saint of Mallorca, or Saint Lucy in Venice being the Patron Saint of the blind). My question is, how is this not technically polytheistic? I thought you were only supposed to pray to God? Thanks!
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All Christians agree that it’s good to share your prayer requests with living fellow Christians (like “The doctors think I might have cancer. Can you pray for me?”).
Catholics (and Orthodox, and Anglicans, etc.) believe that those who have died and are in heaven are able to observe everything happening on earth, and they continue to pray to God while in God’s presence. There are verses in the book of Revelation discussing this prayer occurring in heaven.
Therefore, Catholics (and Orthodox, and Anglicans, etc.) combine these two beliefs and do not discriminate between “living” Christians and “dead” Christians in sharing their prayer requests. A particular “patron” saint might be mentioned when sharing a prayer request because of a particular connection to the person, the place, or the challenge–just like you might share your troubles in a targeted support group, or share a challenge with someone you know has been through a similar challenge in the past.
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