Protestants Are Finally Admitting Catholics Were Right About Saints

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]Coming from Protestantism, one of the hardest doctrines of the Catholic faith for me to accept and sort of begin living as though it's a reality was the communion of saints. The difficulty for me in accepting that Christ's body is one and that this oneness of his body really transcends life, death, time, and space and that the saints are actually praying for us and like helping us along our journey to heaven is precisely the difficulty for me in accepting the unfathomable humility and generosity of God in not only offering salvation to sinners, but then actually raising us up to participate in his divine life and to participate in the salvation of the world. Now, I recognize that some people argue that the communion of the saints is a false doctrine just because they believe that the saints are deader than a doornail, but then like what about the transfiguration and Moses and Elijah? I mean, they were clearly very much alive and aware of things. And then think of the story of the rich man and Lazarus.

[00:01:00]And then just like the data we have on people's near-death experiences and actual death experiences where they revived and they come back. Like you're not unaware of things when you're dead.

[00:01:10]Your soul is just no longer unified with your body. So, that's kind of a side note. I think it's just hard for us to a grasp the humility of God in wanting us all to be involved in the salvation of one another and giving us each important roles to play.

[00:01:21]>> For years, Catholics have heard one accusation repeated over and over again.

[00:01:26]Catholics worship saints.

[00:01:28]Maybe you have heard it before.

[00:01:30]Why are Catholics praying to dead people?

[00:01:32]Why not just go directly to Jesus?

[00:01:35]The Bible says worship God alone.

[00:01:37]And honestly, if you grew up Protestant or even Catholic without much explanation, this can sound like a strong argument. Because on the surface, seeing statues, candles, saint names, and hearing Catholics say things like Saint Anthony, pray for us can seem strange. Some Protestants genuinely believe Catholics replace Jesus with saints.

[00:01:57]Others think Catholics invented an unbiblical practice.

[00:02:01]And for years, many Catholics struggled to explain it.

[00:02:04]But something interesting has started happening.

[00:02:06]More and more Protestants, especially former pastors, Bible scholars, and Christians digging deeper into church history are starting to admit something surprising.

[00:02:17]Catholics may have been right about saints all along.

[00:02:20]Not because Catholics worship saints, but because many Protestants are realizing something they misunderstood for years.

[00:02:26]Catholics are not worshiping saints at all.

[00:02:29]Catholics are asking saints to pray with them and for them. And once you understand that distinction, everything changes.

[00:02:36]>> The Epistle of Hebrews teaches that we can go directly to the throne of grace.

[00:02:41]Christ is able to sympathize with our weaknesses because of his priestly work on our behalf and his incarnate work and now is high priestly work uh intercessory work for us. And that because of that we can obtain the grace and mercy we need for our actual struggles right now. It's like we've got a six-lane highway. We can go directly to God himself.

[00:03:01]So, if you've got that we don't want anything to obscure that.

[00:03:05]We don't want anything to get in the way of that. We don't want anything to uh you know, direct our attention elsewhere. And that's the ultimate concern from a Protestant standpoint with praying to the saints is it's uh in its actual uh consequence in real life, it does draw us away from the sufficiency of Christ as our mediator.

[00:03:26]>> Catholics agree with part of this.

[00:03:28]Yes, Hebrews teaches we can go directly to God through Jesus.

[00:03:33]Catholics fully believe that.

[00:03:35]Jesus is our high priest, our mediator, and the reason we can boldly approach the throne of grace.

[00:03:41]The disagreement is not can we go directly to Jesus?

[00:03:45]Catholics say absolutely yes. The real question is, does asking others to pray for us take away from Jesus?

[00:03:52]Because if it does, why ask your pastor to pray for you?

[00:03:56]Why ask friends, family, or a church prayer group?

[00:03:59]Nobody says no, go to Jesus only.

[00:04:02]Why? Because Christians understand intercessory prayer does not replace Christ. It participates in Christ.

[00:04:08]Catholics believe saints do the same thing.

[00:04:11]And Catholics do not pray to saints instead of Jesus.

[00:04:14]We pray to Jesus constantly.

[00:04:16]The mass is centered on Jesus. Salvation is through Jesus. The saints simply us, not instead of Christ. The real question is, if Christians pray for us on earth, why would Christians in heaven suddenly stop caring?

[00:04:31]>> A lot of the time people think that we neglect Christ by focusing on Mary or the saints, but it's on the contrary. We actually are able to love Jesus more, and we see him more, and we and we are more able to enter into his life through the saints.

[00:04:47]>> Right.

[00:04:48]>> And it doesn't take away from his power.

[00:04:49]It actually shows his power that he can work through human beings like like like the saints. He he can work through them.

[00:04:56]And he doesn't get jealous when we talk to the saints. I mean, like just think about his mother.

[00:05:00]>> Right.

[00:05:01]>> If you talk to my mother, I'll be so happy.

[00:05:03]>> Yeah.

[00:05:04]>> And I would want you to know more about my mother and to and to and to and to have a relationship with her cuz that's going to help me be closer to you.

[00:05:10]>> Yes.

[00:05:11]>> Even. And so, it's the same thing for Jesus.

[00:05:13]>> Yeah. I always think of uh in John 17, when Jesus is praying to the Father before he goes into his passion.

[00:05:20]And he says in John 17, he says, "The glory that the Father gave him, the Son, he gives it. He shares it with everyone who believes in him."

[00:05:28]>> Yes, exactly.

[00:05:29]>> He shares his glory with everyone who believes in him.

[00:05:32]And isn't it true, Father, that we feel sometimes we feel closer to Jesus after we come across a very holy person >> Definitely.

[00:05:41]>> that reminds us of Jesus, you know? When you meet somebody and and you you know, you can tell like I see Jesus in this person.

[00:05:47]>> Yeah.

[00:05:48]>> And you feel like you've had an encounter with with our Lord when you meet good holy people.

[00:05:52]>> Yeah.

[00:05:53]>> Because isn't it true the you know, being that we're all members of the mystical body of Christ, the church of Jesus Christ is a continuation of the incarnation here on earth.

[00:06:04]>> Yeah.

[00:06:04]>> And we are an extension because we're part of his body. We are called to be Jesus out in the world.

[00:06:10]>> Yeah.

[00:06:11]>> You are called to be Jesus Father and you're Jesus in a very special sacramental way in the person of Christ when you celebrate the sacraments. But all of us because we're all baptized into him, we are his hands and his feet. We are his his his mouthpiece. We are his his ambassadors here on earth to to the world that doesn't know him yet. So the saints are his body, an extension of of himself.

[00:06:33]>> Let's start with the biggest misunderstanding right away.

[00:06:36]Catholics do not worship saints. Let's say that clearly because it matters.

[00:06:41]Catholics worship God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

[00:06:45]Only God receives worship. Only God saves. Only God forgives sins.

[00:06:51]Only God deserves adoration.

[00:06:53]So then what are Catholics actually doing? Catholics are practicing something called intercession.

[00:06:58]>> [clears throat] >> In simple terms, they are asking fellow Christians to pray for them. And suddenly the conversation becomes much less strange.

[00:07:05]Because let's be honest, Protestants ask people for prayers all the time.

[00:07:09]How many times have you heard someone say, "Please pray for me." or "Can you keep me in prayer?"

[00:07:14]Nobody thinks that is weird. Nobody says, "Dots, stop replacing Jesus."

[00:07:19]Why? Because Christians understand prayer matters. Christians pray for one another.

[00:07:24]In fact, the Bible encourages this.

[00:07:26]>> The actual doctrine in the Catholic Church is that the saints are [music] interceding to Christ for you. The same way you'd ask [music] a Christian friend pray for you. A lot of the confusion about saints >> [music] >> and prayer actually goes back to our view of heaven.

[00:07:45]I think a lot of [music] Christians, Catholic or non, who truly believe that when you die, you're just like dead, [music] nowhere.

[00:07:54]You're nowhere.

[00:07:56]Until a final [music] judgment. Almost like a Protestant purgatory in a way, where you're just hanging out until [music] the end of all things. But what we see and with the thief on the cross, >> [music] >> when Jesus turns to him and he confesses his belief, he says, "I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."

[00:08:13][music] So we know that when Christians die, when those who believe die, they're actually with the Lord alive.

[00:08:20]>> [music] >> So, I want to say the first thing to Protestants who are listening to this, telling a Catholic they believe [music] the dead can pray for them is is not going to get you very far because they do not Catholics do not believe that the saints [music] are dead. They are alive with Christ. And you should believe that, too, because >> [music] >> that's what scripture tells us. When a Christian dies, they're alive with Christ. [music] So, when the Catholics are talking about a heavenly saint [music] moving from earth to heaven, they're dying, they become a heavenly saint, they're saying they don't stop praying.

[00:08:52]They were praying on earth, now they're praying in heaven, >> [music] >> and that's a fundamental piece of this doctrine.

[00:08:57]>> Quick pause for just a second. If you've ever heard a Catholic claim challenged and thought, "Wait, what's the actual answer to that?"

[00:09:05]Make sure to visit CatholicExplain.com.

[00:09:07]We created it to be a place where everyday Catholics or curious Catholics can search and learn simple biblical answers to the biggest claims and misconceptions about the Catholic faith.

[00:09:17]Whether it's Mary, the Pope, salvation, confession, purgatory, priests, or really anything you've heard challenged.

[00:09:24]Almost everything we offer is essentially free because our mission is simple. Help Catholics know what to say when their faith is challenged. So check it out at CatholicExplain.com.

[00:09:35]All right, back to the episode.

[00:09:37]In James 5:16 scripture says, "Pray for one another."

[00:09:41]And then it explains why.

[00:09:43]The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

[00:09:46]Did you catch that? The Bible literally says the prayers of righteous people matter. So, Catholics ask a very simple question. If Christians on earth can pray for each other, why would Christians in heaven suddenly stop caring? That question matters because Catholics believe something many people forget. The saints are alive. They are not spiritually dead. Yes, physically they died, but spiritually alive in Christ. Jesus himself says this in Luke 20:38.

[00:10:14]He is not God of the dead, but of the living. Think about that for a second.

[00:10:18]Abraham alive in Christ. Moses alive in Christ. Peter alive in Christ. The saints alive in Christ. Catholics are not talking to dead people. Catholics are asking living members of Christ's body to pray. And honestly, more Protestants are beginning to wrestle with that reality. Because if heaven is real and believers are alive with Christ, then why would Christians suddenly stop praying or stop caring about God's people?

[00:10:44]That actually sounds less biblical.

[00:10:46]Now, somebody immediately says, "But Jesus is the only mediator." And Catholics completely agree.

[00:10:52]In 1 Timothy 2:5 scripture says, "There is one mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus."

[00:10:59]Catholics fully believe that. Jesus is the only mediator of salvation. Only Jesus bridges the gap between humanity and God.

[00:11:07]Only Jesus died for sins. Only Jesus saves.

[00:11:11]But here is where confusion happens. If asking someone else to pray for you somehow replaces Jesus as mediator, then why do Protestants ask pastors, friends, or family to pray for them? Because intercession does not replace Christ. It participates in Christ. Jesus remains the one mediator. Christians simply pray for one another through him.

[00:11:32]Catholics believe saints do the same thing.

[00:11:35]Now, here is where things get really interesting because the Bible actually gives hints of heavenly intercession.

[00:11:41]In Revelation 5:8, scripture describes the saints in heaven offering prayers to God. It says, "The elders held golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

[00:11:52]Did you catch that? People in heaven are somehow connected to prayers being brought before God.

[00:11:58]Then again in Revelation 8:3-4, prayers are being offered before God in heaven.

[00:12:03]Suddenly, this starts sounding a lot like intercession.

[00:12:05]Catholics are not saying saints replace Jesus.

[00:12:09]Catholics are saying the family of God does not end at death.

[00:12:13]That is important. Think about this practically. Imagine your grandmother dies as a faithful Christian. Do you suddenly believe she stops caring about you? Stops loving you? Stops praying?

[00:12:25]Most Christians would say no.

[00:12:27]So, Catholics ask, "If Christians on earth pray for us, why could glorified Christians in heaven not pray, too?"

[00:12:34]Let's talk about statues because this always comes up. People say ca- Catholics bow before statues.

[00:12:40]But, here is the question.

[00:12:42]Does having a picture mean worship?

[00:12:46]If someone keeps a picture of their grandmother in the house, do they worship grandma?

[00:12:50]Of course not. Statues remind Catholics of holy examples, just like Protestants hang crosses, Bible verses, or family pictures in their homes. The object itself the person it points to matters.

[00:13:03]Catholics honor saints because saints point people to Jesus.

[00:13:06]Saints are examples. Saints inspire faith.

[00:13:10]Saints show ordinary people what surrender to Christ looks like.

[00:13:13]Think about St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Teresa.

[00:13:19]These were broken sinners transformed by God.

[00:13:22]Their lives remind ordinary Christians that holiness is possible.

[00:13:26]And honestly, this is where many Protestants are quietly beginning to rethink things because more Protestants are studying church history and asking uncomfortable questions like wait, why did early Christians honor saints?

[00:13:40]Why did Christians closest to the apostles believe this? Why do ancient writings mention asking martyrs for prayers? Why was this normal Christianity for over a thousand years?

[00:13:50]And for many Protestants, that question becomes uncomfortable because suddenly Catholic teaching starts looking a lot less invented and a lot more ancient.

[00:13:59]Can some Catholics explain saints poorly?

[00:14:02]Absolutely. Sometimes Catholics accidentally make it sound like saints are magical wish granters.

[00:14:08]That is not Catholic teaching. Saints are not mini gods. Saints are not replacements for Jesus. Saints do not save people. Saints pray.

[00:14:18]That is it. Simple. Just like asking your church friend to pray for you.

[00:14:23]Except these Christians are already with Christ.

[00:14:25]So let's clean this up simply for everyday Catholics.

[00:14:28]When somebody says, "Catholics worship saints." You can answer, "Actually, Catholics worship God alone.

[00:14:35]We ask saints to pray for us just like Christians ask each other for prayers."

[00:14:39]When somebody says, "Why not just go to Jesus?"

[00:14:42]You can answer, "We do go to Jesus.

[00:14:44]Asking saints to pray does not replace Jesus any more than asking your pastor to pray replaces Jesus."

[00:14:51]And when someone says, "Saints are dead." You can answer, "Jesus said God is the God of the living, not the dead." And maybe that is the deeper truth many Protestants are finally beginning to realize. Catholics were never worshipping saints. Catholics were simply believing the family of God is bigger than Earth. That Christians in heaven are still alive, still united in Christ, and still praying.

[00:15:12]And maybe, just maybe, Catholics were right about saints all along.