CW5  All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween)
The Great Cloud of Witnesses: Guides for Prayer with Fr. Mark Cyza

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Fr. Mark Cyza discusses the origins of All Hallow’s Eve and it’s development into the secular celebration known as “Halloween”.  How should celebrate this time and what should our prayer reflect?

Resources:

Praying to Saints

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On this faith check let’s answer the question, “why pray to a saint when you can pray straight to God?”

Of course, Catholics can and do pray straight to God.  But we also pray to saints, not to worship them, but simply to ask for their prayers on our behalf, just like we ask our friends on earth to pray for us.

In the communion of saints we are spiritually connected to believers in the here and now and in the hereafter.  For instance, Hebrews tells us we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses,”¹ who are aware of what’s going on here.  We read in Revelation that the prayers of the elders and saints in heaven are ascending before the throne of God.²

The prayers of the saints are powerful because they have been perfected in God’s grace and as St. James says, “the fervent prayer of the righteous has great power.”³

Early Christian writings demonstrate that this practice was not a later corruption, but goes back to the very first centuries of Christianity.  So let us join with Christians of all ages in saying “all you holy men and women, pray for us!”

1 -  12:1

2 -  5:8; 8:3; etc.

3 -  5:16

Despite the “lack of historical evidence” surrounding St. Philomena, the heart just “knows”.  The  relationships that this lovely little saint has had with us in the temporal order from her seat in the Cloud of Witnesses is the greatest evidence of all for her presence there.  The great Cure de Ars, St. John Vianney,  had a great devotion to St. Philomena, along with many, many others.   Beloved St. Philomena, pray for us!