The prayer of the Christian is a communal affair. It involves the entire People of God, both in heaven and on earth. And so, no Christian ever prays alone.

From the perspective of eternity, the prayers of believers unite them with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the angels and saints. The entire heavenly court is involved in the prayers we offer throughout our lives. Our prayers are united to theirs. We are one people, one body, one family in God.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about guides for prayer. In addition to praying with us, these guides also teach and direct us in the interior life. They are biblical referred to as “the cloud of witnesses” and they include all the holy ones who excelled in the spiritual life.

The Catechism explains: “The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom, especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives, the transmission of their writings, and their prayer today.”

In one brief sentence, we have a complete summary of the contributions of the witnesses to our lives and the spiritual treasury of the Church.

First, the witnesses have run the race of this life and received their crown. They fought the good fight and won their victory in Jesus Christ. They have received the Beatific Vision and are rejoicing in God’s presence. They have a front row seat in heaven and are sharing a union with God that our prayer on earth seeks to participate in.

Secondly, while this is especially true of those who are canonized saints, it also includes all the holy ones in heaven. Everyone in heaven is a saint, and so every saint – canonized or not – can be a witness to us of the power of spending time with God.

Thirdly, the saints share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives. They prayed and that example shines out and convicts us in this life to pray as they prayed.

Fourthly, those saints who left us writings on the spiritual life contribute to the living tradition by their writings, mystical accounts, insights, and instructions.

Fifthly, the saints are not dead people who have no voice and play no part in the life of the Church today. Quite the opposite. The cloud of witnesses is active and interceding for the Church today. The saints are not removed models that we stare at and emulate in some distant fashion. The saints are here and a part of our lives. They live with God and with us. They are more alive now than they ever have been and they want to come and bring that abundant life to us. The witnesses want to accompany us and actively encourage us to seek a life in God above all things.

In reference to the witnesses, the Catechism powerfully tells us: “[The witnesses] contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were ‘put in charge of many things.’”

The witnesses remember us, call to us, and want to guide us to union with God. The thick veil of death has not removed them from us. They are among us and keep pointing us to the things of God. They call us to pray and offer to pray for us. They interceded for us and desire to teach us about the ways of God.

The Catechism makes the urgent point: “Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.”

The witnesses serve God by helping us. Their worship of God includes offering supplications and intercession for us. Such heavenly charity is a part of God’s plan. It is a plan engrained in the very fabric and template of his family. We are to love and care for one another. Such a summons does not end at death. It only intensifies and expands as we pursue the friendship and intercession of the witnesses, the holy ones of God.

We can approach these holy ones with confidence since we are all family and they are our older brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. They are a part of us and they eagerly desire to guide us and lead us to eternal union with themselves and God.

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