Do the Saints Distract Us from God?

How do the saints help us get closer to God? Dr. Sri addresses common questions and misconceptions about the saints, explaining the difference between worship and honor, emphasizing that Catholics do not worship saints but honor them for their exemplary lives devoted to God. As we prepare to celebrate All Saints Day this week, learn how the lives of the saints help us give more praise to God. 

Shownotes

Scripture quotes

Matthew 22:31–32

“And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

Corinthians 1:11

“You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us in answer to many prayers.”

1 Timothy 2:1

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men.”

Hebrews 12:1

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”

John 15:5

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Catechism quotes

CCC 957 Communion with the saints. "It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself.

Pilgrimage Announcement: Holy Land 2026

Join Dr. Edward Sri for a Holy Land pilgrimage from January 16 to 24, 2026. To inquire and secure your spot, email holyland.edwardsri@gmail.com. To learn more about Dr. Sri's pilgrimages, sign up for the pilgrimages newsletter at www.edwardsri.com.