Saints LightAre Mary and the Saints Our Friends?
Mary is our mother, and the saints are our friends in heaven who pray for us and show us how to love Jesus.
On the cross, Jesus looked at His mother Mary and His friend John, and He said to John: Behold, your mother! The Church has always understood that Jesus gave Mary to all of us. She is the Mother of God and our mother too (CCC 963, 2677).
We do not worship Mary. Worship belongs to God alone. We honor and love Mary, the way you honor your own mom, because God chose her and she said yes. Mary herself said that all generations would call her blessed (CCC 971). Everything Mary does points us to Jesus.
The saints are people who loved God with their whole lives and are now with Him in heaven. Some are famous, like St Francis of Assisi, who loved the poor and all God's creatures, or St Therese of Lisieux, who showed that little acts of love done for God are great. Some were children, like St Dominic Savio, who wanted to be a saint when he was a boy (CCC 828).
The Bible says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. The saints in heaven are part of God's family, and they pray for us, just as you might ask a friend to pray for you (CCC 956). We call this the communion of saints (CCC 957).
You may be named after a saint, and many Catholics choose a saint's name at Confirmation. Get to know your saint! Read their story, ask them to pray for you, and copy the good things they did. God wants you to be a saint too.
Key points
- Jesus gave us Mary to be our mother.
- We honor Mary and the saints, and we worship God alone.
- The saints pray for us, and God wants us to be saints too.
The Word of God
Behold, your mother!
For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.
seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Catechism paragraphs for this lesson
- CCC 828
- CCC 956-957
- CCC 963
- CCC 971
- CCC 2677
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Live it this week
Find out which saint you are named after, or pick one you like, and read their story with your family. Each night, ask your saint to pray for you, and pray a Hail Mary to Mary, your mother.
Check yourself: three questions
1. Do Catholics worship Mary?
- No, we honor her and worship God alone
- Yes, just like God
- Only on her feast days
- Only in May
Show the answer
No, we honor her and worship God alone. Worship belongs to God alone. We love and honor Mary because God chose her.
2. Who are the saints?
- Only the twelve Apostles
- Statues in church
- People who loved God and are now with Him in heaven
- Angels with wings
Show the answer
People who loved God and are now with Him in heaven. Saints are people who loved God with their whole lives and now live with Him.
3. What do the saints in heaven do for us?
- They grade our homework
- They pray for us
- They forget about us
- They decide who goes to heaven
Show the answer
They pray for us. The saints are part of God's family and pray for us, like friends do.
Words to know
- Communion of saints
- The one family of God: believers on earth, the souls being made ready, and the saints in heaven, all joined in Christ.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
For catechists: a one hour class plan
Goal. The children will know that Mary is their mother and the saints are friends who pray for them, will know the difference between honoring and worship, and will get to know one saint.
Opener. Ask: "Who do you ask to pray for you when something is hard?" Then: "Did you know you have friends in heaven who pray for you too?"
Discussion questions
- What is the difference between worshiping God and honoring Mary? [Worship is for God alone. Honor is love and respect, like we show our parents.]
- Why do we ask saints to pray for us instead of just praying to God? [We do both. Asking friends to pray is good, and the saints are alive in God.]
- Can a kid become a saint? [Yes! St Dominic Savio and others did. God calls everyone to holiness.]
- Which saint would you like to get to know? [Let them share names: their own saint, a parish patron, a favorite.]
Activity. Saint trading cards: give each child an index card and a short saint story (print a few from your parish or a children's book of saints). They draw their saint on one side and write three facts and "pray for us" on the other. Each child presents their saint in one minute. Finish with a simple litany: the leader names each saint and the children answer, "pray for us."
Closing prayer. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. All you holy saints, pray for us. Jesus, thank You for giving us such a big family in heaven. Help us become saints too. Amen.
Timing. Welcome and Sign of the Cross 5 min, prayer friends opener 5 min, read the lesson aloud 10 min, discussion 10 min, saint trading cards and litany 15 min, memory verse 5 min, quiz together 5 min, closing prayer 5 min.
Related lessons
- Mary and the Saints: The Family of God (Start Here, free)
- the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints (The Creed, free)
- Why Do Catholics Pray with the Saints and the Angels? (Learning to Pray)
- The Communion of Saints: Why Ask Them to Pray for Us? (Mary and the Saints)
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