I hope I am not being disrespectful. Nor is it my intent. But I was wondering what you thought the idea of praying to Mary and the Saints comes from. I read the bible from cover to cover every year and have never noted anything in there that would indicate or suggest that practice. As far as I can see, all prayers/requests are directed towards God directly in the form of God the father or Jesus. Do you think it does come from some biblical reference that I am missing or has come over time from the Popes and clergy?
Firstly, the most explicit reference to the intercession of the Saints comes from the following passage in the Book of Revelations which reads as follows:
"And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the saints;"
-Revelations 5:8 RSVCE
Equally important is this passage from St. James' Epistle:
"Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects."
-St. James RSVCE
The prayer of a righteous man has great power, this is important, because Heaven is repeatedly referred to as a place and state of Eternal Life, the Saints are alive, they may not yet be physically alive, their souls are separated from their bodies, but they are spiritually alive thus can intercede for us, and their prayers have great power and effect as they are much more righteous than any of us.
Now there is a deuterocanonical work called 2nd Maccabees that but appears in Catholic Bibles but not Protestant Bibles, I won't go into a whole discussion as to whether or not the deuterocanonical works should be part of Scripture, here, I'll just submit it as an historical account of what the Old Covenant Jews believed about this:
11 He armed each of them not so much with confidence in shields and spears as with the inspiration of brave words, and he cheered them all by relating a dream, a sort of vision,[
a] which was worthy of belief.
12 What he saw was this: Oni′as, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained from childhood in all that belongs to excellence, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole body of the Jews. 13 Then likewise a man appeared, distinguished by his gray hair and dignity, and of marvelous majesty and authority. 14 And Oni′as spoke, saying, “This is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God.” 15 Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave to Judas a golden sword, and as he gave it he addressed him thus: 16 “Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with which you will strike down your adversaries.”
-2nd Maccabees 15:11-16 RSVCE
This is quite remarkable, because back then (at least as we Catholics believe) Heaven wasn't yet opened to departed souls, it was believed that the departed souls of the righteous went the Sheol or Limbo of the righteous and couldn't enter Heaven, yet apparently they could still intercede for the living, and have their prayers heard by God. It should be noted that we Catholics also believe that the souls in Purgatory can also intercede for us, the woman whom I believe is my future wife actually had a close friend whom she lost several years ago, and I have been praying for her soul since learning that, and sometimes I ask this departed friend, that if she's there she can pray for both me and her.
One more thing about intercession and this is especially apropos in regards to Our Lady; Jesus is the Christ and the Son of David, while His Kingdom is not of this world, it is modeled after the Davidic Kingdom. In the ancient Kingdom of Israel, and later Judah, there were certain positions that later appear in the Catholic Church today, one was the Master of the Palace, he ran the Kingdom while the King was away, he was referred to as the one who kept the Keys of the Kingdom, and today, it is the Pope who keeps the Keys of the Kingdom. Another noteworthy position in the Davidic Kingdom was the Gebirah (Literally, "Powerful Woman"), the Gebirah was the Queen Mother, the Mother of the King, her job was to intercede for the people and bring requests to the King. We are provided with an example of this in the 1st Book of Kings which reads as follows:
18 Bathshe′ba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.”
19 So Bathshe′ba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adoni′jah. And the king rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne, and had a seat brought for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother; for I will not refuse you.”
-1st Kings 2:18-20 RSVCE
