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Dear catholic.com visitors: This Catholic Answers website, with all its free resources, is the world’s largest source of explanations for Catholic beliefs and practices. We receive no funding from the institutional Church and rely entirely on your generosity to sustain this website with trustworthy, accessible content. If every visitor this month donated $1, catholic.com would be fully funded for an entire year. If you’ve never made a gift, now is the time. Your donation will be matched dollar for dollar this week only. Thanks and God bless.

How can the saints in heaven hear us?

Question:

How can the saints in heaven hear us?

Answer:

Jesus said that he is the true vine, and we are the branches. When a Christian (one branch) dies physically and is taken up into heaven (he might have to go through purgatory first, of course), he isn’t broken off the vine. He remains in Christ (Rom 8:38-39). The deceased Christian is still united with the vine (Jesus) and with the other branches (all other Christians, living or dead). This communion of saints makes possible the sharing spiritual things with other Christians—including intercessory prayer.

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