The question of praying to saints and angels is one that touches on differences in Christian doctrine and practice across various traditions within Christianity. The Bible itself provides principles that have been interpreted in different ways by different Christian communities.

In the Scriptures, prayer is primarily directed to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus taught His disciples to pray to the Father in His name (John 16:23-24). The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” suggesting that Christ is the mediator through whom prayers should be offered to God.

The book of Revelation does depict angels presenting the prayers of the saints to God (Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4), which some interpret as a scriptural basis for asking saints and angels to intercede on one’s behalf. However, these passages do not explicitly instruct believers to pray to angels or saints but rather describe the prayers of the saints as being brought before God.

Some Christian traditions, notably Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, practice the veneration of saints and the Virgin Mary, asking for their intercession with God. This practice is based on the belief in the communion of saints — that believers on earth can request prayers from those who have died in faith and are with God in heaven.

Other Christian traditions, particularly within Protestantism, emphasize direct prayer to God through Christ alone, citing the biblical emphasis on Christ as the sole mediator and the lack of explicit biblical instruction to pray to anyone other than God.

Ultimately, the practice reflects deeper theological differences regarding the nature of intercession, the communion of saints, and the interpretation of biblical teachings on prayer. Each tradition seeks to honor God and live according to His will as understood through the Scriptures and Christian teaching.