Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Prayer within the family of God
Christians ask other Christians to pray for them. The Church also asks the prayers of the saints who live with Christ. This request is not worship. It is prayer within the one family of God.
A person may ask St. Mary for prayer because she is the Theotokos and motherly intercessor. Someone facing fear may ask the prayers of a martyr. Someone struggling for repentance may be drawn to a saint known for tears, humility, or conversion.
Why specific saints become beloved
Specific saints become beloved because the faithful recognize God’s grace in their lives. The connection is personal, but it remains inside the Church’s worship of God alone. The saint is never the source of salvation. The saint is a witness who prays to the Savior.
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight.
What the practice teaches
Asking for specific intercessions teaches that holiness is concrete. The Church does not speak of sanctity only in general terms. She remembers names, stories, feasts, icons, and martyrdoms so that the faithful can learn how grace was lived in real people.