This is an elegant defense but I think it relies on some priors that most Protestants (myself included) didn't have.
E.g. "The same is true for Christ: wouldn’t you want to know, love, and have a relationship with His family? His apostles? His mother? That would help you get to know Him better, just like we know other people better when we meet the people they grew up with, their families, and their friends." This is very true! But the leap of translating that broad idea into specific Catholic veneration rests on assumptions that they are one and the same. We certainly should study/admire/bear affection for the saints! But even the combination of that and dwellingl in Christ's love for them stops visibly short of venerative practices (from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with them, at least), so you may want to detail that argument more. God has put so many yet-living people in our lives to reflect His love towards.
Also, please correct me if I'm wrong (and I mean that literally, as I am still learning), but doesn't Catholic justification for praying to the saints rest more in it reflecting their love for you than your love for them? So even when one accepts the practice, I'm not sure it is the best thing to connect to your broader argument.
“It’s a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates.” https://www.whitenoise.email/p/gratitude
🙏🏼🙏🏼🔥
This is an elegant defense but I think it relies on some priors that most Protestants (myself included) didn't have.
E.g. "The same is true for Christ: wouldn’t you want to know, love, and have a relationship with His family? His apostles? His mother? That would help you get to know Him better, just like we know other people better when we meet the people they grew up with, their families, and their friends." This is very true! But the leap of translating that broad idea into specific Catholic veneration rests on assumptions that they are one and the same. We certainly should study/admire/bear affection for the saints! But even the combination of that and dwellingl in Christ's love for them stops visibly short of venerative practices (from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with them, at least), so you may want to detail that argument more. God has put so many yet-living people in our lives to reflect His love towards.
Also, please correct me if I'm wrong (and I mean that literally, as I am still learning), but doesn't Catholic justification for praying to the saints rest more in it reflecting their love for you than your love for them? So even when one accepts the practice, I'm not sure it is the best thing to connect to your broader argument.