>I do think the whole concept has been kind of watered down and cargo culted
It does happen, and I try to bear that in mind that not everyone who believes in intercession is one of these people who thinks if they buy a statue of some guy and say the right prayer to him in the right way that it forces God to grant their wishes like some sort of talmudic genie. As I've tried to stress, I know there's a lot of room for nuance in this discussion and I think we would all do better to acknowledge that, regardless of personal perspective.
>But at the same time, if people have faith in God and proper formation to recognize God as the source, they might have stupendously strong faith that God will use the prayers of Saint Jude to help them with their lost cause.
Right, I think having that proper foundation and not straying too far from it is the important point. I genuinely don't know if that prayer to St. Jude is enough to help that person. I don't think there's a strong enough scriptural basis for it, so I wouldn't personally stake my salvation on it, but I also recognize that God is an all-powerful being beyond my comprehension and if for whatever reason that does the job in that instance, then it is what it is.
>I think it's certainly better than the abandoning the faith in favor of categorically unchristian things, like occultic rituals and the like.
Absolutely. I believe God meets us where we are, and so long as we're not straying too far from the essentials, we're on the right path. I've started playing in this super low-church gospel rock band at my church that they do for the contemporary services because they needed a bass player and I happen to play bass so I just felt like it was something I could do, and I've actually found that it has made me much more engaged in my devotion across the board. That would've been incomprehensible to me 10 years ago. If having saints and intercession serves that same role for someone else, then as long as they aren't letting that get in the way of the foundations of the faith itself, it's not really my place to say they're out of pocket for it.
>The biggest thing with all of the saints is they were people who had deep flaws and ultimately overcame them in Christ and did great, often miraculous things in God's name.
Absolutely, and that's why even as a protestant I still have a lot of admiration for them and will happily read about them and even try to apply those stories in my own life, because any example of a faith like that *ought* to be imitated by *all* believers. I love Saint Cuthbert, and while I don't believe he can bend God's will towards my requests in a way that Christ can't, I can't help but admire that kind of story.