Is the Spanish verb santificar followed by the preposition a when the object is not animate?
Ej 1:
El sacerdote pide a Dios que santifique la casa.
o
El sacerdote pide a Dios que santifique a la casa.
Ej 2:
Tenemos que pedir a él que santifique el aceite y el resto de comida.
o
Tenemos que pedir a él que santifique al aceite y al resto de comida.
Santificar is a transitive verb with a completely regular behavior, so it follows the same rules as others of its kind: when the direct object is a person or animated entity or a definite group of people (or a person-like or personalizad entity, etc.), it's preceded by a; otherwise it isn't. (The DPD lays out these rules for the use of a in detail.)
The most common use of santificar without a is probably the Third Commandment:
Santificar las fiestas.
In any case the verb is not used in its active form with animate objects very often; one finds it mostly in the passive:
Juan el Bautista fue santificado.
