Asking Mary for help

[swimstud]

I was reading a Catholic Book titled Pierced By a Sword. In it one of the characters asked Mary for help, not for intercession. The character said: " I love my separated brothers, Mary. Help me to love them more." I thought that we could only ask Mary for intercession with her son Jesus. Is it Catholic teaching that we can pray to Mary and ask her to help us???

 

[MariaG]

I read that and see Catholic shorthand. I know that Mary will take my prayers to her Son.

 

[Annunciata]

swimstud:

I was reading a Catholic Book titled Pierced By a Sword. In it one of the characters asked Mary for help, not for intercession. The character said: " I love my separated brothers, Mary. Help me to love them more." I thought that we could only ask Mary for intercession with her son Jesus. Is it Catholic teaching that we can pray to Mary and ask her to help us???

I read this book a few years ago as well …
When we pray to Mary we are asking her help knowing that she will take our prayer directly to Jesus who is the Mediator who interceeds for us to the Father.
Annunciata

 

[Michael_Howard]

swimstud:

I was reading a Catholic Book titled Pierced By a Sword. In it one of the characters asked Mary for help, not for intercession. The character said: " I love my separated brothers, Mary. Help me to love them more." I thought that we could only ask Mary for intercession with her son Jesus. Is it Catholic teaching that we can pray to Mary and ask her to help us???

I use this quote from the Cathecism alot because I love it so much :

[969](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/969.htm’) "This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation . . . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."512

Intercession, especially from a created being as powerful (her power rests on the merits of Christ) as the Blessed Virgin, is quite possibly the greatest weapon we have in our arsonal to fight against the devil and to remain with Christ. Notice one of the titles assigned to the Blessed Mother is “Helper”. She is also called "Advocate" because she pleads our cause before her Son, the son of God. So I see nothing wrong with imploring her help, as long as we see her kneeling at the cross and using her power to lead souls to Jesus. our love for her must never diminish our love for the Savior, only help to nourish love for Him.
God Bless -Michael

 

[Sherlock]

When someone prays to Mary asking for her help, what kind of help can she offer? Her intercession. As MariaG said, this is Catholic shorthand, that’s all. Catholics aren’t asking her to wield God-like powers in our behalf—she’s a created being, not God.

Though she is certainly the jewel of all creation!

 

[CANman]

Look at it this way:
“Solomon rebuilt the cities which Huram had given to him, and settled the people of Israel in them.” 2 Chron 8:2 (RSV)

This is Bible shorthand. We know Solomon did not build these cities by himself, but that he had arrangements made to have them built. Yet, it is still accurate to say “Solomon built them.”

In the same way, when we ask our Blessed Mother for assistance, we know any help she gets for us ultimately comes from the hand of Almighty God. Nonetheless, it would still be correct to say we recieved the help from her.