Catholics explain this please;

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Zundrah

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In the rosary prayer you say during Hail Holy Queen; “pray for us, now and at the hour of our death.”
So do you really mean for Mary to actuay pray for you or is it a figure of speach?
I have done it my self (even though I am not catholic) and I am trying to figure out if it is blasphemous to say to some one who has perished to “pray for us”?
Do you understand my problem? Don’t get defensive, just explain it to me so that I can be at ease when I do it.:heaven::bible1:
My protestent ministers at my last church said it was wrong to pray to Mary…because you shouldn’t pray to anyone except Christ and God himself.
 
I have no intent of getting defensive, so please don’t take any of what I say as being defensive. I’ll begin with one slight correction - the prayer you speak of is the ‘Hail Mary’, not the ‘Hail Holy Queen’.

On to your substantive question. On what basis do you conclude that Mary has perished? We do not believe this in the slightest - and with good reason.

See, Jesus promised that whoever believed in Him would never die. In fact did He not tell us in exactly so many words that the righteous - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - were alive rather than dead or perished, in spite of their bodies being long reduced to dust? Is this not the only possible conclusion we can draw from His statement that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is God of the living and not the dead?

Further, we have His statement that Abraham rejoiced to see His day. Does this not show that the departed (Abraham) are in fact still alive and moreover still very much aware of events on earth that happen after their death - including Jesus’ incarnation? If they have this life and this awareness, then it follows that they are every bit as able as we are to hear others’ requests for prayer and to respond by praying in accordance with those requests.

Mary, the humblest handmaid of the Lord, full of grace and highly favoured, which grace and favour there is no indication that she ever lost, is surely alive in the same manner as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And like them, every bit as aware of what those on earth, including us, are thinking and saying, and as able as you to hear and respond to my requests for her prayers.
 
Okay LilyM,

But if I was to pray to her, for example about… if I said to her “Sweet holy Mother of Christ, pray for me that I may join you in our fathers kingdom. Let me not sin, guide me through my days so that I will be made blameless before the Lord at my last hour.” - Would that be exeptable? If I prayed that to christ then I would understand… But will Mary actually be able to help me and how? Myself, coming directly from a protestent church feel that this is strange. But I want to understand it because I have done it and it felt right.
How can she actually interveen in my life?🤷
If you say that she has not perished (like the other saints) then do you mean that she can be with us, like an angel for example if we ask her to guide us?
 
Zundrah said:
Okay LilyM,

But if I was to pray to her, for example about… if I said to her “Sweet holy Mother of Christ, pray for me that I may join you in our fathers kingdom. Let me not sin, guide me through my days so that I will be made blameless before the Lord at my last hour.” - Would that be exeptable? If I prayed that to christ then I would understand… But will Mary actually be able to help me and how? Myself, coming directly from a protestent church feel that this is strange. But I want to understand it because I have done it and it felt right.
How can she actually interveen in my life?🤷
If you say that she has not perished (like the other saints) then do you mean that she can be with us, like an angel for example if we ask her to guide us?
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Of course if you prayed this to Mary she would be able to help you and intervene in your life. If nothing else, she can help and intervene in the same way I or your pastor could help you and intervene if you asked us to pray for you for the same intentions! By interceding for you with the Father and adding our prayers to yours, as every good Christian would be happy to do.

Remember St James in his epistle says that the prayers of a righteous man are very powerful - and who is more righteous than those who are glorified in heaven? While I and your pastor are tied to this sinful world our sanctity is always in doubt. Nonetheless, if we are righteous, we can help. So can Mary or any other heavenly saint, but much more certainly because their prayers are guaranteed to be powerful.

As to whether Mary can be with us if we ask, there are numerous occasions where she has indeed appeared to various people. Not always because they asked, though, in fact oftentimes it seems to have been completely unexpected.

Read up on the happenings in Fatima in 1917. Tens of thousands of people - many non-Catholics, atheists, many who were present simply to try to attack the claims that were made that Mary was appearing - were brought to believe in these appearances of Our Lady because of the so-called ‘Miracle of the Sun’. Strong evidence that what was happening was indeed a supernatural event.
 
Hi

I think it’s good to remember that Mary, or any other saint, can only act within the will of God. Her strength to help us comes from Him, just as our strength to help each other comes from Him.

Part of Mary’s “strength” to help and guide us is through her human-ness. While Christ was human, he was also divine. Mary is human. We can, theoretically, follow her completely as she was 'full of Grace" which is what we strive to be. Just as she brought Christ into the world, she shows us how to get to Him now.

Just a linquistic note, too. Some ancient prayers use words a little differently than we are used to seeing them used. “Pray” once meant a form of asking. My grandfather used to say “What, pray tell, are you doing?”
 
Well it was only on saturday night that I prayed to Christ and I said; “Lord if praying to Mary and other biblicle saints is acceptable then please show me so that I will not do wrong in your eyes.” (hipocritically I even prayed to Mary that she would tell me too)! Well, sunday morning I woke up and recalled the dream I had. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and even Saint Andrew ( ? ) were all in a room together talking. They were just like the images I saw on the cathedral walls execpt that they were almost lusterous. Covered in a faint goldish light. They were talking so much that I forgot what they were saying. I felt that Mary was there with me, inside me some how. She was watching over me. Anyway there were others too but I didn’t remember their names because there were so many. They all seemed really kind and warm. So maybe that is a sign that talking to them is okay.:heaven::nun2:
It’s nice to know that they are there for me. Thank you for responding, and I really feel that they are worthy of recognition no matter if one was seen as better than the other.
I now know that she is watching me like a mother.
😃
 
On the cross Jesus told His mother: “Woman, behold your son.” In that moment He gave her a mission that would last until the end of times. To watch over humanity as if they were her sons and daughters. She is the great intercessor. And if you ask her to, she will win you graces and pray for you, just like the saints will, except her’s are more powerful.
 
Adrienne5678 said:
On the cross Jesus told His mother: “Woman, behold your son.” In that moment He gave her a mission that would last until the end of times. To watch over humanity as if they were her sons and daughters. She is the great intercessor. And if you ask her to, she will win you graces and pray for you, just like the saints will, except her’s are more powerful.
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I like the sound of this, thank you Adrienne!😃
 
Adrienne5678 said:
On the cross Jesus told His mother: “Woman, behold your son.” In that moment He gave her a mission that would last until the end of times. To watch over humanity as if they were her sons and daughters. She is the great intercessor. And if you ask her to, she will win you graces and pray for you, just like the saints will, except her’s are more powerful.
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I thought that was Jesus entrusting Mary’s care to John after Jesus died.

John19:26-27

drbo.org/chapter/50019.htm

26 When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. 27 After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.
 
Let us look at what we know. We know that those who have been saved are now in heaven (even if not yet reunited with their risen bodies). We know that their wills are perfectly united with the will of God. We know that God wills that all be saved. We know that the prayers of the righteous are powerful. We know that God invites all of his children to work with him in his great works of salvation and sanctification of the world.

Knowing all this, it is inconceivable that those in heaven would not pray for us, and do whatever else God empowers them to do for us.
 
VociMike said:
Let us look at what we know. We know that those who have been saved are now in heaven (even if not yet reunited with their risen bodies). We know that their wills are perfectly united with the will of God. We know that God wills that all be saved. We know that the prayers of the righteous are powerful. We know that God invites all of his children to work with him in his great works of salvation and sanctification of the world.

Knowing all this, it is inconceivable that those in heaven would not pray for us, and do whatever else God empowers them to do for us.
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I guess this is the sum up of the question! Sound fully acceptable to me!😃
Thank you for posting:p
 
Zundrah said:
In the rosary prayer you say during Hail Holy Queen; “pray for us, now and at the hour of our death.”
So do you really mean for Mary to actuay pray for you or is it a figure of speach?
I have done it my self (even though I am not catholic) and I am trying to figure out if it is blasphemous to say to some one who has perished to “pray for us”?
Do you understand my problem? Don’t get defensive, just explain it to me so that I can be at ease when I do it.:heaven::bible1:
My protestent ministers at my last church said it was wrong to pray to Mary…because you shouldn’t pray to anyone except Christ and God himself.
Click to expand...
Hi, friend.

If the Hail Mary – the prayer with those words – is said devoutly, Mary will pray for you at the hour of your death.

You can see a typological word picture of Mary interceding in the gospel of John. At the Marriage Feast in Cana, when Mary relays to Christ the need for wine, that is not just a quaint story. That is a picture of Mary the Woman interceding on behalf of mankind for the benefit of the saving blood of Christ.
 
Zundrah said:
In the rosary prayer you say during Hail Holy Queen; “pray for us, now and at the hour of our death.”
So do you really mean for Mary to actuay pray for you or is it a figure of speach?
I have done it my self (even though I am not catholic) and I am trying to figure out if it is blasphemous to say to some one who has perished to “pray for us”?
Do you understand my problem? Don’t get defensive, just explain it to me so that I can be at ease when I do it.:heaven::bible1:
My protestent ministers at my last church said it was wrong to pray to Mary…because you shouldn’t pray to anyone except Christ and God himself.
Click to expand...
the prayer with this phrase is actually the “Hail Mary”, the first part of which comes from Lukes Gospel. Yes I want to ask Mary to pray for me now, and at the hour of my death. I also wish to ask you to pray for me, and the members of your church, and your pastor, now and at the hour of my death. I also wish all the saints who have gone before us to pray for me, now and at the hour of my death. If you do not believe the righteous who have already died are in heaven, then you must believe a)either they are all in hell, so they are not righteous despite appearances or b) they are somewhere else. The only “somewhere else” with any basis in scripture and sacred tradition is a place or state of purification where those who die in God’s grace but still with traces of sin and imperfection are made perfect, since nothing imperfect can enter heaven. If they righteous are indeed in heaven, then it follows they can pray for us. If they cannot you will have to come up with some definition of heaven which excludes their continued participation in the life of the Trinity and hence in the life of the Church.

for evidence that those righteous who are in heaven can indeed intercede for others, either those who have died and not attained heaven, or those still on earth, we have evidence from Christ’s own lips in the story of Lazarus and the rich man.

btw there is no evidence either way on whether or not Mary died but it is doctrine that she was assumed body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life. So she is one we know for sure can intercede for us, and as well, all the other saints, spoken of so frequently in the NT esp. Paul’s letters, who also plead our case for us before the throne.
 
When I teach this concept in my college Western Civilization classes, I phrase it something likes this.
  1. If you are a Christian, have you ever asked your congregation to pray for an intention, like a sick relative? The answer is that most likely, you have. Your whole congregation, together, prays aloud for the person to get better (or whatever the intention is). Is this problematic?
  2. As a Christian, do you believe in eternal life, whether it be in heaven or hell? For MOST Christian denominations, this is a key element of the faith. It is critical that we understand that when we die, we do not simply cease to exist, but continue on, thanks to the saving power of Christ. Death no longer has any power over us.
  3. So… if people do not cease to exist, and it’s ok to ask for a group of living people to pray together, why wouldn’t it be ok to ask both the living AND the dead to pray for our intentions?
Look at two famous Catholic prayers:

In the Hail Mary, we say “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray FOR us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” We are not praying TO her as much as we are asking her to pray WITH us and FOR us.

Now, look at the Penitential Rite of the Mass, which you will hear every week in church:

“And I ask Blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
All the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray FOR me to the Lord our God.”

Catholics consider prayer so important, that here, we are actually asking the whole of creation to join us in prayer, including both the living, the dead, and even the angels and saints! This serves as a reminder that we are a part of a larger creation, and helps foster Christian unity.

I hope that helps!
 
Rolltide said:
When I teach this concept in my college Western Civilization classes, I phrase it something likes this.
  1. If you are a Christian, have you ever asked your congregation to pray for an intention, like a sick relative? The answer is that most likely, you have. Your whole congregation, together, prays aloud for the person to get better (or whatever the intention is). Is this problematic?
  2. As a Christian, do you believe in eternal life, whether it be in heaven or hell? For MOST Christian denominations, this is a key element of the faith. It is critical that we understand that when we die, we do not simply cease to exist, but continue on, thanks to the saving power of Christ. Death no longer has any power over us.
  3. So… if people do not cease to exist, and it’s ok to ask for a group of living people to pray together, why wouldn’t it be ok to ask both the living AND the dead to pray for our intentions?
Look at two famous Catholic prayers:

In the Hail Mary, we say “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray FOR us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” We are not praying TO her as much as we are asking her to pray WITH us and FOR us.

Now, look at the Penitential Rite of the Mass, which you will hear every week in church:

“And I ask Blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
All the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray FOR me to the Lord our God.”

Catholics consider prayer so important, that here, we are actually asking the whole of creation to join us in prayer, including both the living, the dead, and even the angels and saints! This serves as a reminder that we are a part of a larger creation, and helps foster Christian unity.

I hope that helps!
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Your point is quite clear, and I suppose that when I use to pray to God through christ - it was a some what lonely process! But with the catholic prayers I guess you are welcoming others (such as mary and the communion of saints) to join and help you. To aid in your confession and devotion. It does make sense now.
 
Zundrah said:
But if I was to pray to her, for example about… if I said to her “Sweet holy Mother of Christ, pray for me that I may join you in our fathers kingdom. Let me not sin, guide me through my days so that I will be made blameless before the Lord at my last hour.” - Would that be exeptable? If I prayed that to christ then I would understand… But will Mary actually be able to help me and how? Myself, coming directly from a protestent church feel that this is strange. But I want to understand it because I have done it and it felt right.
Click to expand...
Picture it this way. Mary is just as alive now in heaven with Christ as Moses and Elijah, with whom Jesus had a little chat on His way to Jerusalem. This is because she is a member of the communion of saints, those belonging to Christ who “never die”.

But supposing you lived down the street from Mary in Ephesus? Supposing you could go down to her house, and have a little chat with her about what Jesus was like at home? Would you feel comfortable making such a request of her?

Mary’s perspective on Christ is different than yours, so what she thought about when you said you wanted to be blameless before Him might be different than yours. She spent 33 years with him, and knew Him better than any human on earth. What if she might help you with her insights?
Zundrah said:
How can she actually interveen in my life?🤷
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Did Moses and Elijah have a conversation with Jesus? Did it influence Him at all? Why did He allow it? Why was it so important that the Apostles witness it? Why did He not do it privately, to prevent this from influencing our beliefs about the Communion of Saints?
Zundrah said:
If you say that she has not perished (like the other saints) then do you mean that she can be with us, like an angel for example if we ask her to guide us?
Click to expand...
Any of the Saints can do for us whatever God allows. We will not know the extent unless we ask.
 
Zundrah said:
Well it was only on saturday night that I prayed to Christ and I said; “Lord if praying to Mary and other biblicle saints is acceptable then please show me so that I will not do wrong in your eyes.” (hipocritically I even prayed to Mary that she would tell me too)! Well, sunday morning I woke up and recalled the dream I had. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and even Saint Andrew ( ? ) were all in a room together talking. They were just like the images I saw on the cathedral walls execpt that they were almost lusterous. Covered in a faint goldish light. They were talking so much that I forgot what they were saying. I felt that Mary was there with me, inside me some how. She was watching over me. Anyway there were others too but I didn’t remember their names because there were so many. They all seemed really kind and warm. So maybe that is a sign that talking to them is okay.:heaven::nun2:
It’s nice to know that they are there for me. Thank you for responding, and I really feel that they are worthy of recognition no matter if one was seen as better than the other.
I now know that she is watching me like a mother.
😃
Click to expand...
God has given you the gift of experiencing the communion of saints, the sense of knowing that we are “surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (read Heb. 11).
 
Zundrah said:
In the rosary prayer you say during Hail Holy Queen; “pray for us, now and at the hour of our death.”
So do you really mean for Mary to actuay pray for you or is it a figure of speach?
I have done it my self (even though I am not catholic) and I am trying to figure out if it is blasphemous to say to some one who has perished to “pray for us”?
Do you understand my problem? Don’t get defensive, just explain it to me so that I can be at ease when I do it.:heaven::bible1:
My protestent ministers at my last church said it was wrong to pray to Mary…because you shouldn’t pray to anyone except Christ and God himself.
Click to expand...
Do you talk to your relatives and friends? Why not talk to Mary? Prayer can be considered talking from one’s heart. Sometimes people confuse prayer with adoration which is certainly reserved for God. Are you adoring Mary as if she were God? I don’t think so. When you are asking Mary to “pray for us”, you are asking her to “talk” to God.

One of the things, I find comforting about the Catholic faith is that we believe that people who are in heaven are, in a way, still part of our family on earth. It was when I looked at my Mother for the last time in her casket, that I knew without a doubt that there was eternal life after death. I would still be able to “talk” with her.

Blessings,
granny

All human life is meant for eternal life.
 
People on this thread answered your question very well. They explained the reason we "Pray to mary’ that is what protestants say we do.

One thing that they do not say and it is the most important thing. Praying, no matter what you say or Do God knows what your going to say.Because he knows everything. He however jsut like a Wife who never tires of her Husband saying “i love you” never tires of us Praying and talking with him. In Jewish days your mother was your life. You defended her till death, you honored her till you died or she did, which ever First. She is never equal to Christ, but she is Important. When you honor the Mother of Christ, you honor him. When we honor our mother in heaven she then Honors us by taking our prayers needs and cries to the very feet of Christ and in jewish times Mothers have the ears of their sons.

Never ever do you pray TO mary. She is not a God or a deity. When you think about it, there is nothing special about her(HOOLLLD ON BROTHERS and SISTERS before you take my head off let me finish). SHe was a 15-18 year old Girl, a Good Jew, who followed the laws and God gave her the gift of Grace from birth. But she was normal.

The only thing differnt about her and us, is she said yes to God.Despite the fact she could be taken out and stoned. She could be humiliated and scorned and called a whore. She risked her very life to say yes to God. That is the difference, that is were she is a powerful being. She said yes, we say no. She was an ordinary woman who did extraordinary things. and as such Christ honored her in heaven. He honored her with what he could honor her with. Since Jesus is all man and all God at the same time, There is the side of him honoring her as a Jewish man in heaven for ever and the side of him as God rewarding her for obeying him. That Honor, that Reward, is she is the Queen in Heaven. God and Jesus being the King, Now that does not mean that She is his bride because the bride is the church. But her Honor is Queen hood. Now since we have been adopted into the house of God. We are sons and daughters of the King. WE are brothers and sisters, Knights and Shield Maidens in the everlasting court of a Good and Holy God, Since we are in that Mighty family, we are her sons and daughters as well. WE belong to her as much as we belong to God since he is our father, brother, King, Master. She is our Queen and Mother. SINCE we have that, we are allowed to walk into court unafraid of him, As St. Paul the apostle says, and bring our hearts to that Court. She is in that court. Since we have the ear of the master we have the ear of the queen as well. WE have the right and privilege to address the Queen. Who is in perfect union with the king and takes our hearts straight to him and give them to him in a way no one else can. We have that on our side. GOSH how can you not honor her and ask her to pray for us when we have the mighty gift on our side and at our disposal.

I would just say to that protestant minister, Don’t mess with the King’s mother… You get his wrath for he will defend her till his last breath and since he is eternal he will defend her for a time we can not fathom. not only that he will meet her Knights. They will defend their Queen and fight for their King till the day they die and when they get to heaven they will receive their reward praise God and then turn around and go defend her more and fight for him more.

So when you saw those saints and had that vision. Take that to heart Follow your King with out Hesitation and he will bring you into a world that you have yet to taste. A kingdom of freedom and power, a power that has echoed through the ages. Follow him and your mother, your queen shall welcome you and guide you to the king, her son, our brother and savior, Jesus.
 
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