Do Catholics have to pray to Mary?

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Curious11

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I understand Marian devotion is acceptable, but do Catholics have to pray to Mary? Can a Catholic believe that he/she needs no intermediary in Mary but accepts that others can pray to her without it being idolatry?
 
You are not obligated to ask Mary for her intercession with God (this is what is meant by “praying to Mary”). Edited to add, based on the thread discussion, EXCEPT as required for you to join in the public prayer of the Church (the Mass) in order to meet your requirements with respect to Mass attendance, for example on certain holy days of obligation devoted to Mary.

However, many if not most Catholics believe she is a loving and powerful intercessor who helps us in countless ways, so anyone who chooses to not look to Mary from time to time is only hurting themself by not reaching out to her.

Also, if you are going to be a Catholic you better be accepting that many, many other Catholics will be seeking Mary’s help and having a close and loving spiritual relationship with her, and you better not be calling that idolatry, as these Catholics devoted to Mary will not take it well. Just show up at the annual Feast of the Assumption festival in my birthplace and say something about Mary and idolatry…you will likely get a lot of dirty looks if not outright told to get lost.
 
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You don’t have to, but to think you don’t need it is probably caused by some vice within the hypothetical catholic.
 
Curious11 said:
Oh I not only have no problem with Marian devotion, I love it!
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Oh good, when I read your original question, I thought “oh no, he’s missing out on so much!”

I actually know a priest who doesn’t ask intersession from any of the saints. He feels there’s no point, since he can go directly to God and it’s not required. On the other hand, my parish is run by Carmelite priests who are very devoted to Mary. A Marian prayer is included at the end of Mass. I prefer their way.
 
My motivation in asking this question is the following: some people say “I like protestants, they’re more reasonable because they don’t pray to the virgin, they allow you to have a more direct relationship with God”. It seems that’s not true, since Catholics aren’t forced to pray to Mary, it is rather the Protestants who forbid praying to her
 
Ahhh ok I get it now. But I think their real issue (could be wrong) is that they mistaken assume we regard Mary as God’s equal.
 
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But many don’t have statues of Jesus in their churches, I think
 
Study the Communion of Saints - one of the earliest Christian beliefs. Hebrews 12:1 speaks of the great cloud of witnesses. If we ask those on earth, sinners in need of repentance to pray for us, it seems shallow, callow (i.e. spiritually immature) to avoid those perfected in heaven, who stand ready to offer our prayers to God.

It is a corporate relationship that begins here on earth and extends into eternity. Remember that those we think are dead are alive to God. If they are alive, in a mysterious way, we retain that corporate relationship with them.

If you have a pious relative overseas, would you email, call, Skype or send a letter asking for prayer? Certainly! No difference with those in heaven.

The mother of God being preeminent among them.
 
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It is a complete myth that we Catholics “don’t have a direct relationship with God”. People who have a devotion to Mary or saints are also generally praying directly to God. They pray to God, then they also ask Mary and the saints to help them pray to God for added assistance. They don’t just pray to Mary and say, “I’m doing this because I think it’s better than approaching God directly.” Furthermore, even when saying Marian prayers like the Rosary, the prayers are directed to God and include many God/ Jesus-centric prayers including the Our Father, the Creed, the Glory Be (aka the Doxology), the Fatima Prayer (which is a prayer to Jesus beginning, “O Jesus forgive us our sins”) and the closing prayer “O God, whose only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ…”

People who think Catholics are not going directly to God are misinformed and likely just repeating things they read or heard or were taught. They are wrong.
 
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Well, they will also have to give an answer on the last day because they thought Jesus’ mama was no big deal. No one likes to have their mother disrespected. Christ, like all the rest of us, is no different.
Remind them that in the OT, the people would often go to the King’s MOTHER for assistance, not directly to the King.

I think the question ought to be "Why WOULDN’T anyone ask Mary to pray for them? What human being is closer to Christ than Mary?
 
You got a point there, Clare. By the way, thanks for bringing your friend Metzerboy into the discussion about Judaism the other day, I learned some interesting stuff
 
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Yeah he’s cool, he’s a Professor at a prestigious university. Smart guy.
Peace,
Clare
 
Catholics embrace everything that is taught for the sake of believing with a Divine and Catholic faith. Jesus is divine, and Mary is his mother.

"Love of God is the first thing in the order of commands”, St Augustine explains, “and love of neighbour is the first thing in the order of practice […]. You, who do not yet see God, will, by loving your neighbour, merit to see him. Love of neighbour cleanses our eyes to see God, as John clearly says, If you do not love your neighbour, whom you see, how can you love God, whom you do not see? (cf. 1 Jn 4:20)” (In Ioann. Evang., 17, 8).

When we see God, we see Mary. For they are inseparable.
 
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Curious11 said:
I understand Marian devotion is acceptable, but do Catholics have to pray to Mary? Can a Catholic believe that he/she needs no intermediary in Mary but accepts that others can pray to her without it being idolatry?
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(1) Not necessary though they are taught to do it as efficacious.

(2) No. We believe that the saints are in communion with us and therefore can hear us when we ask them to intercede for us. It is a doctrine/belief. As for praying, see (1).
 
I have been taught by several priests in different circumstances, the same thing. That the creed we say at Mass contains only one reference to the Blessed Virgin, and that is “…born of the Virgin Mary…” That is all we really have to believe. (Though it is a Catholic Dogma that Mary, as a gift of Her Son, was assumed into heaven, body and soul, at her death - The Assumption) As to the other Marian devotions, we are free to have devotion to any we want as the church has researched them and found nothing in any Marian apparition that is in opposition to “the deposit of faith…”. And actually, the only thing Mary ever really asks is the last words we hear from her in Scripture; “do whatever He tells you.” Mary always points to her Son.
 
joeybaggz said:
As to the other Marian devotions, we are free to have devotion to any we want as the church has researched them and found nothing in any Marian apparition that is in opposition to “the deposit of faith…”.
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Just to be clear for the sake of non-Catholics reading this, you’re speaking of the apparitions that have received Church approval, such as Fatima, Lourdes, Kibeho, or at least a local bishop approval, like Our Lady of Good Help.

There are some apparitions where the Church has not yet spoken to authenticity, and yet another group of purported “apparitions” (for example, those of Mary Ann Van Hoof or Veronica Lueken) that the Church authority has spoken against.

Anyone wanting to know status of a particular apparition and whether it is approved can check the Miracle Hunter website, miraclehunter.com . It’s very helpful.
 
We don’t actually pray to Mary per say. She is the Mother of God. She intercedes for us to her son. Look up some of the Miracles associated with Mary. The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is Spectacular. 18 MILLION pagans that worshiped a “sun god” and performed human sacrifices were converted to Catholicism in 7 years after an intercession by Mary. Yes. 18,000,000 in 7 years.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
Just to be clear for the sake of non-Catholics reading this, you’re speaking of the apparitions that have received Church approval, such as Fatima, Lourdes, Kibeho, or at least a local bishop approval, like Our Lady of Good Help.
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Yes TB, you are correct in your above statement. I might venture a guess that most non-Catholics and a great number of Catholics don’t really understand what is meant when the church “approves” an apparition. They are saying, we “agree” with the situation and Catholics must have devotion to the event, but rather, as I have stated, that the church, upon investigation finds nothing contrary to the “deposit of faith” (the formal teachings and doctrines/dogmas of the church), and thus the people, if they so choose, may express devotion to the event/apparition. And yes, I am referring to those events, (Fatima, Lourdes, Kiberho, Guadalupe, etc that the church has “approved.”
Thanks for the pick up and clarification.
 
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