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nida007
Guest
I am new to this catholic faith,and I wanted to know if Catholics pray to Mother Mary or take her blessings only?
Including the Saints.
Thankyou
Including the Saints.
Thankyou
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pablope
Guest
I think Mother Mary always prays for us and His Son blesses us continously through her.
This notwithstanding, we can always pray to her…whether in time of need or not…the most preferred way is through the Rosary. I do hope you are familiar with the Rosary.
Or simply…pray the Hail Mary.
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nida007
Guest
Umm,why do we have to pray to Mother Mary, arent we suppose to pray to God?
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IronMIke
Guest
We as Catholics pray to Mary, we adore and love her. We kneel and ask for her wonderful intercession. We do not worship.
Would I like to see this dedication in prayer to Jesus Christ?-yes. I think its a lost opportunity.
Would I like to see this dedication in prayer to Jesus Christ?-yes. I think its a lost opportunity.
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nida007
Guest
I just wanted to hear that.I shall now pray to her,althoughI got confused between praying and worshiping her. I know the difference now.
Thanks
God Bless
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IronMIke
Guest
You are welcome! always happy to help.
I shall now pray to her,althoughI got confused between praying and worshiping her. I know the difference now.
Thanks
God Bless
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504Katrin
Guest
Yes, we are. We’re supposed to pray to God only. Don’t pray to anyone else as this would be idolatry and a mortal sin.Umm,why do we have to pray to Mother Mary, arent we suppose to pray to God?
Some Catholics ask Mary to pray for them. She’s an intercessor. We don’t pray to her.
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pablope
Guest
Sorry for the confusion…praying to Mother Mary is not worship…worship is via the Mass…praying, using its old meaning, is asking, pleading, asking for an intercession…which is what I meant…I thought you had understood this already.Umm,why do we have to pray to Mother Mary, arent we suppose to pray to God?
We worship God alone. Praying ( in its old sense) is not worshipping.
I hope this will help explain it more…scripturecatholic.com/saints.html
1 Tim 2:1-2 - because Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), many Protestants deny the Catholic belief that the saints on earth and in heaven can mediate on our behalf. But before Paul’s teaching about Jesus as the “one mediator,” Paul urges supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. Paul is thus appealing for mediation from others besides Christ, the one mediator. Why?
1 Tim 2:3 - because this subordinate mediation is good and acceptable to God our Savior. Because God is our Father and we are His children, God invites us to participate in Christ’s role as mediator.
1 Tim. 2:5 - therefore, although Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and man, there are many intercessors (subordinate mediators).
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IronMIke
Guest
The bible in explicit terms does not state pray to Mary and Saints, that is founded in tradition. Just as I should pray for you and you for me & those prayers addressed to God., but I should not pray to you and you should not pray to me.
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Richca
Guest
Mary is our mother in the order of divine grace and she is also the mediatrix of all graces. So yes, we should pray to her. She is our heavenly mother and queen after all. Praying to Mary does not distract from God. We can pray to the saints can’t we and ask for their help? As another poster said, the rosary is a very beautiful and powerful prayer. It is very pleasing to Mary and Jesus. We pray to Mary and to God in the rosary. The Our Father is a prayer we address to God and the Hail Mary we address to Mary.Umm,why do we have to pray to Mother Mary, arent we suppose to pray to God?
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johnnyc176
Guest
nida007…this is a very good link from pablope. Here is the home page for that website. Welcome home!
scripturecatholic.com/
And so you know…the Rosary is a meditation on events in the life of Christ. Here is a very good website about it.
how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com/index.html
God Bless!
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TriciaF
Guest
Hi
Nor do we adore her, we love her and respect her.
Adoration as well as* worship* is *only *for God…
She intercedes for us as she interceded for the wedding hosts at the wedding feast of Cana in John chapter 2 verses 1-12
The fact that Jesus accepted her intercession is a biblical basis for asking Mary’s intercession.
Even though Jesus said it wasn’t time for signs and miracles, He performed this miracle because she and trusted asked Him to hear her request for the wedding hosts.
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IronMIke
Guest
Wrong sorry. We adore Mary which is common in Catholicism.Hi
Nor do we adore her, we love her and respect her.
Adoration as well as* worship* is *only *for God…
She intercedes for us as she interceded for the wedding hosts at the wedding feast of Cana in John chapter 2 verses 1-12
The fact that Jesus accepted her intercession is a biblical basis for asking Mary’s intercession.
Even though Jesus said it wasn’t time for signs and miracles, He performed this miracle because she and trusted asked Him to hear her request for the wedding hosts.
But I concede the fine line between adore ,prayer and worship many times is up to interpretation
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TriciaF
Guest
Never adoration of a human being. We love and honor her. Adoration is for God alone and those who use the word adore for her, are providing confusion for Protestants causing the kind of misunderstanding that occurs.
campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/faq/faq20.html
Do Catholics Adore Mary?
"Though English words like ‘worship’ and ‘adoration’ are occasionally used to signify only veneration, honor or affection, they are generally understood to refer to that highest type of worship reserved for God alone. In this sense, Catholics do NOT adore or worship Mary, or any other created person or thing. "
campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/faq/faq20.html
Do Catholics Adore Mary?
"Though English words like ‘worship’ and ‘adoration’ are occasionally used to signify only veneration, honor or affection, they are generally understood to refer to that highest type of worship reserved for God alone. In this sense, Catholics do NOT adore or worship Mary, or any other created person or thing. "
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
We do not ‘have to’ pray to Mary, but prayer is not something which is limited to God alone. We can pray to anybody. The word ‘pray’ in the original English means ‘to ask’, not ‘to ask of God alone’. That is why when you hear a Shakespearean play and a character says to another, “Prithee, my good sir, where is the way to the nearest inn”, they are saying a contraction (a contraction such as the modern ‘can’t’ instead of ‘cannot’) for ‘pray thee’, that is, “I pray thee’ or I ASK THEE. It seems that a lot of people living in the U.S. today do not realize that only a very small group of relatively modern protestants have attempted to impose a MODERN definition of 'prayer means to GOD alone” onto the UNIVERSAL and HISTORIC understanding of the word.Umm,why do we have to pray to Mother Mary, arent we suppose to pray to God?
They do the same with worship (a word whose origins go back to ‘worth ship’, that is, a person who is of ‘worth’. That is why a British judge is referred to, even today, as “Your Worship”.
Once you understand that prayer is simply communication, and that of course prayer to God is certainly prayer to the HIGHEST Being, but that prayer to anybody else, like your parents, your fellow Christians, etc., is just as normal as saying, “talking to my pastor, my friends, etc.” it’s easier for you. Remember, we do not pray to Mary ‘INSTEAD OF’ to God, anymore than we would talk to our pastor or friends INSTEAD of God; we talk to Mary (and our pastor, and our friends, etc.) ALONG WITH GOD. We have friendly talk with our friends, but we can also have spiritual chats with them. I love speaking about God with my best friend! We can also have ‘friendly’ chats with God (our Father), but it’s like there’s a ranking, you know? In our lives, we have people who are important to us, but God is supposed to be MOST important. But that doesn’t mean we ONLY talk to God, right?
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
Tricia, just whose general understanding are we referring to?
Just become some people decided they wanted to understand ‘worship’ and ‘adoration’ to be ‘reserved for God alone’ doesn’t mean that the words themselves always and only meant such. In point of fact, they did not and do not.
It is not we who should be adjusting our language to make it narrower and in fact, historically incorrect, It is those who are trying to make that 'change of men’who should be broadening their understanding and rejecting their incorrect usage.
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
Words matter.
The correct understanding of a word matters. It is crucial that two persons who are attempting to talk to each other understand and agree upon what the words they are using mean before they try to either agree or disagree on whether they accept or reject what the other person says.
Otherwise you have people talking past each other.
If person A is absolutely and totally convinced that ‘prayer’ means ‘speaking to God alone’, and he hears person B saying, “prayer to the saints”, person A will have a conniption FIT about how wrong person B, if person A is unaware that person B understands the word ‘prayer’ to mean’ communication between persons, not limited to God alone.'
OK. Now we have person A who believes prayer means "to God alone’, and person B who believes it means ‘communication, not limited to God alone’.
NOW person A and person B can discuss whether they can agree upon an understanding of prayer, and not be arguing that each one is ‘wrong’.
But what we cannot have is person B ‘kowtowing’ to person A, or person A ‘kowtowing’ to person B, while each one in his or her heart still believes the other person is WRONG but is only agreeing with the person in order to appear tolerant or understanding.
Why would that be wrong? Because not every person who believes in what person A believes, or believes in what person B believes, is going to be willing to, in essence, ‘lie to keep the peace’. And then the NEXT person who believes A and hears somebody who believes B say "prayer to the saints’ is going to be EVEN MORE FURIOUS than the first time, because they’ll feel that ‘everybody’ who believes B was a LIAR, because SOMEBODY who believed B lied about it to the people who believe A in order to ‘to keep the peace’.
**That is NOT the way to share the faith. We can’t compromise on truth. **
The correct understanding of a word matters. It is crucial that two persons who are attempting to talk to each other understand and agree upon what the words they are using mean before they try to either agree or disagree on whether they accept or reject what the other person says.
Otherwise you have people talking past each other.
If person A is absolutely and totally convinced that ‘prayer’ means ‘speaking to God alone’, and he hears person B saying, “prayer to the saints”, person A will have a conniption FIT about how wrong person B, if person A is unaware that person B understands the word ‘prayer’ to mean’ communication between persons, not limited to God alone.'
OK. Now we have person A who believes prayer means "to God alone’, and person B who believes it means ‘communication, not limited to God alone’.
NOW person A and person B can discuss whether they can agree upon an understanding of prayer, and not be arguing that each one is ‘wrong’.
But what we cannot have is person B ‘kowtowing’ to person A, or person A ‘kowtowing’ to person B, while each one in his or her heart still believes the other person is WRONG but is only agreeing with the person in order to appear tolerant or understanding.
Why would that be wrong? Because not every person who believes in what person A believes, or believes in what person B believes, is going to be willing to, in essence, ‘lie to keep the peace’. And then the NEXT person who believes A and hears somebody who believes B say "prayer to the saints’ is going to be EVEN MORE FURIOUS than the first time, because they’ll feel that ‘everybody’ who believes B was a LIAR, because SOMEBODY who believed B lied about it to the people who believe A in order to ‘to keep the peace’.
**That is NOT the way to share the faith. We can’t compromise on truth. **
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
However, I did want to point out that Tricia is absolutely, 100% correct in her excellent point that we Catholics do not, never have, and never will give Mary that worship, adoration, etc. that is reserved to God alone; nor would we ever proclaim, teach, or acknowledge a creature (Mary and the saints) to be in any way equal to the Creator (God).
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ProVobis
Guest
Here’s where things get a little too weird for me. We know God understands the 7000 some languages spoken in the world today. How is Mary, who’s supposed to be in heaven, supposed to keep up with all these languages in which everyone is “talking” to her? Just saying.
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
Doesn’t Scripture tell us that when we are in Heaven, we are joined to Christ, and that we 'will know as WE are known"? That we see in a glass darkly on earth, but in heaven we will see clearly?
If we are so joined with Christ that we are ONE with Him (as Scripture says we will be), how could we NOT 'know what He knows". . .and HE knows all the languages, right?
How can you ‘limit’ a person in heaven as though they were still on earth? I mean, it’s like saying, “Oh yes, I believe we go to heaven and we will know God perfectly --but we won’t be able to see, or hear, or understand anything that we could not see, hear, or understand on earth. On earth we can’t SEE heaven, so in heaven, people can’t see earth. On earth we can’t understand every language, so in heaven people can’t understand every language. On earth we cannot simultaneously be aware of all people, so in heaven they can’t be simultaneously aware of all people. . .”
see the point? People in heaven aren’t living ‘miles away’ from God, confined to a cloud so that all they see (if they aren’t simply’ sleeping’) is God and nobody else, all they know is their own memory from earth so that say Dante who died in the 13th century doesn’t know a thing about the printing press, St Thomas Moore has no idea what a flush toilet is, and nobody knows nuttin’ about anybody else in heaven OR on earth. . .
at least that’s my understanding. . .
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