Help with concept of prayer directly to The Father

[A_Catechist_1]

I recently read this in St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion To Mary” regarding praying to Mary as Mediatrix.

… If you abase yourself, thinking yourself unworthy to appear before Him and to draw nigh to Him, He descends and lowers Himself to come to you, to take pleasure in you and to exalt you in spite of yourself. On the contrary, when you are bold enough to approach God without a mediator, God flies from you and you cannot reach Him.

Perhaps I’m reading too much into this passage, or missing some salient point - but it has caused me some conflict and concern in my manner of prayer. I understand the points regarding pride, and I do regularly - constantly - ask for the intercession of the saints and Mary; however, I also pray to God the Father, God the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself taught us to pray the Our Father, which seems to controvert what St. Louis says here - apparently, St. Bernard as well. The Our Father begins with praise (hallowed be Thy Name), continues with assent to His will (Thy Will be done), and ends with supplications for our well-being; both materially (our daily bread) and spiritually (lead us not into temptation) and combined spiritual/physical (deliver us from evil). Am I wrong that Jesus teaches that we should go to The Father with our needs? I’m struggling to square this passage with my understanding of prayer. Can anyone help? What am I missing?

 

[Hodos]

You are right to have concerns. The entire book of Hebrews was written to demonstrate how Christ took on flesh to be made like his brethren and descend to us, that he might be the once for all perfect mediator between the Father and us. The idea that we need a new mediator between us and the Father apart from Christ is the exact opposite of what the author of Hebrews is saying. I would start by carefully reading through this epistle. Note how the author shows how Christ descends for us, is the perfect mediator on our behalf, and brings us into the presence of the Father on the basis of the shedding of his body and blood.

 

[porthos11]

First off, the statement is itself correct. No one can reach the Father except through a mediator. What I strongly disagree with is that that mediator is the Blessed Virgin. The one mediator by which we reach the Father is the man Jesus Christ. He is our mediator because he bears our nature and God’s nature, and through our baptism, we are conformed to him, and so when we approach the Father, we approach the Father in the Name of Jesus. Not only does Jesus intercede for us as eternal High Priest, but we also pray in him, and he in us. When we approach the Father in his name, the Father sees one who shares the Sonship of his Son, a partaker of the divine nature. We get all this through baptism.

When you pray the Our Father, you do so in the name of Jesus, even if not explicitly stated.

Now that said, it is also common teaching that all graces given to man are given with the intercession of our Lady, which is what Mediatrix means. It is a completely different concept than the mediatorship of Christ, as it ties into intercession and divine providence. If I received a grace, be it sanctifying or actual, it’s because our Lady aided me by her intercession, even if I did not explicitly ask for it. This I can accept. I believe in her maternal love and I would have a hard time believing she did not pray for me.

But God unapproachable in prayer without our Lady as a mediator? No, for me that’s drawing the line. This is precisely where the mediatorship of Christ comes in. “No one comes to the Father except through me”. This paragraph is too “out there” for me, and is another example of why I dislike St. Louis’ writings, including this one. You need to “spin” it to read it in an orthodox manner, and can be as easily taken in a heterodox manner. The Catechism’s treatment on prayer, including that of Christ and that of Mary is a more excellent read and accurately reflects the Catholic faith on this question as handed down by the Magisterium.

As for “exalting”, I don’t worry about it. I am exalted, not because of my own worth, but because I am a son of God, and bear the image of Christ in me, something I got when I was baptized. So in the words of the Mass, knowing my inherent worthlessness, but claiming instead the exaltedness of Jesus, I dare to say…Our Father…knowing that Jesus is praying in me, and I am praying in him.

 

[Vico]

I recently read this in St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion To Mary” regarding praying to Mary as Mediatrix.

… I’m struggling to square this passage with my understanding of prayer. Can anyone help? What am I missing?

The concept is as follows: in the second motive, one gives glory to God by submission to Mary, as Jesus did for thirty years. Mary is the mediatrix of intercession and Jesus Christ is the mediator of redemption.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

St. Louis is speaking against the sin of pride. Many of the centuries-old books that focus on our lowliness and our self-abasement deal with pride. In the eras they were written, there was a nobility and a ruling class and an educated class who were all most likely to be reading the books, and were also most likely to be proud. Poor, humble, simple people couldn’t read.

There is no problem with us speaking directly to our loving and merciful Father as if we were his little children. Jesus and many others have taught this. I am sure Mary herself as well as Joseph went straight to the Father on many occasions, as good Jewish people would do. If we are to imitate Mary, then we can learn to be humble like her and approach God the Father or even God the Son with the utmost humility.

The Church does teach that we have a Mediator between us and the Father, but it is Jesus Christ, who himself is God and a member of the Trinity, and further taught us to pray the Our Father himself.