How and why to pray through Mary?

[emeraldisle]

I didn’t advise you to search the Scriptures because you don’t seem to comprehend the scriptures!

Its interesting that you have come from a position of asking a question about praying through Mary a couple of days ago to now being a supposed expert on the Scriptures so that you can tell me I can’t comprehend the Scriptures.

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[Eilish_Maura]

I am a Catholic. But in my childhood I was bombarded with Protestant beliefs and ideologies.

I’m still a Catholic though. But, to this day I find it difficult or sometimes even silly to pray through Mary or the saints.

I pray to Jesus and the Father. And I’m heard. So why should I pray through Mary or the saints? How can I be sure that St.“so and so” is hearing me? And what’s the advantage of doing that when I know Christ hears me and so does the Father? Or is it that they cannot always hear me?

When did this practice of praying through Mary and the saints begin?

Personally, I would say don’t worry about it.

I am not drawn to praying to any of the saints.

 

[brycelaliberte]

Also the teaching to pray to God through departed saints means that millions of Catholics are praying to Mary and this raises another problem and that is how can Mary hear all the prayer requests from millions of Catholics.

Do you ask other people to pray for you? Then you can ask anyone in Heaven to pray for you too. Do you pray for other people? Then you would expect that in Heaven you would pray for other people.

And of course Mary can hear all prayer requests given. Do you doubt the power of Heaven in believing that Heaven is bound by earth’s time?

And why pray to Mary? Because she is the mother of all Christians.

If Jesus is the head of the Church, and we are the body, logically Mary would not only be the mother of only the head, that would be a monster. She would also be the mother of the body. Not the body alone, mind you, but both the head and the body.

 

[Jerry-Jet]

When Tabiltha was dead St. Peter spoke to her and she became alive.

What part of him speaking to her when she was dead–what part of her hearing him–what part of that being God’s will–what part of we knowing that it was God’s will since the Holy Spirit inspired that passage in Acts–what part of that do you not understand?!

Tabitha heard!

God HONORED the communication of Peter to the dead Tabitha!

If God Almighty didn’t have a problem with it–if the scriptures are true and we know that the dead Tabitha did hear St. Peter’s plea–then how can anyone say that praying to or for the dead is wrong when God Himself proves its rightness in His word–the Holy Bible!

 

[benny54]

this is just my far from fully educated imagination about what heaven is like, and i hope im not being in any way heratic or whatever, but i imagine god being the creator of the universe in the grand scheem of things much more than your average saint angel or annointed higharchy, mary for example, i imagine that the people of heaven would be appointed tasks such as answering prayers with the given power of god, and praying to a departed or angel that has experience or understanding, or as we know appointed to a peticular sort of task, st michael for example to protect us from demons, doesnt sound unusual or pointless at all. but like i said im not fully educated in the catholic doctrine, and im not meaning to be in anyway heretic.

 

[emeraldisle]

Do you ask other people to pray for you? Then you can ask anyone in Heaven to pray for you too. Do you pray for other people? Then you would expect that in Heaven you would pray for other people.

And of course Mary can hear all prayer requests given. Do you doubt the power of Heaven in believing that Heaven is bound by earth’s time?

If Jesus is the head of the Church, and we are the body, logically Mary would not only be the mother of only the head, that would be a monster. She would also be the mother of the body. Not the body alone, mind you, but both the head and the body.

Imo your comments are a good example of what happens when one goes down the road of teaching ideas that are not taught in the Bible.

Praying to God through departed saints(not in taught in the Bible) which leads to millions of people praying to God through Mary(not taught in the Bible) which leads to the suggestion that God has given Mary the ability to listen to all these prayer requests(not taught in the Bible) which leads to people focusing on Mary in their prayers (not taught in the Bible).

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[Church_Militant]

Imo your comments are a good example of what happens when one goes down the road of teaching ideas that are not taught in the Bible.

Praying to God through departed saints(not in taught in the Bible) which leads to millions of people praying to God through Mary(not taught in the Bible) which leads to the suggestion that God has given Mary the ability to listen to all these prayer requests(not taught in the Bible) which leads to people focusing on Mary in their prayers (not taught in the Bible).

The problem here Irish, is that you are alleging something that is not true.

It is taught in the Word of God as this very good Bible study by John Martignoni plainly shows. You can download and listen to the MP3 of John teaching it here.

Unfortunately…(for you anyway), he also has another excellent study showing that your fundamental “Bible alone” doctrine is actually what is not taught in the Word of God.

Sola Scriptura - The Bible Alone?

Does the Bible support “The Bible Alone”?

 

[Ceil-1]

If you don’t want to ask Mary for her intercession on your behalf, don’t. Your loss.

Then again, why not put her to the test? But, look out. If you care to ask about experiences people have had asking Mary and the Saints for assistance you will get an avalanche.

In addition, it is Biblical for God to respond to the intercession of men. From Joshua to Moses and on and on. The angels’ aren’t just sitting around playing harps, you know.

Read the Bible with intercession in mind and you will see overwhelming evidence of it. I would take the time to quote the verses, but I can tell by your reponses they are ignored.

Don’t knock it 'til you try it. Ask for a sign. ( I asked the Little Flower for a sign just for the fun of it and she sent me a rose on my previously dead rosebush in November. She has even kept her sense of humor. )

 

[Axion]

Imo your comments are a good example of what happens when one goes down the road of teaching ideas that are not taught in the Bible.

Praying to God through departed saints(not in taught in the Bible) which leads to millions of people praying to God through Mary(not taught in the Bible) which leads to the suggestion that God has given Mary the ability to listen to all these prayer requests(not taught in the Bible) which leads to people focusing on Mary in their prayers (not taught in the Bible).

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Wrong again, Mr Paisley.
First of all, in the bible Christians are asked to share a MEDIATION of Prayer.
“I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings, for all those in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus.” 1Timothy 2:1-5

Jesus is the one Mediator of our salvation. But He is not our only intercessor. The whole passage above clearly indicates, Christians should pray for each other. And why is this prayer needed?

James 5: 16-18 " …The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. Elijah was a human being like us; yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit."
Holiness strengthens prayer, so the holier and more righteous the person who prays for us, the better. Most of us don’t know an Elijah personally. That is why we ask the Heavenly Saints to share in our prayers. And as we can see from Revelation and Maccabees, they do.

Revelation 4.4: Surrounding the throne were twenty four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

Revelation 5.8: …and the twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
2Maccabees 15:13-14 Judas then saw an impressive white-haired man of great dignity and authority. Onias said: “This is God’s prophet Jeremiah, who loves the Jewish people and offers many prayers for us and for Jerusalem, the holy city.”

All Christians wherever they may be, form one undivided body in Christ. All members of that body, rejoice or suffer together

1 Corinthians:12.12 For just as the body is one and has many members, **and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many…
25 that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. **27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

However some would try to divide the Body of Christ by denying that those in heaven can share the sufferings and rejoicings of fellow members of Christ’s body on earth.

 

[ChrisWRIT]

Imo your comments are a good example of what happens when one goes down the road of teaching ideas that are not taught in the Bible.

Praying to God through departed saints(not in taught in the Bible) which leads to millions of people praying to God through Mary(not taught in the Bible) which leads to the suggestion that God has given Mary the ability to listen to all these prayer requests(not taught in the Bible) which leads to people focusing on Mary in their prayers (not taught in the Bible).

Speaking of reaching conclusions based on a false premises, there’s the idea that the bible contains ALL of God’s word (not taught in the Bible), or the idea that the Bible is the only source of truth (not taught in the Bible), or that we are saved by “faith alone” (not taught in the Bible.)

That said, it is understandable why you continually insist that prayer to the saints is “unbiblical”.

However, it is an easy concept to walk through & verify as Scriptural:

1) Every Christian is a member of the Body of Christ - Rom. 12:4-5, 1 Cor. 12:12-13.
2) Physical death does not separate us from the Body of Christ – Rom. 8:38-39
3) There is only one Body of Christ, which is in Heaven & on Earth – Eph. 2:15-16; Eph. 4:4
4) Saints in Heaven do not have the same limitations that we have on Earth – Rev. 21:21; 1 Cor. 2:9; 1 Cor. 13:12; 1 Cor. 15:49; 2 Peter 1:4.

Christians are encouraged to pray for one another, & to ask one another for prayers.

There is no statement in Scripture that we must ask only certain Christians for their prayers.

In fact, the several statements in Scripture that the saints in heaven can & do offer our prayers up to God, show that we certainly can offer our prayers to God through them.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Jerry-Jet]

True or false: when Peter praid for Tabitha after she died was it God’s will and did Tabitha hear Peter’s prayer and did god honor that prayer by bringing Tabitha back to life?

 

[emeraldisle]

If you don’t want to ask Mary for her intercession on your behalf, don’t. Your loss.

It’s no loss to me that I can pray directly to the awesome, almighty God!

Don’t knock it 'til you try it. Ask for a sign. ( I asked the Little Flower for a sign just for the fun of it and she sent me a rose on my previously dead rosebush in November. She has even kept her sense of humor. )

I’m glad I’ve kept my sense of humor

.

 

[dmelosi]

True or false: when Peter praid for Tabitha after she died was it God’s will and did Tabitha hear Peter’s prayer and did god honor that prayer by bringing Tabitha back to life?

As I have read through the threads…don’t expect an answer from emerald…never responds to proof.

 

[benny54]

If you don’t want to ask Mary for her intercession on your behalf, don’t. Your loss.

Then again, why not put her to the test? But, look out. If you care to ask about experiences people have had asking Mary and the Saints for assistance you will get an avalanche.

In addition, it is Biblical for God to respond to the intercession of men. From Joshua to Moses and on and on. The angels’ aren’t just sitting around playing harps, you know.

Read the Bible with intercession in mind and you will see overwhelming evidence of it. I would take the time to quote the verses, but I can tell by your reponses they are ignored.

Don’t knock it 'til you try it. Ask for a sign. ( I asked the Little Flower for a sign just for the fun of it and she sent me a rose on my previously dead rosebush in November. She has even kept her sense of humor. )

i definitly agree to that, my praying though mary and the saints hasnt been at all a waste of time, and if its in the doctrine of the catholic church, jesus’s catholic church, then its good enough for me, jesus was all about trusting him, and in trusting him u trust his church, i dont think he was in any way unclear on that in the bible.

 

[LilyM]

It’s no loss to me that I can pray directly to the awesome, almighty God!

I’m glad I’ve kept my sense of humor

.

It is a loss that you, as a member of His body, refuse to even acknowledge half of that body and treat it as though it has nothing at all to do with you (as if that’s even possible!).

 

[Rulkiewicz]

I can’t believe you still imagine God and His teaching is confined to the written page. Give me just one chapter and verse where we are told to ignore oral teaching and tradition and only focus on the written word?

I don’t know if this has been address yet, as I haven’t read the rest of the posts.

The Bible is God’s word. And within his word he states that we are to observe it, and not add, or take away from it:

Colossians 2

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Galatians 1

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Also, the Bible strictly prohibits any man made traditions, additions and omissions to scripture:

Deuteronomy 12

32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Revelations 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Paul wrote to the Galatian church that if anyone comes teaching or preaching anything OTHER than what we (Jesus’ disciples) have been teaching, let him be accursed.

From what I understand, and correct me if I’m wrong, Catholics don’t necessarily pray TO Mary, but they ask Mary to pray for them, like intercessory Prayer.

With Blessings,
Justin

 

[Thing]

Catholics pray to Mary, yes.
Some people, later redefined prayer as worship.

 

[DebChris]

Catholics pray to Mary, yes.
Some people, later redefined prayer as worship.

This is an important distinction. We are called to venerate, not worship the saints. Mary holds a high place of honor.
Worship means to put ourselves “at the service of.” We serve an awesome God. We recognize the service that men and women have given God throughout the ages. These are the saints who continue to intercede for us because they, although dead in an earthly sense, continue to live.
To pray is “to communicate.” It works in both directions.

 

[dmelosi]

I don’t know if this has been address yet, as I haven’t read the rest of the posts.

The Bible is God’s word. And within his word he states that we are to observe it, and not add, or take away from it:

Colossians 2

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Galatians 1

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Also, the Bible strictly prohibits any man made traditions, additions and omissions to scripture:

Deuteronomy 12

32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Revelations 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Paul wrote to the Galatian church that if anyone comes teaching or preaching anything OTHER than what we (Jesus’ disciples) have been teaching, let him be accursed.

From what I understand, and correct me if I’m wrong, Catholics don’t necessarily pray TO Mary, but they ask Mary to pray for them, like intercessory Prayer.

With Blessings,
Justin

Hello and welcome to the forums.

I would be interested in hearing your responses to some of the biblical quotes from the early posts on this thread.

 

[Rulkiewicz]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

I would be interested in hearing your responses to some of the biblical quotes from the early posts on this thread.

I would love the opportunity, if I find the time