How to explain that praying the rosary is not worshiping Mary

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KimmyG

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So I’m going through a really bad situation in my country, I’m from Nicaragua if you’d like to know, and I’ve been praying the rosary (don’t know if you say it like that in English.) I told one of my protestant friends I was doing that, and she started attacking me about it and insulting Catholicism. How can I explain that we are not praying to her but asking for her intervention in a way they will understand and respect?

Please feel free to just keep on with the convo because I would love to know more about Catholicism and its tradition. Also knowing it may help me or others explain non-Catholics or even Catholics more about it.
 
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It won t be much help but I will say anyway because you are from Nicaragua and I am from Argentina.
To ask a Latin American why we pray to Our Lady is more or less like asking why we drink water…
I wouldn t answer nor argue,just keep praying. They know the answer… or will sooner or later find out. She will manage.😉
But argue…no. Not about Our Lady.
How can anyone in LatinAmerica ask that question…?
Strength and peace for Nicaragua.:pray:t2:
 
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You could explain what the Hail Mary prayer is:

the Annunciation - ‘hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee’ (biblical)
the Visitation - ‘blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb’ (biblical)
Holy Mary, Mother of God (she’s holy and she’s the mother of Our Lord)
The rest is asking for intercession - The Church is the whole body of believers, not just those still alive, and we pray for one another.

Also, we primarily focus on the mysteries of Our Lord’s life, death and resurrection during this prayer …this is praying in the spirit … raising our thoughts to God.

You could also mention that it’s not unheard of for protestants to pray the rosary 🙂
 
KimmyG said:
So I’m going through a really bad situation in my country, I’m from Nicaragua if you’d like to know, and I’ve been praying the rosary (don’t know if you say it like that in English.) I told one of my protestant friends I was doing that, and she started attacking me about it and insulting Catholicism. How can I explain that we are not praying to her but asking for her intervention in a way they will understand and respect?
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The Hail Mary has three parts, the first two are quotes from the Bible and the third is a request to “pray for us sinners” just as the Bible says to do, for example:
  • 1 Tim 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. 3 This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
  • James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.
 
I personally would just tell the person they didn’t understand my way of praying and that if they were going to disrespect my religion, they should leave me alone because I don’t want to be around them.

But if you really wanted to explain, point out that the Hail Mary is from Scripture and that all the other prayers such as Creed and Our Father and Glory Be are about Jesus and God. So how can it be “worshipping Mary” when it’s basically from the Bible and about Jesus/ God? Jesus himself taught us to pray the Our Father and we say 6 of them in a 5 decade rosary. And the Glory Be is about the Trinity.
 
The meditations of each decade are primarily focused on Christ.
 
It is said iin the Bible for others to pray for us but how would you explain especifically with Mary since she is one of the saints and she is physically dead. So protestants would not understand it at a Catholic level but instead just a Christian level. And by Christian level I mean protestant since not all of them believe we are Christians, but are determined as just Roman Catholics.
 
That is a really good explanation and I love it because it just explains that it is based on the Bible and I’ve heard many people form different denominations say they base their Christianity in the Bible. Which is why it would be super good to understand. And @vico said something similar but I just loved yours.
 
Tell your friend that the Jews would pray at the grave of a holy person with the hope that the deceased holy person would go to God and intercede for them. People in apostolic churches are doing the same thing when we pray to the saints in heaven.
 
catholics don’t pray to Mary

we pray for Mary’s intervention on our behalf

there are a lot of threads here dealing with this specific issue

why would this a be a troubling issue to you?
 
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KimmyG said:
I don’t understand what you mean by that but thanks. And it feels good you’re from Latin America too.
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I believe she/he was referring to the fact that Latin America used to be entirely Catholic not long ago and Marian Devotion was ingrained in it’s culture.
Sadly the pentecostal sects led many people astray in the last decades and they are destroying a important part of our culture and putting millions and millions of souls in danger.
 
This is a troubling issue to me, just like you said, because she is a close friend of mine and I want her to respect Catholicism, as it is my religion, just like I respect hers. And I know both that Catholics don’t pray to Mary but ask for her interventon but I don’t know how to explain it. Especially because I know things are like that but not why. And without a why she wouldn’t really care at all.
 
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that is a GREAT post

the cult of secularism (amongst other things) is eroding devotion to Our Lady of Guadolupe
 
Dr Scott Hahn can explain the role of Mary in our salvation

there are also the classics; aquinas, etc… etc…

reading classical marian theology can be tedious

tell them to turn on ewtn & watch 90’s vintage catholic evangelism… 😦
 
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KimmyG.

You have had some good answers here.

Does she ask for the intercession of the “good angels”? They are not physically dead.

(She probably does not and was taught to be against intercessory prayer concerning Heavenly beings in general. I could be wrong, but this being against all such intercessory prayer is more common. At least in my experiences dialoguing with people who are taught to think this way.)

I’ll try to get back here tomorrow and give you a couple more ways to approach it as well.

God bless.

Cathoholic
 
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In the Bible Jesus tells about two people who went into the Temple to pray. The Pharisee said this long extemporaneous prayer. The publican said over and over again, “Lord have mercy on me.” The publican was justified while the Pharisee was not.
 
KimmyG said:
how would you explain especifically with Mary since she is one of the saints and she is physically dead.
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Your own mother Mary, alive in heaven with the Beatific Vision:

John 19:25-29
25 So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag′dalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
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Mary can receive your prayers as all the saints in heaven can.

Also see:
  • Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4: “In heaven the elders and angels offer up the prayers of the saints [on earth] as incense before the throne of God.” In this passage it is important to note that the New Testament uses the word “saint” of every baptized Christian, not because we are all perfectly holy, but because we have all at least received the gift of the Holy Spirit. So this passage implies that the angels and elders (holy Christian leaders now in heaven) hear the prayers of every Christian on earth, and join their prayer now with ours.
  • Hebrews 11:1-12:1 … “Seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”
 
Admittedly I havent read all the responses prior but just my thought on a good explanation…think of Mary as a “tour guide” pointing to various details you may not have realized had you did a “self tour”. Mary knows him well. Peace be with you
 
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