How to respond to my 'born again' friend about Mary and statues?

[Nancymg]

Hi,
I’m new here so please be patient with me.
I’m a cradle catholic which has recently returned to the church.
One of my childhood friends is a born again christian. I believe she has a true relationship with christ.
This was a small part of my returning to the church.

She has numerous objections to catholic practices.
How do I respond to her in refrence to Mary. She believes in Gods word only direct from the bible. She doesn’t think we should pray to Mary. I tryed to explain we don’t pray to Mary we ask Mary to pray for us. Intercede for us. She thinks we pray to statues also.

I know in my heart I’m in the right church. I believe in the presence in the eucharist and have some I’ll call a spiritual experiences having to do with the eucharist. I just don’t know my bible very well. She says show me in the bible.

Any (name removed by moderator)ut is appreciated. I may be seeing her very soon.

 

[Peggy_Frye]

Start with John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Ask her who this gift of salvation comes through. Her answer should be, “ Mary”. Then point out that God chose Mary from the foundation of the world to be the mother of his Son. So, if the “The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”, doesn’t this make her worthy of our honor? (CCC 492). After all, she was the most magnificent creature created by God, the holy vessel that housed the Word of God—Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God made man. Her role in the history of salvation matters. Without her yes Jesus would not have been born.

Taken up to heaven Mary’s motherly intercession continues to help us draw closer to Jesus. The angels and saints in heaven also pray for us. Your friend may ask, “Isn’t Jesus the only mediator between God and man?” Yes, but as Christians, we are all called to intercede for each other, which pleases God, as Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:1-4. This intercession does not stop when one dies. No one prays to dead saints, because those that are in heaven are more alive than we are. The Lord is God of the living, not of the dead.

Sometimes commonsense reasoning moves mountains of doubt. Try not to get frustrated. Always remember that while we are God’s instruments of conversion, only God converts the heart. I will be praying for you! Welcome home.

For more tips on how to respond to her concerns click here. here.