If Jesus is God, why would He pray to Himself?

[JSTOBIE]

I was recently engaged in some dialogue with good friends of mine who are Mormon. We were sharing certain aspects of our faith with one another. At one point, my friend’s wife asked me what the Catholic view would be of Jesus’s agony in the garden when he was praying to God the Father. She was wondering if Catholics believe that Jesus was God, why would he be praying to himself?

I know that the church teaches us to beleive that Jesus was(is) comprised of the true nature of God and also at the same time the true nature of man, so he is true God and true man. Also that Jesus is the second person of the blessed trinity who took unto himself the nature of man. Knowing this, it is still hard to answer her simple question above. Can anyone help?

I told her that the church teaches us to take this devine mystery which is beyond human understanding completely on faith. Also that I thought it also has to do with the fact that the ten comandments compel us to worship only one God, and to worship three beings as separate Gods would violate that.

PS. thank you all for devoloping this site.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

In praying to His Father Jesus was acting from His human nature. He is true God AND true man. So His whole life on earth reflected His human nature, from being a helpless baby to suffering and dying on the cross. Praying to the Father is simply another example of this. When He worked miracles, foretold the future and rose from the dead, He was acting from His divine nature.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.