Is Mary a mind reader?

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Now, that may seem a strange question. But it’s one that I’ve been wondering about.

Throughout my time in protestant churches I would often hear the same thing said - that only God could read our thoughts. Satan and demons couldn’t. Angels couldn’t. Only God. So Satan could not accuse you about bad thoughts, only bad deeds or misdeeds. I’m sure I read something along those lines again in a catholic book recently (but I’ve been reading from so many that I can’t for the life of me think which one).

So I have been thoroughly armed with the idea that only God, who is omniscient, can read into the thoughts in my mind.

Yet I often see people with rosaries praying silently. Can Mary read their thoughts?

If yes, can we show (hopefully from scripture) that others apart from God can read into the unexpressed thoughts in our minds?

If no, does their silent rosary have any effect? If the answer to that is yes, then why does it have an effect? Does Mary just assume that the right prayers are being prayed silently?

Writing in confusion.
 
No one but God has the *power *to read thoughts. This does not mean, however, that He is the only one who is aware of them. We know that the Saints are in perfect Communion with God. It’s not unreasonable to think that when we address one of the Saints silently, God would make them aware of it.

Personally, however, I like to say the Rosary aloud for 2 reasons. One, it makes me concentrate more on the words and not rush through it. Two…it lets Satan and his demons know he’s losing! 😃
 
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Meggie:
Satan can trick you into thinking he knows your thoughs…
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That’s a good point. One of the ways Satan gains power is to trick people into thinking he already has it. Sounds kinda like the Supreme Court now that I think about it…
 
Dr. Colossus:
That’s a good point. One of the ways Satan gains power is to trick people into thinking he already has it. Sounds kinda like the Supreme Court now that I think about it…
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So the devil CAN’T read our thoughts? If that’s the case, than why do I hear stories or sayings that the devil can do anything to decieve?
 
Paris Blues:
So the devil CAN’T read our thoughts? If that’s the case, than why do I hear stories or sayings that the devil can do anything to decieve?
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Either hyperbole or superstition. The devil is vastly intelligent, but he’s not omniscient.
 
Paris Blues:
So the devil CAN’T read our thoughts? If that’s the case, than why do I hear stories or sayings that the devil can do anything to decieve?
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This is correct, I believe, that Satan can not read our thoughts, but he can read us. I know what my close friends are thinking at times, I have known things about them that they have not told anyone but this is done though reading their actions, not their minds. If I can do this with some people then I am sure Satan can do it even better with everyone.
 
It’s speculated by some that the angels and saints in heaven are able to communicate with each other telepathically. I don’t know how this would apply if at all to silent prayers to Mary.
 
Paris Blues:
So the devil CAN’T read our thoughts? If that’s the case, than why do I hear stories or sayings that the devil can do anything to decieve?
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Let’s take two examples, sports and war. In each of these areas there is a leader who, in order to gain victory, must learn and exploit the weaknesses of his opponents, the opposing coach or General. This is done by observation and intelligence, usually from scouts or spies. In that way the tactitian can exploit the weaknesses of his opponent as well as have a good idea of how they usually react in any given situation. He can’t “read their mind,” but they have a pretty good idea of what his enemy will do.

The angels, including the fallen ones, have intellects far and above our own. Never having to sleep, etc, they also have unlimited time to do their worst. As a master tactitian, you can believe that Satan or his minions watch you carefully to know your bad habits, weaknesses and failures. He can’t read your mind, but he can tempt you where he has seen you are weakest. That is one of the reasons (aside from pleasing God) why we are to constantly work at doing away with our vices and replacing them with virtue. The less toe-hold we give Old Scratch, the better.

If you have never read it, I heartily recommend C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, available at any library or bookstore. This little book is a humorous, but very enlightening fictional account of how demons might work behind the scenes to trip us up and make us lose our way to heaven.
 
Now this could just be some confusion on my part, but I recall reading or hearing somewhere that angels could read our thoughts if we allowed them. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Anyhow, I’m sure that God would relay the message to whoever one is praying to. He’s probably really good at that too.
 
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Aureole:
Anyhow, I’m sure that God would relay the message to whoever one is praying to. He’s probably really good at that too.
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This is one explanation I’ve heard of how the intercession of the saints “works.” Of course, as in other areas of the Faith (like Transubstantiation) we have no way (or need) to know the exact HOW, it is simply an article of revealed faith (through Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium) that it is SO.
 
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tuopaolo:
It’s speculated by some that the angels and saints in heaven are able to communicate with each other telepathically. I don’t know how this would apply if at all to silent prayers to Mary.
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This may be somewhat misleading. Telepathy is the name given to the alleged paranormal phenomenon of direct communication between two or more human and/or animal brains without the agency of speech or some other natural mode of communication. Angels are spiritual beings without bodies as we have them, so while they have intelligence and will, they do not have physical brains or physical organs of communication. So while angels can communicate with other other angels (and with us) without using the same modes of communication we use, this is not paranormal. It is normal according to the angels’ nature.

As regards Mary, the other Saints in heaven and the poor souls in Purgatory: she still does have her physical body while the others do not yet, but I would not describe her and their ability to hear our prayers as paranormal. I think of this quality as proper to their natures as members of the Communion of Saints no longer bound by the same physical limitations we have.
 
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Fidelis:
This is one explanation I’ve heard of how the intercession of the saints “works.” Of course, as in other areas of the Faith (like Transubstantiation) we have no way (or need) to know the exact HOW, it is simply an article of revealed faith (through Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium) that it is SO.
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Oh, thank you. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this too, I just needed some good reminding.
 
Dr. Colossus:
That’s a good point. One of the ways Satan gains power is to trick people into thinking he already has it. Sounds kinda like the Supreme Court now that I think about it…
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:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
:bowdown2:bowdown2:bowdown2:bowdown2:bowdown2
 
I rarely say any private prayer outloud. I do not think my physically vocalising prayer will make one bit of difference. I think raising my heart, mind and spirit to God even through His Saints is sufficient. My prayers are heard by whomever I ask to intercede for my intentions just as if I was to vocalise them.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
Joseph Bilodeau:
This may be somewhat misleading. Telepathy is the name given to the alleged paranormal phenomenon of direct communication between two or more human and/or animal brains without the agency of speech or some other natural mode of communication. Angels are spiritual beings without bodies as we have them, so while they have intelligence and will, they do not have physical brains or physical organs of communication. So while angels can communicate with other other angels (and with us) without using the same modes of communication we use, this is not paranormal. It is normal according to the angels’ nature.

As regards Mary, the other Saints in heaven and the poor souls in Purgatory: she still does have her physical body while the others do not yet, but I would not describe her and their ability to hear our prayers as paranormal. I think of this quality as proper to their natures as members of the Communion of Saints no longer bound by the same physical limitations we have.
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If telepathy isn’t the right word, what word would you suggest? I don’t know of any other word for it. When I think of telepathy I don’t think of those occult psychics … I think of angels, saints, and Star Trek 🙂
 
Mary cannot hear our prayers, aloud or silent, unless it is through the will of God. If it is through His will that Mary and the Saints hear our prayers, it matters not whether they are silent or vocal.
 
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asteroid:
Now, that may seem a strange question. But it’s one that I’ve been wondering about.

Throughout my time in protestant churches I would often hear the same thing said - that only God could read our thoughts. Satan and demons couldn’t. Angels couldn’t. Only God. So Satan could not accuse you about bad thoughts, only bad deeds or misdeeds. I’m sure I read something along those lines again in a catholic book recently (but I’ve been reading from so many that I can’t for the life of me think which one).

So I have been thoroughly armed with the idea that only God, who is omniscient, can read into the thoughts in my mind.

Yet I often see people with rosaries praying silently. Can Mary read their thoughts?

If yes, can we show (hopefully from scripture) that others apart from God can read into the unexpressed thoughts in our minds?

If no, does their silent rosary have any effect? If the answer to that is yes, then why does it have an effect? Does Mary just assume that the right prayers are being prayed silently?

Writing in confusion.
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Wow! I had the exact same question on my mind and I’ve been puzzling over it for awhile. The best I can figure, she can know our thoughts if we want her to. There’s a verse in Revelation where the saints in heaven are presenting the prayers of the saints on earth to God. They must know what they’re presenting, so they must be able to know our prayers. They don’t know our thoughts and so on to the extent that God does, but if we are directly addressing them, silently or otherwise, I think they are aware of it.
Regards,
Jennifer
 
Another argument I’ve heard from non-Catholics is, how can Mary hear all the prayers being said to her at any given moment? At this very second there must be hundreds of thousands of people praying the Rosary right now–so how could she possibly hear all those requests at the same time? She is not God, so how can she know?

Of course, in Heaven there is no time. It’s hard to understand it because we’re conceived “in time,” live our lives “in time,” and die “in time.” When I imagine what Heaven must be like it’s still in terms of “time,” yet with the knowledge that it’s eternal and never-ending. “Time” is all we know and it’s a mind-bender to imagine “no time.” (If you like science fiction time-travel novels, maybe the concept comes a little easier.) God is able to let Mary, the saints and Holy Souls, and the angels know all the prayer requests, verbal or silent, because it’s all occurring outside of time. How exactly He does that probably isn’t important, but that He does do it to benefit all of us is part of His mercy and grace. No one in Heaven has to be a mind-reader - but then, who knows what type of communication or knowledge we’ll have there.
 
Hello-

A different slant here. I don’t know about you but even now my mom can tell when something’s wrong and she’s six hundred miles away and it’s been (insert coughing noise here) years since I was a babe. Mary’s been the Mother of the Church for centuries. She’s seen it all before, knows her children and loves us anyway.

I put it down to her being a mom.

With love for that Blessed Mother,

JXM
 
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