Is There Biblical Evidence To Catholics Praying to Mary?

[sudy]

The Kingdom is those in heaven as well as those on earth. In James, it says ‘pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.’ We are to pray for one another.

 

[GrowingInTheFaith]

I had the intercession of the saints explained to me, but what I don’t understand is why some people go to different saints for different things like they are gods or goddesses. Like they might go to one saint for (insert specific problem) and another saint for (insert specific problem). I saw one comment in this thread like that. Is that a Catholic theology or are they doing their own thing?

Also, don’t worry, I’m not planning on relying on Got Questions for answering questions on Catholicism, but when I looked on the website it did remind me of one question I had and some questions I might need to find the answers to. I also feel that if I’m going to be seriously looking into the Catholicism, I need to disprove any questions that I have or that could be asked of me by Protestant friends if I decide to tell them.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

First of all, please stop with the “like they are gods or goddesses.” Since you’ve had that explained once, I have to say it’s offensive to a Catholic for someone to continue to say that. Our Profession of Faith that we say at every Mass begins, “I believe in ONE GOD…”

Second of all, it is traditional for certain Saints to be considered the patrons of certain things, issues or problems. Usually it’s something associated with the saint in his real life. This does NOT mean that they are “gods” or that they possess any special power with respect to that area. For example, St. Andrew Avellino is the patron saint against strokes and sudden death. This is because he died of a stroke while he was celebrating Mass. St. Peregrine is the patron saint against cancer. This is because he was stricken with cancer, from which he was miraculously cured after having a vision of Jesus.

Does that mean if I have cancer, I have to pray to St. Peregrine, or that he has special powers with respect to curing cancer? NO. Does that mean if I am praying for a stroke patient, I have to ask St. Andrew Avellino to intercede or that he has special powers to deal with strokes? NO. I can pray about my cancer to St. Peregrine or to any one of the other 10,000 saints the Church has on their list of saints. I can even pray to my grandma if I have good reason to think she’s in heaven. When I “pray to” any of these people, I ask them to pray for me to God. I DON’T pray, “St. so-and-so, cure my cancer please.” I pray, “St. so-and-so, please pray for me, please intercede.”

Often these days the Pope will designate a certain saint to be a patron of certain things because it bears a connection to something they did during their life. Pope JPII named St. Isidore of Seville the patron saint of the Internet because St. Isidore, who died in the 600s, tried to record all human knowledge. Pope Pius XII named St. Clare of Assisi the patron saint of television because when she was too ill to attend Mass, she reportedly could see the Mass taking place on the wall of her room; this was back in the mid-1200s.

When Catholics are confirmed, or at any other time in their life they wish, they can choose a patron saint who they especially like, and then regularly turn to that person in prayer, try to imitate them, read about them, have them as a role model etc . It’s not all that different from having a sports star or a business mogul or an actor you especially like and would like to imitate.

The important things to remember are saints are human (souls now in heaven), and they are just friends we choose to help us pray. THAT’S IT. They aren’t gods or goddesses. They don’t have any powers except to pray, and because they are very holy, they are good at praying and very close to God. If God works any miracle through them (let’s say you pray to St. Peregrine and your cancer miraculously disappears) then it’s God working the miracle, NOT THE SAINT. The Saint asked and God did the cure.

I hope this makes it more clear.

 

[YourNameHere]

AMEN! AMEN!

 

[GrowingInTheFaith]

I read over this comment again and saw the part where you said that “Jews have a practice of going to the tombs of the righteous dead (someone a Catholic would call a Saint) and praying there at the tomb. The intention is that the dead person will pass your prayers on to God. They have been doing this for thousands of years.” I researched that and it checked out. Thank you, that really helps me understand the Catholic practice of praying to the saints. During my research, I also learned that the Methodist church founder encouraged praying to the saints as well. I had no idea!

 

[GrowingInTheFaith]

Thank you! That really helped me understand. Also, I’m sorry if I offended you, I didn’t mean to. I appreciate that you took the time to answer my questions. If you or anyone else has time, could you explain Matthew 27:56? I’m taking on the subject of Mary’s perpetual virginity and sense I already got a lot of good answers on this thread, I thought I’d bring it up here.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Matthew 27:56 has nothing to do with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It’s about three other ladies who all happen to be named Mary. It was a common name.

Edited to add, if you want to talk about that “Mary the mother of James” business in more detail I suggest you start another thread as it’s really off topic for this thread.

 

[GrowingInTheFaith]

I decided to ask more questions about Mary so I posted another thread.

 

[Francis]

@GrowingInTheFaith

Hello everyone! I’ve been researching Catholicism and I came across this article and I wanted to hear your thoughts on it: www.gotquestion. org

Am sorry your this site spreads false and baseless claims and misrepresents the Catholic faith to the utmost ,if your really interested to know about the Catholic faith find a really genuine Catholic sites rather than anti-Catholic sites.

Ahead of time, I just wanted to say I don’t 100% agree with this article for sure, but it did bring up an interesting topic.

That’s what this site intended to do ,get people interested in false claims,they don’t bring unity or speak the truth but rather scatter and cause scandals ,which Jesus warned us .

Catholics have patron saints and such and sometimes they seem to have similar roles to gods/goddesses.

This is really offensive to Catholics ,it’s like saying protestants worship god and goddesses how would you feel ?

One of the comments on this thread said something along the lines of “I like to pray to Saint _______. They are good for helping with _____.” It really bothered me. I was wondering if y’all could explain that to me. Again, I mean no disrespect and I don’t you to think that I have the same attitude as that article.

Patron saints are kept on the baptism days or Birthdays of the birth day of the child in the family ,and as that particular saints have conquered sin by the Grace of God and as they struggled like any of us and lead a life of holiness and humility, where blessed by God of different Graces and Virtues .its like asking their help and intercession to pray for you to Jesus ,just like our friends ask for our prayers and we to them,since they are close to Jesus and have access ,than we sinners are ,more-ever they did the will of God .

Saints have been given special Graces and virtues as their state of life example St Joseph as the spouse of Mother Mary who is Carpenter ,so the Carpenters ask the intercession of him to pray to Jesus on their behalf ,gust like a friend,like wise he also the patron of Father ,single men and women ,protector of virgins ,and of the Catholic Church, as saint Paul’s says we are ambassador’s of Christ 2 Corinthians 5:20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.2 Corinthians 2:14 14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him.

 

[GrowingInTheFaith]

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. I just said that’s how it seems from an outsider’s standpoint. I didn’t really think y’all treated the saints like that. I knew there had to be an explanation which is why I asked for clarification.

 

[GrowingInTheFaith]

Oops, I should have said the Methodist church founder encouraged praying for the dead, not praying to the saints. John Wesley said, “I believe it to be a duty to observe, to pray for the Faithful Departed.” Just adding this comment to clarify.

 

[Francis]

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. I just said that’s it how it seems from an outsider’s standpoint. I didn’t really think y’all treated the saints like that. I knew there had to be an explanation which is why I asked for clarification.

Yea,we understand ,there are 100’s of websites by protestants who wrongly misrepresent the Catholic Church and its a teachings and as Bishop Fulton Sheen said “There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.”

 

[Francis]

@GrowingInTheFaith

Oops, I should have said the Methodist church founder encouraged praying for the dead, not praying to the saints. John Wesley said, “I believe it to be a duty to observe, to pray for the Faithful Departed.” Just adding this comment to clarify.

Then you accept this right ! praying for the loved deceased family of God .

Ruth 2:20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin.”

2 Maccabees 12: 42 and they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be wholly blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as the result of the sin of those who had fallen. 43 He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. 44 For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. 45 But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.

 

[Justin_Mary]

One of the comments on this thread said something along the lines of “I like to pray to Saint _______. They are good for helping with _____.” It really bothered me. I was wondering if y’all could explain that to me. Again, I mean no disrespect and I don’t you to think that I have the same attitude as that article. Much love!

First it’s best to understand the Saints can do nothing without God. When we ask a Saint for help, we’re asking them to intercede between us & Jesus.

Not that Jesus doesn’t hear you when you pray. God heard the cries of His people oppressed by Pharaoh, so He sent them Moses. When the people transgressed it was the prayer of Moses that stayed God’s hand.

God was glorified when people recognized Moses’ God was the one true God & it pleased Him when people would ask Moses to bring their petitions to God.

But there were a lot of Hebrews running around the desert those 40 years. Hard to get Moses’ attention. So they would go up a chain of command with God at the very top & Moses between.

Israel has always been a figure (type) of heaven.

 

[po18guy]

Here’s a novel approach. Rather than assume the Catholic Church is man-made and in error, question your own beliefs first. You will find that many of your core beliefs trace back only to three men in 1500s Europe.

 

[Psalms62]

I remember when my mother was passing away and the nurse (hospice) talked about the physical part of the body dying, not the spiritual

With your question about praying to the dead I can only give you this scripture to read:

I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. The force of the argument is this, that “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” Their souls are still alive; and if these patriarchs are still alive, there will be a resurrection. If men are to live for ever, they will, sooner or later, live again in the completeness of their being, namely, of body and soul and spirit. Our Lord would, therefore, say this: “In a few days you will put me to death; but in three days I shall rise again from the dead. And after that, in due time I shall raise them from the dead at the last day, and bring them in triumph with me into heaven.” The Sadducees and the Epicureans denied the resurrection, because they denied the immortality of the soul; for these two doctrines hang together. For if the soul is immortal, then, since it naturally depends upon the body, it is necessary that the body should rise. Otherwise the soul would continue to exist in a dislocated state, and would only obtain a divided life and an imperfect existence. Hence our Lord here distinctly proves the resurrection of the body from the immortality of the soul. When he speaks of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he does not speak of their souls only, but of their whole being. Therefore, though they are for a time dead to us, yet they live to God, and sleep, as it were, because ere long God will raise them from death, as from a sleep, to a blessed and endless life. For all, though they have passed out of our sight, still live to him.Mark 12:26 Commentaries: "But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of Jacob '?

So we read this same thought in:

Jesus says: “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” When the apostles misunderstand, he clarifies, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.”

When they arrive in Bethany, Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days. Before they enter the town, Martha, Lazarus’ sister, comes to meet Jesus and tells him: “if you had been here, my brother would not have died”. Jesus assures Martha that her brother will rise again and states: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

 

[Psalms62]

The important things to remember are saints are human (souls now in heaven), and they are just friends we choose to help us pray. THAT’S IT. They aren’t gods or goddesses. They don’t have any powers except to pray, and because they are very holy, they are good at praying and very close to God. If God works any miracle through them (let’s say you pray to St. Peregrine and your cancer miraculously disappears) then it’s God working the miracle, NOT THE SAINT. The Saint asked and God did the cure.

Thumbs up! Yes - saints are liken to the angels who do God’s bidding. Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!

When we pray to God we ask for his divine will into any circumstances. We know from our relationship with God that he has our best interest. However, when we join our prayers with others (and like with the saints or ,malak ) it becomes powerful - angels are often depicted as benevolent celestial beings who act as intermediaries between God or Heaven and humanity.[1][2] Other roles of angels include protecting and guiding human beings, and carrying out God’s tasks.

So in a sense a saint can be an angel or messenger from God.

 

[Psalms62]

God says we should approach His throne with confidence. (Hebrews 4:16

Amen! There are two prayers which gives our spirit, (not in the flesh - but in the spirit) that confidence “to be able to” approach the throne of God. We are sometimes weakened by our sins that strip us of that confidence to approach God. Our sins turn us away from God instead of toward him. Unfortunately sin weakens the spirit! And, when we are in the state of sin we our ashamed of approaching God. So what make’s us finally turn toward him? What make’s God take notice of us? Like King David said, “What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?” 2nd book of Maccabees From the Jews of Jerusalem and Judea to those in Egypt, warm greetings.

2 May God be good to you and keep the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants. 3 May he fill each of you with the desire to worship him and to do his will eagerly with all your heart and soul. 4 May he enable you to understand his Law and his commands. May he give you peace, 5 answer your prayers, forgive your sins, and never abandon you in times of trouble.

Adding: And therefore at the bottom of our hearts we know that we do not deserve the help we need. And so we feel trapped. I need help to live my life and to handle death and to cope with eternity — help with my family, my spouse, my children, my loneliness, my job, my health, my finances. I need help. But I don’t deserve the help I need. So what can I do? I can try to deny it all and be a superman who doesn’t need any help. Or I can try to drown it all and throw my life into a pool of sensual pleasures. Or I can simply give way to the paralysis of despair. But God declares over this hopeless conclusion: Jesus Christ became a High Priest to shatter that despair with hope and to humble that superman or superwoman and to rescue that drowning wretch. Yes, we all need help. Yes, none of us deserves the help we need. But no to despair and pride and lechery. Look at what God says. Because we have a great High Priest, the throne of God is a throne of grace . And the help we get at that throne is mercy and grace to help in time of need. Grace to help! Not deserved help — gracious help. This is the whole point of the Old and New Testaments. God planned for a High Priest, a Savior, a Redeemer, a gracious Helper.
You are not trapped. Say no to that lie. We need help. We don’t deserve it. But we can have it. Ywww.desiringgod.org/messages/draw-near-to-the-throne-of-grace-with-confidence

We ask for that confidence to help us stand before the throne of God. Those angels, saints and those living and those who have gone before us, help us in many ways. Our Lord Jesus approaches the throne with “strong confidence” to ask God for that forgiveness and to givr us a way back (promise). Again , the story of the prodigal son says, “When he came to his senses,” …God gives us our “senses” or makes us more aware

 

[rstrats]

Justin_Mary,
re: “It’s all in how you understand what you’ve read & that’s based on who taught you.”

With regard to the 5 times the Messiah spoke to or about Mary, no one taught me anything. I simply read the verses and took them literally.

re: “No shade being thrown, just stating facts.”

What “facts” are you pointing out with regard to the 5 times?

re: “Even by today’s standards 30 is an old man.”

Are you speaking of the standards of a 7 year old?

 

[De_Maria]

First question, I’ve heard that Catholics don’t pray to Mary like you would pray to God, but that Catholics pray that Mary intercedes for them. Yet, in the Hail Mary prayer it sounds like you are speaking directly to Mary. How can you talk to directly to Mary or pray to her without committing idolatry?

Well, we’re no longer in the Old Testament. We’re in the New. Therefore, we are speaking directly to Mary. Turn your Bible to Hebrews 12. Read from v. 18-21. We are not there. We are here:

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

You see, they are standing right here, beside you. You either believe that, or you don’t. We do. Therefore, we simply turn and talk to Our Mother, Mary.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

Second, Catholics believe that dead saints hear prayers to them.

Not true. We believe that the Saints hear our prayers. But we believe they are more alive than you or I. And they are standing right beside you, everyone of them.

Matthew 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[a]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

John 10:10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

That means they may receive millions of requests for prayer in one day. Are the saints to spend all their time praying that God helps us? Though the saints are blessed, they are not omnipotent or all-powerful.

Answer this question. Scripture says that all the Saints and Angels are surrounding you. How is that possible?

cont’d