Mary's Intersession

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Can Mary’s prayers really CHANGE God’s mind, if God is perfect… then why would He NEED to change His mind
 
This is a question I also find confusing. If God, for example, has decided that it is best for us in some way that we suffer a painful illness, can Mary’s intercession change His mind? If so, why?
 
BListon said:
Can Mary’s prayers really CHANGE God’s mind, if God is perfect… then why would He NEED to change His mind
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Since you are a Catholic, I suppose I can use Holy Scripture to answer your question. Your first question is, “Can Mary’s prayers really change Gods mind?” To answer this, I invite you to read Chapter 2 of St. John’s gospel, where he spoke about the wedding feast at Cana. In this incident it is apparent that our Lord initially did not have any thought of performing his first public miracle. But when Mary sensed that the newlywed would be embarrassed by the shortage of wine, she brought the matter to her Son’s attention. At that point our Lord said to her, “Woman, what is it to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come” (John 2:4). As you continue with the story you learn that, in spite of His hesitation, our Lord performed a miracle by changing water into wine. In other words, he advanced his “hour” to honor Mary’s merciful intercession. Therefore, Mary’s prayers can change God’s plan.

Your second question is, “If God is perfect … then why would He need to change His mind?” A very good question. God indeed is perfect and, strictly speaking, does not need to change His mind. But because He is unchangeable and infinitely wise, so He designed His plan for the world in a way that adjusts according to the needs and decisions of His free creatures. For example, He had a plan for humankind if Adam and Eve did not sin; but He also had a plan if Adam and Eve were to fall. He has a plan if a sinner will pray, or if Mary will intercede. So, you see, God already has a plan for every conceivable “if” that could possibly happen. God Himself does not change, but His plan was fully adaptable to the changing needs and decisions of His free creatures.

I hope this little explanation helps.
 
first off, mary was just some slag who cheated on her partner (notice i say partner because it doesnt matter if they were married because commitment is about LOVE and not about a bit of paper or some religios fenatic saying okay now ur married) why should her prayers to a myth be any different to yours or mine? secondly, id like to give mary a hi5 4 pulling off the MOST RIDICULUS LIE EVER and getting away with it for a couple of thousand of years, if only people would right fiction books about my lies (sigh):gopray2: mother f****rs!
 
You are not changing God’s mind. God already knows what He is going to do. But Jesus does tell us to pray, and God delights in answering his friends’ (saints) requests. The more you pray the more your will conforms with God’s will and you are more likely to accept pain and use it as an opportunity to grow closer to Him. And of course you are on the path to sainthood and becoming friends with God. By choosing to pray, especially through Mary, you grow closer to her Son Jesus Christ. And that is what you can choose, because God is a just God, he does not force people to follow Him if they do not want to. He does not force anyone to go to Heaven (eternity with God) or Hell (eternity without God after seeing Him in all His glory), people choose where they’ll end up through their actions. But at the same time, he does already know what we’re going to do.

This does not impact our free will. We can tell our kids they cannot watch their favorite TV show until their chores are done. Although we cannot force them to do their chores, we do know they will do them because they want to watch their TV program.

And I don’t mean “friend” in the human sense, I mean it in a more loose sense; God is infinitely greater than we are, we can never be equal with God like we are with our human friends.
 
rom422 said:
Since you are a Catholic, I suppose I can use Holy Scripture to answer your question. Your first question is, “Can Mary’s prayers really change Gods mind?” To answer this, I invite you to read Chapter 2 of St. John’s gospel, where he spoke about the wedding feast at Cana. In this incident it is apparent that our Lord initially did not have any thought of performing his first public miracle. But when Mary sensed that the newlywed would be embarrassed by the shortage of wine, she brought the matter to her Son’s attention. At that point our Lord said to her, “Woman, what is it to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come” (John 2:4). As you continue with the story you learn that, in spite of His hesitation, our Lord performed a miracle by changing water into wine. In other words, he advanced his “hour” to honor Mary’s merciful intercession. Therefore, Mary’s prayers can change God’s plan.

Your second question is, “If God is perfect … then why would He need to change His mind?” A very good question. God indeed is perfect and, strictly speaking, does not need to change His mind. But because He is unchangeable and infinitely wise, so He designed His plan for the world in a way that adjusts according to the needs and decisions of His free creatures. For example, He had a plan for humankind if Adam and Eve did not sin; but He also had a plan if Adam and Eve were to fall. He has a plan if a sinner will pray, or if Mary will intercede. So, you see, God already has a plan for every conceivable “if” that could possibly happen. God Himself does not change, but His plan was fully adaptable to the changing needs and decisions of His free creatures.

I hope this little explanation helps.
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I like your explanation. No, God doesn’t change his mind. Prayers are for our benefit, not to influence God. Remember, Mary and all the saints pray within the perfect will of God. Her prayers benefit us…they don’t change God’s mind.
 
I think we are missing one of the most important aspects of prayer: it is not just another request or a favor. Prayer is a way for us to encounter God; it is a way of bringing us closer to Him.

Prayer isn’t a one way street where one just asks for favors. If that is so, then it’s like treating God like a magic genie.

Look at the way our Lord taught us how to pray in the “Our Father.” The first part of the prayer is giving praise and honor to the Father, while the second part is our petition.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is done the same way. It’s not only lifting up our petitions, there’s also thanksgiving and partaking in the Sacrifice.

In prayer, we should also be giving ourselves, not just taking.

Read through this thread: forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=8239247&postcount=1
 
Along the same line (and I hope that the OP won’t mind if I ask a question)…

Since God is Eternal (and all things are in the present with God), if I said a prayer today (and asked for Mother Mary’s Intersession), wouldn’t God have been aware of the fact that I was going to say that prayer (let’s say) a million years before I was even born?

If that’s the case, then isn’t it possible that God already considered my prayers to Mother Mary as a part of his plan?

(sorry - that was two questions)
 
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