Simple question about praying to the saints

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When I pray to a Saint, I ask the saint to intecceded to Mary ,that the saint well help me in what I ,am requsting,from that saint,since all Saints go to Mary on our behalf.
 
I’m not sure if we are really praying to Mary when we, for instance, pray the Rosary. I’ve been looking for evidence that we are praying to Mary in the little book by St. Louis Grignion de Montfort called, “The Secret of the Rosary,” but I can’t find, as yet, anything which indicates, one way or the other, that we are praying directly to Mary. It would seem to me that we are praying in honor of the Blessed Virgin, but not to her, if that makes sense. By praying the Rosary, according to St Louis de Montfort, we honor and learn to imitate the Mysteries and virtues of the Life, Passion and Death, and Glory of Jesus and Mary.
I have read the paperback “The Secret of the Rosary”,that St Donmice was given the Rosary by our Lady,and was ask that he tell those that came to worship to say the Rosary,when we pray the Rosary,we ARE praying to OUR Lady,that is why she gave us the Rosary,for the Rosary is mean to be said for Peace in the world,for the soul,s in Purguatoy and our own Intensons ,and by saying the Mysteries, we are gloryfiding the Glory ,Life and Death of Jesus What you should do is get the CD " Praying the Rosary with St Therese of Lisieux"it will help you understand the Mysteries,I have follow it myself and have found it very up lifing.
 
I’m not sure if we are really praying to Mary when we, for instance, pray the Rosary. I’ve been looking for evidence that we are praying to Mary in the little book by St. Louis Grignion de Montfort called, “The Secret of the Rosary,” but I can’t find, as yet, anything which indicates, one way or the other, that we are praying directly to Mary. It would seem to me that we are praying in honor of the Blessed Virgin, but not to her, if that makes sense. By praying the Rosary, according to St Louis de Montfort, we honor and learn to imitate the Mysteries and virtues of the Life, Passion and Death, and Glory of Jesus and Mary.
Hello Denise,
The Hail Mary is a prayer directly addressed to Mary. If it is not addressed to Mary, who is it addressed to?
 
I have read the paperback “The Secret of the Rosary”,that St Donmice was given the Rosary by our Lady,and was ask that he tell those that came to worship to say the Rosary,when we pray the Rosary,we ARE praying to OUR Lady,that is why she gave us the Rosary,for the Rosary is mean to be said for Peace in the world,for the soul,s in Purguatoy and our own Intensons ,and by saying the Mysteries, we are gloryfiding the Glory ,Life and Death of Jesus What you should do is get the CD " Praying the Rosary with St Therese of Lisieux"it will help you understand the Mysteries,I have follow it myself and have found it very up lifing.
You may be right. Could you show where in the book where it says that we are praying to Our Lady? I can’t seem to find it.

In the chapter which explains the origins of the Rosary, it is stated that Our Lady told St. Dominic to preach her Angelic Psalter to win those hardened hearts (Albigensians) for God. Is it the case where preaching her Psalter means directly praying to her? This might be the case. I’ll have to read more about it.
 
… but I do still have a question as why it seems

like Catholics only and always pray to Mary? It appears to me that all the prayers I’ve seen on this forum are addressed to Mary first and foremost. Why not just pray to God himself all the time?

Remember the words of Jesus on the cross…“Behold your mother”…well, here is a short reflection from John Paul II:

ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2bvm49.htm
Mary was an earthly creature who brought a spiritual being into the world. I revere her, but do not pray to her. As a non-Catholic, I only pray to God in Jesus’ name, not Mary’s name.
 
You may be right. Could you show where in the book where it says that we are praying to Our Lady? I can’t seem to find it.

In the chapter which explains the origins of the Rosary, it is stated that Our Lady told St. Dominic to preach her Angelic Psalter to win those hardened hearts (Albigensians) for God. Is it the case where preaching her Psalter means directly praying to her? This might be the case. I’ll have to read more about it.
You can look at page 11 at the bottom section,than page 14from the seventh line on that page,and it does mention about preaching her Angelic Psalter threw out the paper book.Than it is said on page 92, under, Why the Rosary, tells us by different people why we should say the Rosary.At one point Jesus came to Dominic an Blessed Alan and said why aren,t you doing as my mother Mary ask, to tell the people to say the Rosary.
 
Some Catholics will say that “praying to Mary and the saints” really means “asking Mary and the saints to pray for you”.

But looking at the text of novenas, and even the Hail Mary, why are prayers to Mary and the saints worded as if you’re praying to them directly?

Which one is it?
I’m a cradle Catholic and I’ve never prayed to Mary or Saints. I invoke them and ask their intercession.
 
That question sounds so weird, why do I pray to Mary or a Saint?

OK let’s replace that word that is a stumbling stone for so many protestants and Catholics alike.

“Mary I come to thee to ASK you to help me please with this issue I am having”

What do we expect Mary to DO?
She has no intrinsic power. She is a creature just like me.
What do we expect from her?

So I “prayed” to her directly didn’t I?

Is that wrong? I could ask my friend Bob.

“Bob I am having this problem will you pray for me?”
Bob is this side of Heaven, so he could ask directly God to help me OR he can ask the same to his favorite Saint or perhaps even to Mary.

In all instances what are they doing, Bob, the Saints, the Angels or Mary?
They INTERCEDE for us or IN OUR BEHALF.

And we Catholics understand or SHOULD that in any event, that IF we get granted our request for help, ALWAYS it came from GOD! For HIS is the Power and the Glory.

PRAY =========== ASK :rolleyes: Even when I ask something of GOD directly.

NO Prayer is EVER = Adoration.

Adoration ========= MASS where we offer Sacrifice to GOD
Or when we gratefully acknowledge GOD for all HE has done in our lifes and love HIM.
Something my priest always asks me. “Did you thank God?”

We can also thanks Mary, the Saints and the Angels in Heaven if we so deemed the same we would thank Bob for praying for us.
That again is NO adoration but common courtesy.
 
That question sounds so weird, why do I pray to Mary or a Saint?

OK let’s replace that word that is a stumbling stone for so many protestants and Catholics alike.

“Mary I come to thee to ASK you to help me please with this issue I am having”

What do we expect Mary to DO?
She has no intrinsic power. She is a creature just like me.
What do we expect from her?

So I “prayed” to her directly didn’t I?

Is that wrong? I could ask my friend Bob.

“Bob I am having this problem will you pray for me?”
Bob is this side of Heaven, so he could ask directly God to help me OR he can ask the same to his favorite Saint or perhaps even to Mary.

In all instances what are they doing, Bob, the Saints, the Angels or Mary?
They INTERCEDE for us or IN OUR BEHALF.

And we Catholics understand or SHOULD that in any event, that IF we get granted our request for help, ALWAYS it came from GOD! For HIS is the Power and the Glory.

PRAY =========== ASK :rolleyes: Even when I ask something of GOD directly.

NO Prayer is EVER = Adoration.

Adoration ========= MASS where we offer Sacrifice to GOD
Or when we gratefully acknowledge GOD for all HE has done in our lifes and love HIM.
Something my priest always asks me. “Did you thank God?”

We can also thanks Mary, the Saints and the Angels in Heaven if we so deemed the same we would thank Bob for praying for us.
That again is NO adoration but common courtesy.
This is a really great explanation. I would add only one thing and that is that to grasp the concept that praying to Mary is much like asking a friend on earth to pray for us, one must have knowledge and belief in the concept of the Communion of Saints. Many non-Catholics don’t have a firm grasp and belief in this. As Catholics we believe that our bond as brothers and sisters does not end in death. The bond continues into eternity. I would add, that perhaps the thread originator consider this idea:

If your mother is dead, might you pray to God that she be welcomed into heaven as opposed to being cast into hell? If so, then flip the idea. If your deceased mother is in heaven and she is aware that you were having problems, would your mother still love you and if so, do you think that she, who is now with God, might pray to God for you, her beloved child? And, if your mother had actually made the grade and was in heaven with God, wouldn’t her prayers for you have merit since she would be a saint and thus she passed the test God gave in a matter of speaking?

As Catholics, we believe in what is called The Communion of Saints" which consists of those in heaven who have gone before us and those of us on earth who are still on our journey home. All that separates us is the veil of death and love crosses that veil. Therefore, Mary–who is on the other side of this veil in heaven absolutely for sure—and who is held in great esteem by Jesus as His mama, has substantial ability to intercede for us to her Son. We know he would do things for her that He might not do otherwise–witness the wedding feast at Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle which apparently He hadn’t quite planned to perform yet because His mother asked him to. Mary is our spiritual mother and loves us as do our own earthly mothers. So we pray to her (ie ask her) to intercede for us with Jesus, her Son and our Lord. Does that make any kind of sense?
 
When we pray to Mary,we ask her interccsion ,to pray for us to her son Jesus,Jesus Loves when we pray to his Mother,for his Mother not only gave birth to Jesus,but was their loving her son tell the end,We can pray to Jesus and he here,s are prays too,but,Mary Increases are Love for her son Jesus. As Queen of Heaven and Earth,she is are Spiritully Mother,praying and saying the Rosary to Mary,Pleases Jesus,that what I,am trying to say.
 
There are some good answers in this thread…something to consider. The word ‘pray’ means to ask. When we pray to saints or Mary, we are (or should be) asking them to pray (or ask) them to pray to (or ask) God on our behalf (you can ask God, too). I always ask for help knowing God’s will for my life…As long as we’re not asking saints including Mary (my favorite saint) to do anything other than pray for us, we are good! Asking for them to do anything more would be deification and that would be bad 😉

Now, whether all Catholics stay true to this idea or not is another question…
 
There are some good answers in this thread…something to consider. The word ‘pray’ means to ask. When we pray to saints or Mary, we are (or should be) asking them to pray (or ask) them to pray to (or ask) God on our behalf (you can ask God, too). I always ask for help knowing God’s will for my life…As long as we’re not asking saints including Mary (my favorite saint) to do anything other than pray for us, we are good! Asking for them to do anything more would be deification and that would be bad 😉

Now, whether all Catholics stay true to this idea or not is another question…
Agree. Sometimes when I am alone and am praying, I would like others to pray with, or for me. The Catholic church includes all deceased members who are the Church Triumphant, the rest of us are in the Church Militant. The members of the Church Triumphant are Home - available day and night to add their voices to prayers (so I get to pray in a group). As for the Blessed Virgin, I ask for her prayers more often because her interventions have lead me closer to Jesus, her beloved son, the Word made flesh. My focus is on God, the father, Son and Holy Spirit.
 
Agree. Sometimes when I am alone and am praying, I would like others to pray with, or for me. The Catholic church includes all deceased members who are the Church Triumphant, the rest of us are in the Church Militant. The members of the Church Triumphant are Home - available day and night to add their voices to prayers (so I get to pray in a group). As for the Blessed Virgin, I ask for her prayers more often because her interventions have lead me closer to Jesus, her beloved son, the Word made flesh. My focus is on God, the father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Yes we Catholices pray to Our Lady,because as, Queen of Heaven and Earth, she does Intercededs to her son Jesus,for us ,she well always be their to console us.It is not taking away our focus on God,Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Like I said before, God ,Jesus loves when we ask Mary to pray on are behalf to Jesus her son,for threw Jesus,he than takes are pray to his Father,and then God decides when he wish to answer our pray.
 
Some Catholics will say that “praying to Mary and the saints” really means “asking Mary and the saints to pray for you”.

But looking at the text of novenas, and even the Hail Mary, why are prayers to Mary and the saints worded as if you’re praying to them directly?

Which one is it?
Mary said at the wedding at Cana " Do as He tells you" not do as I tell you, she never takes the Glory away from Her Son, Her Son want’s to share that Glory with His Mother & His Saints…we asked those people to help us whilst they were on earth, we ask them to help us now in their glory…
 
Mary said at the wedding at Cana " Do as He tells you" not do as I tell you, she never takes the Glory away from Her Son, Her Son want’s to share that Glory with His Mother & His Saints…we asked those people to help us whilst they were on earth, we ask them to help us now in their glory…
Yes ,we do ask Mary to Interceded to her son for us sinners,but when we pray to a Saint ,we pray ,asking the saint for Mary to take are pray to her son Jesus to help us in our need.
 
Some Catholics will say that “praying to Mary and the saints” really means “asking Mary and the saints to pray for you”.

But looking at the text of novenas, and even the Hail Mary, why are prayers to Mary and the saints worded as if you’re praying to them directly?

Which one is it?
I’ve only heard the proper way is “pray for us”. At an Ordination I attended the litany of Saints (if this term is correct) was read with a response of “Pray for us” after each Saint was named.

I think one can’t ask Mary to help me with my day but to intercede (pray) on my behalf. I’m not asking her to do anything, she can’t. But she hears us and helps us to listen to the Holy Spirit.
 
… but I do still have a question as why it seems like Catholics only and always pray to Mary? It appears to me that all the prayers I’ve seen on this forum are addressed to Mary first and foremost. Why not just pray to God himself all the time?

Mary was an earthly creature who brought a spiritual being into the world. I revere her, but do not pray to her. As a non-Catholic, I only pray to God in Jesus’ name, not Mary’s name. I believe that God hears my prayers and that my voice is just as important to Him as that of a spiritual saint. I know that He hears me because He answers me. I have had so many miracles in my life that there is no doubt that God hears my prayers.

I guess I am still confused. :confused:
I can’t speak for others and explain why they turn toward Mary but I will speak for myself as a woman. I love God above all, and one of the many reasons I love God is the wonderful gift he gave me when he gave me Mary’s love. A love of another woman who was first to look into to the eyes of her baby just as I have done. A love of a woman who worried when her boy was missing in Jerusalem. The love of a woman who suffered when her child suffered.

I turn to Mary like I turn toward the other women in my life whom I love. I ask for their prayers. Why not accept this wonderful gift from God for what she is? She is a beautiful creation of God? A good and trusted friend.

As for the other saints. Well my belief if rather simplistic. I see them as one great big family and enjoy being in their company. God loves His creations and I am sure He wants us to love them as well.

When I meditate on Mary’s love for Her Son. I try to see Him through her eyes. What did she feel? What was her love? Is there anyway that I can love Him with the same ardent emotion? Do I suffer for His death on the cross the way she suffered? Do I turn to him for help as she did at the marriage of Cana? What can I learn from the woman?
 
This is mainly for KMCARL56. I am touched to see that a protestant can understand Catholics. Why do we pray to Mary? Only one woman is the Mother of God. Hence she can get her Son to do anything she wants. At Canna she told Jesus that they had no wine. He said: “What is it to me. My hour has not yet come”. She did not argue with Him but told the servants to do whatever He asked. He then turned water into wine.
 
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