The Rosary and Hail Marys

[boblet]

Ok I am protestant and ive been looking into becoming catholic. One of my questions that I cant seem to answer is this. I know God can listen to everyone at the same time, that is why He is God, so when we pray to Him He can hear us all. But I know Catholics say prayers to Mary and I am wondering how do you know she is listening since God is the only one that can listen to everyone at once? If people try to talk to mary all at once I dont see how she can hear everyones concerns or prayers. Im not here to prove anyone wrong just want some opinions on this subject.

 

[Hisalone]

Ok I am protestant and ive been looking into becoming catholic. One of my questions that I cant seem to answer is this. I know God can listen to everyone at the same time, that is why He is God, so when we pray to Him He can hear us all. But I know Catholics say prayers to Mary and I am wondering how do you know she is listening since God is the only one that can listen to everyone at once? If people try to talk to mary all at once I dont see how she can hear everyones concerns or prayers. Im not here to prove anyone wrong just want some opinions on this subject.

Why are you considering Catholicism?

 

[JPUSC]

To answer your good question, we need to divide it into two parts:

(1) Can the saints in heaven actually hear and respond to our prayers — that is, what has God revealed about this in Scripture and Sacred Tradition?
(2) How can they manage it, since they are only human, even in heaven?

1) There are a number of Scripture passages which directly or indirectly relate to our first question:

• Hebrews 11:1-12:1 finishes “Seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [in other words, the heroes and martyrs of the faith from ages past], let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” Thus, the heroes and martyrs are a good example for us, and surround us like spectators at a running race — therefore, obviously, they know about us and can see our struggles from heaven.
• James 5:16-18: 'The prayer of the good man has powerful effect." In other words, the most powerful intercessors in the Church are those most advanced in holiness. And who is more advanced in holiness than a soul who is already fully sanctified and in heaven?
• Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4: “In heaven the elders and angels offer up the prayers of the saints [on earth] as incense before the throne of God.” In this passage it is important to note that the New Testament uses the word “saint” of every baptized Christian, not because we are all perfectly holy, but because we have all at least received the gift of the Holy Spirit. So this passage implies that the angels and elders (holy Christian leaders now in heaven) hear the prayers of every Christian on earth, and join their prayer now with ours.

In short, put these passages together, and they certainly imply that the saints in heaven know of our struggles on earth and of our prayers, and join their powerful intercessory prayers with ours.

2) The second part of your question is more difficult, only because it is an attempt to delve into mysteries of heaven which God has not fully revealed to the Church. But that does not mean we can’t get at least close to an answer. Catechism entry 1028 tells us some important things about the souls in heaven:

Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man’s immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory “the beatific vision.”

Indeed, the Scriptures tell us over and over that in heaven we shall “see” God with our mind and heart, and contemplate God with the eyes of the soul (so to speak) in a new and glorious way: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8); “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” (1 Cor 13:12); “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is” (1 Jn 3:2).

Think of it this way: to see God “as He is,” “face to face,” and to “contemplate” God in all his heavenly glory must be an indescribable experience, but it is the wonderful destiny He has in store for all of us who love and trust Him. We cannot fully understand what that means, from this side of heaven. But we know one thing for sure: to see and know and contemplate God in heaven must include to see and know and contemplate all that God loves — for how could you really see and know God “as He is” without seeing everything He loves, and without seeing how He loves everything? For “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). And one of the things God loves best of all is human beings, the creatures He made in his own image, and for whom He gave His life on the Cross. The saints in heaven, therefore, must surely see and know all about us on earth, because they see us reflected in the mind and heart of the God who loves us, whom they behold face to face. The saints in heaven know us because they know all about God’s love for us, and — being filled with His love for us — they love us too.

Read the rest at: thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=2859&PLID=75

 

[JPUSC]

Praying to the Saints

The historic Christian practice of asking our departed brothers and sisters in Christ—the saints—for their intercession has come under attack in the last few hundred years. Though the practice dates to the earliest days of Christianity and is shared by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, the other Eastern Christians, and even some Anglicans—meaning that all-told it is shared by more than three quarters of the Christians on earth—it still comes under heavy attack from many within the Protestant movement that started in the sixteenth century.

Can They Hear Us?

One charge made against it is that the saints in heaven cannot even hear our prayers, making it useless to ask for their intercession. However, this is not true. As Scripture indicates, those in heaven are aware of the prayers of those on earth. This can be seen, for example, in Revelation 5:8, where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God under the form of “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” But if the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us.

Some might try to argue that in this passage the prayers being offered were not addressed to the saints in heaven, but directly to God. Yet this argument would only strengthen the fact that those in heaven can hear our prayers, for then the saints would be aware of our prayers even when they are not directed to them!

In any event, it is clear from Revelation 5:8 that the saints in heaven do actively intercede for us. We are explicitly told by John that the incense they offer to God are the prayers of the saints. Prayers are not physical things and cannot be physically offered to God. Thus the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God mentally. In other words, they are interceding.

One Mediator

Another charge commonly levelled against asking the saints for their intercession is that this violates the sole mediatorship of Christ, which Paul discusses: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).

But asking one person to pray for you in no way violates Christ’s mediatorship, as can be seen from considering the way in which Christ is a mediator. First, Christ is a unique mediator between man and God because he is the only person who is both God and man. He is the only bridge between the two, the only God-man. But that role as mediator is not compromised in the least by the fact that others intercede for us. Furthermore, Christ is a unique mediator between God and man because he is the Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15, 12:24), just as Moses was the mediator (Greek mesitas) of the Old Covenant (Gal. 3:19–20).

The intercession of fellow Christians—which is what the saints in heaven are—also clearly does not interfere with Christ’s unique mediatorship because in the four verses immediately preceding 1 Timothy 2:5, Paul says that Christians should interceed: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and pleasing to God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1–4). Clearly, then, intercessory prayers offered by Christians on behalf of others is something “good and pleasing to God,” not something infringing on Christ’s role as mediator.

Read the rest at: catholic.com/library/Praying_to_the_Saints.asp

God bless you!

 

[johnnykins]

I am wondering how do you know she is listening since God is the only one that can listen to everyone at once?

Many of the answers above are very good.

How do you know God is the only one - can’t He allow others to do so? There is nothing in the Bible that says “Only God can hear everyone’s prayers at once” just as there is nothing that says “God allows saints in heaven to hear everyone’s prayers” The key here, God is all powerful, and there is reasonable scriptural support (admittedly not a lock down certain interpretation) for saints “offering” ?“hearing”] our prayers - see Rev citation above. The saints in heaven are every bit as alive - more so actually- than everyone on earth. We believe they “hear” our prayers, just like our friends hear our prayer when we ask them to pray for us. Do you think our “hearing” on earth is not a miracle allowed by God? Why think in their glorified state in heaven God would not allow them to hear all prayers addressed to them? You won’t get proof of any of this. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

If people try to talk to mary all at once I dont see how she can hear everyones concerns or prayers. Im not here to prove anyone wrong just want some opinions on this subject.

I guess because she is glorified and God by his grace allows it. It’s not just Mary, btw - it’s all saints in heaven.

 

[roselily]

Ok I am protestant and ive been looking into becoming catholic. One of my questions that I cant seem to answer is this. I know God can listen to everyone at the same time, that is why He is God, so when we pray to Him He can hear us all. But I know Catholics say prayers to Mary and I am wondering how do you know she is listening since God is the only one that can listen to everyone at once? If people try to talk to mary all at once I dont see how she can hear everyones concerns or prayers. Im not here to prove anyone wrong just want some opinions on this subject.

Believe me, boblet, she can listening and visiting, I just saw this words :
“Saint Faustina also says that when Mary visits her that Mary is beautiful beyond words.”
in this thread: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=320298

 

[OneTrueCathApos]

Why are you considering Catholicism?

Why not? Sometimes you just feel something is missing… Good luck on your journey.:extrahappy:

 

[ufamtobie]

Ok I am protestant and ive been looking into becoming catholic. One of my questions that I cant seem to answer is this. I know God can listen to everyone at the same time, that is why He is God, so when we pray to Him He can hear us all. But I know Catholics say prayers to Mary and I am wondering how do you know she is listening since God is the only one that can listen to everyone at once? If people try to talk to mary all at once I dont see how she can hear everyones concerns or prayers. Im not here to prove anyone wrong just want some opinions on this subject.

Matthew 17:20 says, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

Mark 9:23 says everything is possible for him who believes.

Boblet, did you read the bible verses above? Tell me who has greater faith than Virgin Mary
who bore Jesus 9 month in her womb, it is She who gave Jesus His Earthly Flesh, it was she who told Him to do his first miracle even when it was not his time to do a miracle? Of all the faithful Christians that ever existed in the world combined does not scratch the surface of Virgin Mary’s faith for God. As it states above Mark 9: 23 says everything is possible for him who believes.) So as with Virgin Mary she has this faith and belief in God that she can hear all her children all at once, and so she does. She hears you, me, the billion china men overseas all at once, ect…
God Bless you on your journey home.

Ufamtobie