Trying to fully understand who Mary is

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I agree with Little Lady. A new Catholic struggling with Mary should NOT read “True Devotion to Mary.” They will get wrong ideas.

The “33 Days to Morning Glory” book might be okay, but I don’t think this OP is really ready for any sort of Marian consecration books yet. Maybe later on.
 
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I don’t do it often, I mainly pray straight to Jesus but have done a few intersessions to St Michael and St Kateri. (My patron saint)
 
Yep, me too. In fact, I was taught that she was so insignificant that had she said “no” then the Angel would have just gone to the next young lady up the road.

It is difficult for many cradle Catholics to understand what a HUGE shift it is in our thinking.
 
Yes that too. It is a HUGE shift to just start thinking and believing something completely different from what we have always known and believed.
 
One thing to remember is that the entire first part of the Hail Mary is biblical. So using the words provided in the Bible to address Mary, we then move on to the second part, which is simply asking for Mary to pray for us to Jesus.
There is no worship of Mary, at least shouldn’t be . We can revere her, but not worship her. Mary was proven biblically to be be the closest to Christ and an influence in his life whom he respected and even listened to. This is why we ask for her prayers to the lord for us.
 
I think that is very important and have found I end up doing the same personally. I think the vast majority of our prayers should be directed to Jesus with only some prayers for intercessions from Saints and Mary.
I think it could become very problematic should people start directing more of their prayers towards saints then they do towards God.
 
ConcernedConvert said:
I think it could become very problematic should people start directing more of their prayers towards saints then they do towards God.
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The thing is, I don’t know any Catholic who does this, partly because it is impossible to pray to a saint for anything other than help in praying to God.
The saint by himself/ herself cannot do anything and has no “powers”. All the power is God’s, all the prayer is directed to God.
 
Hey I agree fully with you that Saints do not have power without God, but I have personally seen even on this forum people will post prayer requests and identify all of these different saints that they have prayed to for help in this matter without identifying prayers to God himself.
 
Then you already have a great reason to meditate on.

She was the gateway God chose to come to our world. Conversely, she is the most perfect gateway to lead us to God. No other creature is as intimate with God as Our Lady is. In other words, she is the best one to guide us towards Him.
 
They see the prayers to God or Jesus as being implicit in their prayer to St. Whoever. Other Catholics generally understand that, but it’s off putting to some non-Catholics who expect to hear specific references to Jesus, Lord, Father God etc.
 
I converted from atheism as a young woman of 19 and came into the Church, I also struggled with Mary initially. I asked her for help during a prayer time I was having at a National Shrine dedicated to her. What came to me was that she was definitely a young woman, almost certainly in her teens and was asked by God to do this momentous thing that would change the world, but she would’ve also been scared and was of course fully human. Imagine what it would mean for her to be pregnant when she was betrothed to Joseph and he could’ve had her shamed and rejected from her community. Her human experiences meant she must’ve been a strong character who was able to withstand and cope with adversity, she was a wife and mother, also a refugee when she had to flee to Egypt. If you reflect on the scripture about the events of Mary’s (Miriam) life, she is not so distant, she becomes like any other woman and relatable and yet she was set apart by God to be the Mother of Jesus.

If you think about it, it is quite misogynistic to downplay Mary’s role as if anyone could’ve been switched out. She was prepared her entire life for her part in salvation history, like other characters in the Bible who are set apart early in life for God and she is the Mother of Jesus which must mean that we would have a devotion to her because he grew in her, she birthed him and breastfed him. Her humanity is part of Jesus.

There is so much to reflect upon when you think and meditate upon her life. To be chosen by God she must’ve been a beautiful soul.

I would just take your time reflecting and ask her to please reveal to you who she is.
 
It’s pretty simple

Mary is the mother of God

Both of the earthly Jesus and the Divine Jesus.
cbirtell said:
I am really not sure how I view her right now… I grew up being taught that she was the virgin who gave birth to Christ, was his earthly mother, and that was it.
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People don’t worship Mary, we venerate her as a great saint
 
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I am going to pick you up there. In the Catholic Liturgy we hear at Mass, St Joseph is her spouse.

And Mary is the mother of God, The earthly and the Divine Jesus
 
The Catholic Church says St Joseph is the spouse of Mary.
The Catholic Church says Jesus was begotten by the Holy Spirit.
 
Are we to deny St Joseph his proper place, forever.
St Joseph is also protector of the Catholic Church.
 
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