People pray to Mary and other saints out of a misunderstnding of what the Bible teaches. There is only one way to pray and there is only one person through whom we are to pray to God the Father. There is only one advocate, Jesus Christ, to whom we are to pray through.
1 Tim 2:5-6
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimonygiven at the proper time.
NASU
John 14:13-14
13 " Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 ******"If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. ******
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John 16:23
Truly, truly, I say to you, **if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. **NASU
John 15:16
6 " You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, **so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.**NASU
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We do not need priests to pray for us because each saved believer is a priest and has direct access to God through Christ. No dead person can pray for us or interceed for us on our behalf. Only the living Christ can interceed for us. We are to pray to God the Father in the name Christ’s name.
All great verses, but you seem to have conveniently ignored a whole lot more in order to make your point. Do any of the following passages convey anything to you? Have a good look - they are pretty clear in refuting your statement that only the living Christ can interceed for us… both those on earth and those in heaven CAN interceed for us.
Matt. 5:44-45 - Jesus tells us to pray for (to mediate on behalf of) those who persecute us. God instructs us to mediate.
Matt. 17:1-3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30-31 – deceased Moses and Elijah appear at the Transfiguration to converse with Jesus in the presence of Peter, James and John (these may be the two “witnesses” John refers to in Rev. 11:3). Nothing in Scripture ever suggests that God abhors or cuts off communication between the living in heaven and the living on earth. To the contrary, God encourages communication within the communion of saints. Moses and Elijah’s appearance on earth also teach us that the saints in heaven have capabilities that far surpass our limitations on earth.
Matt. 26:53 – Jesus says He can call upon the assistance of twelve legions of angels. If Jesus said He could ask for the assistance of angel saints, then so can we, who are called to imitate Jesus in word and in deed. And, in Matt. 22:30, Jesus says we will be “like angels in heaven.” This means human saints (like the angel saints) can be called upon to assist people on earth. God allows and encourages this interaction between his family members.
Matt. 27:52-53 - at Jesus’ passion, many saints were raised and went into the city to appear and presumably interact with the people, just as Jesus did after His resurrection.
Mark 11:24 - Jesus says that whatever we ask in prayer, we will receive it. It is Jesus, and also we through Jesus, who mediate.
John 2:3 - Jesus knew the wine was gone, but invites and responds to Mary’s intercession. God desires our lesser mediation and responds to it because He is a living and loving God.
John 2:5 - Mary intercedes on behalf of those at the wedding feast and tells them to do whatever Jesus tells them. Because Mary is our perfect model of faith, we too intercede on behalf of our brothers and sisters.
Acts 12:7 – an angel strikes Peter on the side and wakes him up, freeing him from prison. The angel responds to Peter’s prayers.
Rom. 15:30 - Paul commands the family of God to pray for him. If we are united together in the one body of Christ, we can help each other.
2 Cor. 1:11 - Paul even suggests that the more prayers and the more people who pray, the merrier! Prayer is even more effective when united with other’s prayers.
2 Cor. 13:7,9 - Paul says the elders pray that the Corinthians may do right and improve. They participate in Christ’s mediation.
Eph. 6:18 - Paul commands the family of God to pray for each other.
Eph. 6:19 - Paul commands that the Ephesians pray for him. If there is only one mediator, why would Paul ask for their prayers?
Phil. 1:19 - Paul acknowledges power of Philippians’ earthly intercession. He will be delivered by their prayers and the Holy Spirit.
Col. 1:3 - Paul says that he and the elders pray for the Colossians. They are subordinate mediators in the body of Christ.
Col. 1:9 - Paul says that he and the elders have not ceased to pray for the Colossians, and that, by interceding, they may gain wisdom.
Col. 4:4 - Paul commands the Colossians to pray for the elders of the Church so that God may open a door for the word. Why doesn’t Paul just leave it up to God? Because subordinate mediation is acceptable and pleasing to God, and brings about change in the world. This is as mysterious as the Incarnation, but it is true.
2 Thess. 1:11 - Paul tells the family of God that he prays for us. We participate in Christ’s mediation because Christ desires this.
2 Thess. 3:1 - Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for Him, Silvanus and Timothy so that they may be delivered.
1 Tim. 2:1-3 - Paul commands us to pray for all. Paul also states that these prayers are acceptable in the sight of God.
2 Tim. 1:3 – Paul says “I remember you constantly in my prayers.”
Believe it or not there are more examples!!! But I trust I have quoted sufficiently to make the point…
I would offer to pray for you, but in terms of your belief I gather that would be futile, would it?
No matter how many verses we throw back and forth, it ultimately comes down to personal choice doesn’t it? And I’m sure that , if a non-catholic felt comfortable praying through Mary and the saints, no one would say anything! It’s amatter of what works for the individual:thumbsup:Because we don’t promote or condone praying through Mary and the saints, does not mean; for me , at least that we disdain, intercessory prayer
I in fact encourage and promote intercessory prayer, when I do street ministry, and community outreaches for Christ(Matthew 9:37-38, Mark 10:45). I do believe in praying for each other as Christians, regardless of affiliation
Romans 14:1-12,Romans 8:1:thumbsup: