Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I am not a Roman Catholic, but I would say that the practice of praying to Mary originally was based on a sense among Christians of humility or unworthiness with regard to directly approaching the glorified Christ, or God the Father, with requests in prayer. Therefore, Mary was seen as an intermediary who, as a human, could both identify and sympathize with the condition of individual Christians, and also give the prayer requests of those Christians greater weight by presenting them to her Son on their behalf, and asking Him to act on them. (This practice would also have been promoted by the Catholic beliefs that Mary was conceived without original sin, and that (even though she died) she was subsequently resurrected and assumed bodily into heaven.) 

(To me, the Biblical passage that serves as the basis for this practice is the account of the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), where Mary mentioned to Jesus that the hosts had no more wine. Even though Jesus told Mary that His hour had not yet come (that is, that it was not yet the time for Him to reveal His divine nature by the type of supernatural act that she was apparently wanting Him to perform), He nevertheless (in obedience to her as His mother, and also in response to her confident faith in Him -- which she also displayed when she told the servants, without consulting Jesus further, to do whatever He told them to do with regard to the situation) then turned the water that the servants drew into wine.)

However, the Bible makes clear that Jesus (because He, unlike Mary, is both truly God and truly human) is the sole mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5), and that it is through Him alone that Christians themselves can boldly approach God's throne, and present their requests, without the need to involve any other person or being as an intermediary (Hebrews 4:16).

October 09 2018 • 9 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Derrol PORTER Supporter Emancipated by the Liberating King

Nowhere in the Scriptures do we find where prayer is talked about praying to Mary is ever even hinted at, let alone prescribed.

Catholic teaching on prayer is structured in ways of disciplines. With the use of the Holy Rosary, components of prayer are easier remembered, thus when reciting the Lord's Prayer or the Hail Marys.

When very few people were educated enough to read, assistants and recitations like these were a way of helping people connect with God the Father in the minds of the Catholic leadership. 

Jesus the Son of God and Mary His earthly Mother were both venerated as conduits to having the Father hear prayers. Mary has been called the Mother of God,Queen of Heaven, Mother of the Church, Mediatrix, Co-Redemptrix, and Our Lady, all forms of the Veneration of Mary by the Roman Catholic Church.

When Constantine declared Christianity legal and the persecutions lessened, the Roman Church sought to bring in as many people as possible, thus many Pagan Ideologies crept into the Roman Church, and in pagan beliefs were the idea of Gods as Kings and Queens.

We could go deeper into the history of the development of praying to Mary or any other Saint as it took influence in the Roman Catholic Church, but just read to Marys own words; [Luke 1:38] and [Luke 1:46-55]. Mary knew she was blessed by God to be the human vessel God used to bear His only Begotten SON, but nowhere does she ever state she is as God.

Oh, that we all would reserve Veneration for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit and know as [Romans 8:26] says the Holy Spirit helps us in intercession when we we don't know what to pray.

October 12 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

gord chevy Supporter

Because of tradition and despite the clear prohibition against the practice (i.e -1 Tim. 2:5 and many other scriptural citations).

October 12 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report