Why do catholics pray to Mary and the saints and not just directly to God our Father?

Question

Why is it that people are still praying to hail Mary and the Saints when God is there to take care of their needs. Loving us more that we can ever comprehend, Blessing us with endless Mercy and Grace.
Isaiah 46: 3-5 I have cared for you from the time you were born. I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is grey. I made you and will care for you; I will give you help and rescue you. “With whom will you compare me?” says the LORD. “Is there anyone else like me?” Isaiah 45:22-24 “Turn to me now and be saved, people all over the world! I am the only God there is. My promise is true, and it will not be changed. I solemnly promise by all that I am: everyone will come and kneel before me and vow to be loyal to me. “They will say that only through me are victory and strength to be found;
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me because I am GENTLE and HUMBLE in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.

No where in the Bible it say’s we have to pray or worship hail Mary or any of the Saints. Exodus 20: 3 says “Worship no god but me. Do not make for yourselves images (no little hail Mary’s) of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth. Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the Lord your God and I tolerate no rivals. So praying to hail Mary is a sin and a form of idolatry, just like many other things we place above God, the St Christopher we wear for protection and the good luck charms we have to keep us safe. If you are wearing it because you like it, it’s isn’t a sin, as God knows your heart and He knows you haven’t got any other intentions with it. We glorify hail Mary when we say that good fortune came to us because she heard our prayers

, she had nothing to do with the “good fortune” God is the one who brings good fortune so the Glory belongs to Him and Him alone.
It is said that she (Hail Mary ) pleads on our behalf to our heavenly Father for our sins which isn’t true, if it were then we didn’t need Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:1 I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf- Jesus Christ, the righteous one. And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone (no need for 10 hail Mary’s with a rosary)
John 14:6 Jesus answered him, “I am the truth and the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me. It was Jesus that died on the cross and sacrificed His life to take the burden of my sin, that’s why He alone deserves to be glorified.

We don’t have to confess our sins to the priest we have to confess them to God the Father because he is the one that can forgive us our sins.

All the answers are in the bible and the bible is the only word of God. Joshua 1:8 be sure that the book of the Law is always read in you worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful
1 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instructions for right living;

Prayer of Praise
To him who is able to keep you from falling, and to brig you faultless and joyful before his glorious presence – to the only God our saviour, through Jesus Chris our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, from all ages past, and now, and for ever and ever! Amen.

Answer 1

I'm not sure, but Jesus said in his model prayer in Matt. chapter 6 to pray this way, "Our Father in the heavens . . ." He didn't say to pray to him or his mother. Good point.

Answer 2

That was exactly what Martin Luther questioned. When the Reformation of the Church occurred, Martin Luther applied his beliefs that there was no need for a "middle man"; that we, as children of God, could go directly to the Father.

One of the earliest papers I've seen actually uses the Lord's prayer as Martin Luthers basis of fact; that God's intention was to have a personal relationship with his creation; and that by Jesus Christ leaving His Holy Spirit as our comforter, companion, and guide to lead us to our relationship with God, there was no need for mediation through priests (which were corrupt theives, stealing from the church, from the parishioners, and from God), Bishops, and Popes.

Martin Luther dealt the symbolic blow that began the Reformation when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church. That document contained an attack on papal abuses and the sale of indulgences by church officials.

But Luther himself saw the Reformation as something far more important than a revolt against ecclesiastical abuses. He believed it was a fight for the gospel. Luther even stated that he would have happily yielded every point of dispute to the Pope, if only the Pope had affirmed the gospel.

And at the heart of the gospel, in Luther's estimation, was the doctrine of justification by faith--the teaching that Christ's own righteousness is imputed to those who believe, and on that ground alone, they are accepted by God.

Answer 3

Catholic pray directly to God much more often than we ask Mary and the other saints to pray for us.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Episcopal Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints. You, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends here on earth to pray for you. Or you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.

With love and prayers in Christ.

Answer 4

As a Catholic (non-practicing) I can tell you that we pray to Mary, Jesus, some of the saints... and to God as well. Oddly enough, there is an awful lot of "proxy" prayer going on... but maybe it would seem true to compare it all to a chain of command. LOL!!!

Answer 5

Well, it's kind of simple. The more people you pray to, the more likely someone is to respond - if you believe there will be a response. It's like buying multiple lottery tickets, the more you buy the better your chances, although you're chances are never good no matter how many tickets...or prayers you have.

Answer 6

Christ said some people make the law of none effect by their traditions. There is a Roman Catholic document that says Catholics are allowed to pray to the dead. They should repeal it.

http://www.mechanicsburgnewchurch.org

Answer 7

It's called interceding. They pray to Mary so that she can pray with you for your need. They pray to the saints for the same reason. If you listen to the prayer it goes like this Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death, amen. You see they are asking her to pray for them not for her to play Jesus.

Answer 8

Are we to doubt Jesus?
He said those who have died are asleep in the grave. Aware?
He did call Lazarus forth from the grave after telling those who tried to console him that Lazarus was dead.
He also told us that no man had gone to heaven.......yet.
Think about it.
Revelation tells us that there will be two Resurrections; one for the little flock, and another for the great crowd.

Answer 9

Isaiah 8:19 they are in the dark

Answer 10

I don't know, I guess this is the way they're taught, because of Mary being Jesus' mother, they put her way up there. The Scriptures don't support doing this kind of thing. We are taught to pray to Jesus period. I don't know of any other Christians who do it any differently.

Answer 11

I was raised Catholic and Catholics do pray to God. They also pray to Mary and Jesus and the saints.