Don't say "Oh we don't pray to her, we pray through her" because "Hail Mary" is praying to her. But why do you Catholics pray to Mary when Mary wasn't even Catholic?
2006-09-05 07:21:12 · 25 answers · asked by SweetSicilian 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The Blessed Virgin Mary was the first Christian. The first person to believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God.
Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist 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.
Prayer to saints is communication, not worship.
The Hail Mary prayer simply recites Bible passages (the Word of God) and asks Mary to pray for us:
Hail Mary Full of grace, the Lord is with you. (These are the words the angel Gabriel said to Mary, a Bible quote.)
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. (This is Mary's cousin Elizabeth's greeting, another bible quote.)
Holy Mary, (The angel Gabriel said she was full of grace and Elizabeth said she was blessed.)
Mother of God, (the Bible says Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, God the Son)
Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. (A simple request to pray for us.)
Amen.
With love in Christ.
2006-09-05 17:20:38 · answer #1 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
If catholics say, "Hail Mary," they are not praying to her but are honoring her with a salute. It is much like when someone bends the knee to a queen. Catholics ask Mary to pray for them because they believe all saints are living and watching over them. We ask preachers to pray for us all the time. Does that mean we worship them? How much greater was Mary, the mother of the Son of God, than a mortal preacher? If we truly believe Mary is alive with Jesus why can't we ask her to pray for us? The bible says she will be called Blessed and she is by the catholics. We protestants do not honor Mary or the saints enough. We pay more honor to movie stars and ball players. Why not paste posters of the dear saints and martyrs on our walls and take down the movie stars and ball players? Catholics do not worship Mary, but they might give her a little more honor than they should. They could give up some of their honor to her and we could add a little. She was chosen by God out of all women to bear his Son. If we can give George Washington a stamp and a special day, why not her? However, worship only God and his image, which is the Son.
2006-09-05 07:55:10 · answer #2 · answered by protestantwoman 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, let's see. The first part of that prayer comes from the first chapter of Luke:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
"Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28)
"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." (Luke 1:42)
So we're just paraphrasing scripture here. (Boy, that happens a lot, doesn't it.) Moving on:
Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
How is this any different from asking a friend to pray for you? Catholics don't believe that death is any sort of end. Praying to/through/with those who have gone before us is an expression of our belief that God's love and mercy and salvation knows no limits, including time and death.
Catholics revere Mary and the mother of Jesus and as a model of living one's life in obedience to God. Nothing less, nothing more.
(As for Mary not being Catholic, hey, news flash - Jesus wasn't Catholic either. He was... wait for it... a Jew! And we still pray to him.)
2006-09-05 17:41:34 · answer #3 · answered by Church Music Girl 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Catholics do not pray "to" Mary and the Saints. Catholics offer them prayers of "petition". This does not constitute a violation of the First Commandment.
The first part of the Hail Mary is not very different than that which appears in the Gospel. 'Hail Mary, Full of Grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Please, please, please note the devotion to Jesus is the above portion of the Hail Mary.
Second, proving what I said above about "petitioning" Mary and the saints, the latter half of the Hail Mary is, well what do you know - a petition:
"Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for our sinners, now and at the hour of our death."
Even in the petition portion, the prayer indicates Mary's importance as the Mother of God - but does not elevate her to the equivalent of God. Catholics petition Mary to pray - to God - for the sinners so that they may someday be saved in spite of their sin.
Long story short, when you hear someone praying the Hail Mary, please consider the fact that this prayer originates from the Gospel and that it is a prayer of petition, not a prayer of worship.
2006-09-06 01:56:30 · answer #4 · answered by Daver 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think a better question is why you are upset about it. Chaire, Kecharitomene or Hail Full of Grace, is simply what the Angel said to Mary. It is a literal quotation of scripture. Mary's name was inserted to make it clear since it is said outside its context.
Kecharitomene is a fascinating word. It is the perfect past participle of charitoo. It means not only was Mary grace filled (without baptism and hence grace filled without original sin) but as the past perfect participle had always been grace filled. She was like Eve before the fall according to Luke. Futher, this announcement occurs BEFORE she is carrying Jesus.
There is a poem from the early Church, to be sung while standing. It doesn't have a name in the proper sense, but a rough translation could be "A Poem to be Sung While Standing about Mary." In it, the Angel Gabriel is sent with a message from God the Father to a maiden Mary. It is told from Gabriel's point of view. He arrives and is shocked to find God already present (full of grace) and then see Him form in the womb.
To say Hail O Full of Grace is simply to quote scripture. Scripture says Mary is blessed and so is the fruit of her womb. I cannot imagine Protestants are having any problems with either scriptural verse.
Scripture clearly states she is the mother of Jesus and Jesus was the Word and the Word is God. Calling her the Mother of God was an affirmation of Jesus' humanity and divinity.
Revelations clearly states that the prayers of the saints are taken up to God the Father. So what is objectionable about the last line, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death?
Should we not wish to be prayed for? Is it that you are so holy you do not need to be prayed for? It is something even Luther and Calvin did and would recommend you do. All Christians prayed this prayer from the earliest Church until the Reformation suddenly had a fit over it in the 17th century.
That is a long time to wait to have an objection about it don't you think?
Underlying this, I think, is a fear that we fail to honor God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, but bracketing this prayer is always "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, Now and Ever and Forever! Amen!"
I think we are arguing over the use of words and not of actual practice. Catholicism is a family religion. We celebrate three births or nativities. The Nativity of Jesus, the Nativity of Mary and the Nativity of John the Forerunnner and Baptist. We celebrate Joseph and honor him, we remember James. Early Christianity was not an abstracted religion like Protestantism, it was a religion where everyone knew everyone. Mary was a real person that people knew. There are still locations in Greece, Asia Minor and the Middle East that can tell you when Mary passed through their town and why on her way from place to place. It is rather like finding a sign that says "Lincoln slept here."
Imagine, for a moment, the impact of this woman on the early faith. She who was Kecharitomene and hailed by angels. She, whose womb was the dwelling of God, was like the Ark of the Covenant or of Heaven on Earth. We are not talking about an abstract woman anymore, we are talking about the woman who ushered in the end times and who was still in the community. Look at the image in Revalations and ask yourself what image was in every early Christian's mind regarding the woman who brought forth the son.
I think the better question is why you are worried about what your Christian brethern do when you are refusing to unite with them in communion anyway.
2006-09-06 00:54:09 · answer #5 · answered by OPM 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mary is the mother of Jesus. The whole prayer that is used goes...
Hail Mary, full of grace grace, the lord is with thee, blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus, Holy Mary, mother of God, Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen. It began because when the angel Gabriel told Mary of God's plan, he said, "Hail Mary, the Lord is with thee," and more was added over time.
Catholics (I am not sure if other Christian religion do also) ask many of the saints to pray for us. Like asking them to plead our case with God. "Character Witnesses" if you will. What better person to have amongst the list of references than the mother of God own son?
By praying to her, they are not Worshiping, but recognizing God's divine favor of her, and asking for her assistance in receiving Gods' forgiveness. She's is sort of a spiritual mother to all.
2006-09-05 07:42:15 · answer #6 · answered by girlnoladrea 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because the virgin Mary gave birth to the son of God. What other reason is there?
Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
2006-09-05 07:27:01 · answer #7 · answered by Hockey, Guns & Beer 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I understand your point, but you're showing your ignorance here. Catholicism wasnt official established for centuries later, so Mary or Joseph or Jesus and allllllllll those people in the Bible aren't Catholic either - DUH!
Do you think that as soon as the US Constitution was written there was automatically Democrats and Republicans?? NO, they developed over time and associations.
2006-09-05 07:25:53 · answer #8 · answered by okiedokey 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Because Mary was Jesus Holy Mother
2006-09-05 07:24:00 · answer #9 · answered by Glittering angel 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Symbolism..Catholics are full of symbolism's..from crosses to rosaries to statues of saints and other deities. That is the answer my child, now go in peace. Remember there are no stupid questions, just stupid people.
2006-09-05 07:27:03 · answer #10 · answered by bigsexy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋