Is it right to pray to the Mother of Jesus?

Question

I say that, because my orthodox friend, has pictures of her everywhere. And is a big beleiver in her.... Tells me that she is sinless, is the mother of all Angels. Do Catholics believe this too? But I don't know where she gets her information from. I sdon't remember reading she was Sinless in the Bible.

Answer 1

Please note the difference between praying TO and praying THROUGH!!!! Mary is not worshipped but is venerated by Catholics and Orthodox sects much in the same way that Muslims revere Mohammed but worship Allah!

The doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and of the Sinlessness of Mary are indeed, manmade - in much the same way that the Bible is manmade. However, we Catholics believe that our doctrines have been inspired and influenced by God acting through the Pope. Others believe that the teachings embodied in the Bible or Koran are directly influenced by God, working through human beings.

Logically, one doctrine or position carries no more argumentative weight than another as all boil down to faith. I guess we'll all have to wait until we make the final journey to find out.
In the meantime, let's all stop kicking the sh*t out of each other's cherished beliefs to score a few lousy points. None of us can prove or disprove the validity of our or anyone else's position.

Viva Il Papa!!! (only joking) God Bless. Happy Christmas.

Answer 2

Yes we do believe that the Virgin Mary was sinless and kept Her virginity all Her life and that it is good to ask for her intercession.
Not only do those in Heaven pray with us they also pray for us, in Revelation, John sees the 24 elders( the leaders of the people of God) fall down before the Lamb each holding a harp and golden bowls of incense which are the prayers of the Saints(Rev:5:8)
And Angels do the same thing, an Angel came and stood at the alter in Heaven with a golden censer and was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the Saints upon the altar before the throne and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the Saints from the hand of the Angel before God(Rev:8:3-4)
Because He is the only God-man and the Mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus is the only mediator between God and man but this in no way means we cannot or should not ask our fellow Christians to pray with us and for us(Tim,2:1-4) the prayer of the righteous man has great power in it`s effects(Jas,5:16)
So as Mary now occupies the highest place in Heaven after Her divine Son how much more will Her prayers and intercessions be.

Answer 3

The catholic church teaches that Mary had a miraculous conception and therefore was born without sin ,until comparatively recent times after the birth of a child a woman had to go to a church to be prayed over to have the stain of the sin of the conception removed from her. This SIN for reasons only known to the church did not apply to the father.To this very day I get angry when I recall my beloved Mother having to undergo this humiliating and degrading practice ,but anyway it is a dogma of the catholic church that Mary conceived without sin and because it is believed that she led a blameless life that one of her many names is Mary without sin.As you rightly say you will not find this in the bible but you will find it in the new testament.

Answer 4

Hi
There have been some important points raised, including the whole idolatry idea-to have no other Gods before God. Mary was a wonderful woman-God would not have chosen her otherwise. She is a role model and a woman to be revered, but she is not a God, and we should not pray to her. Like us, she was not without sin, and only Jesus can intercede between us and God-that is why He came to Earth to die for us and was resurrected to give us eternal life. We can ask God about anything, indeed, we are encouraged to speak to him as we would our earthly fathers, in affectionate terms. I think it is very sad how people see God as some distant and scary thing, when really He is a very loving and caring Father, close to us at all times, and feelign everything we go through with us. God wants to talk to you, and as they other guy said, God, Jesus and the Spirit are one. Talk to God, and experience the power of prayer.
Hope this helps!
M@

Answer 5

One of the Popes in the 19th Century decided that Mary was sinless. And in Catholic faith they blindly follow whatever the Pope says not the Bible. No the Bible says nothing of the sort, it is not OK to pray to Mary or Worship her, Jesus is the only one that mediates between God and mankind, so to do anything else is Idol worship;1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Answer 6

You don't necessarily pray to Mary the same way you would to God or Jesus. It's kind of like praying to a saint: sometimes people feel that going to the source seems 'sacrilegious' or 'too far away' so they use an intercessor for help, especially if they believe the prayer might be too little to ask god's help with.

According to doctrine, she was born pute, without sin, but I am not sure if that is in the bible or a latter interpretation. As for angels, she can send angels to do her bidding, but I am not sure about her being their mother, except in an abstract sort of way (mother of God, and therefore mother to the angels God creates/created).

Answer 7

No. How absurd !

Should the Prime Minister's mother be in the government telling the cabinet what to do ?

Or maybe Einstein's Mom should have been head of Physics at Cambridge University ?

Or perhaps Beckham's Mama should be playing for Real Madrid ?

How utterly foolish.

Answer 8

Whether it is right or wrong depends on the religious line of reasoning from which you come. Catholics believe you can and that saints and Mary act as a go between for you and god, most protestants don't believe in praying to anyone but god (or Jesus, which according to the Trinity is an incarnation of god).

If you want hard, factual answers then your only recourse is to die and ask god directly.

Answer 9

The Bible didn't say that she is sinless or she is Heaven now. God alone can forgive sins and no one who ever lived on earth is sinless except Jesus - The Bible clearly states that fact. Also, the Bible explains the state of the dead that the dead knows nothing until Jesus returns again and they are resurrected.

Answer 10

Steve,

I think if you intent is pure it should be ok to pray to her, but i also think its like everything else - Moderation, I mean why not pray right to the source?

Catholics do pray to the Virgin Mother.

I don't know if she was sinless but i imagine she must have been considering?

I am a Bahai, so we pray by Baha'u'llah. GOD

And we pray to the Concourse on High.
People who have passed on to the next life. for assistance

Meg
http://www.bahai.us/