For catholics???

Question

In the bible it states that we are only supposed to pray to god. Why do you pray to Mary doesn't that mean you are sinning against god because you are praying to a pagon??

Answer 1

Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.

Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.

However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.

Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) living on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) living in heaven. We are still one Body.

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, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

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

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

And prayer to the saints is optional not required.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

First of all the blessed mother St. Mary is not a Pagan but instead the first Christian. The Bible does teach that we are to pray for each other. When we pray to Mary we are asking her to pray for us just as we would ask anyone else to pray for us. As a member of the Church Triumphant and as the mother of God her prayers on our behalf are something we are thankful for just as we would be thankful is another person in our Church or community prayed for us. There is no difference.

She is alive in heaven with her Son and welcomes our prayers so that she may pray for us.

In Christ

Answer 3

Pastor Billy says: you need an English language lesson.
The English language has been changing as it is not a dead language and static. The word pray or prayer originally had several meaning not all meaning Godly worship. To pray in it's simplest form means 'to ask', 'to request' and we can do this with anyone.

If you examine ancient English text and legal documents you'll discover the use of "pray" in the context I'm advising you of right now. "pray tell us"

When Catholics pray to Mary they are not offering any godly worship and hence are not breaking any commandment. Catholics merely are requesting Mary to pray for us to the Lord Jesus. Many times evangelical Protestants quiz me on this and come back with, "well I just go to Jesus, why don't you?" I respond with you are a liar because if I ask you Mr. Evangelical Protestant to pray for me you'll do it, you'll also ask me to pray for you and both of these intercessory prayers are not directly place to Jesus but through each of the believers.

Praying to Mary is intercessory prayer which is by the way supported by the bible not rejected by it.

Finally considering you are unaware of what praying to Mary actually is I must advise that Catholicism does not prohibit anyone from "praying straight to Jesus" and neither does it make praying to Mary an obligation which is dogmatic and binding. If you wish to do so you can but you are never demanded by Catholic instruction to always seek Mary to pray for you with her intercessory prayer.

I tell all non-Catholics, if they want to be consistant with their preaching to Catholics on praying directly to Jesus alone they had better stop praying (asking) to Tammysue down at the bible chapel to pray for them!

Answer 4

That is a misconception. The Catholic Church believes that Mary and the other saints can hear us from heaven. They do not pray to the Saints, just request that the Saints keep us in their prayers to God.

Answer 5

Hail Mary,
The angel Gabriel visited Mary in Nazareth, in Galilee. The angel said to Mary that God loved her. She was

full of grace,
The angel Gabriel told Mary that God, who was in heaven so far away, had come to be close to her. She was to be the mother of Jesus. The angel said,

the Lord is with you.
After the angel left her, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. her cousin knew how good God was to Mary. Elizabeth said,

Blessed are you among women
Mary's cousin Elizabeth knew that Mary was going to be the Mother of Jesus Christ. Elizabeth said,

and blessed is
the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
We pray to Mary because she is so close to God, and because she is so close to her Son, Jesus Christ. And so we say,

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners
Like a good mother, Mary always hears us when we call to her. She hears us now, at this very moment; and when we come to the last moment of our life. And so we pray,

Now and at the hour
of our death.
Amen.

Answer 6

Mary has manifested herself many times in the past, For instance at Lourdes or in Yugoslavia. this has occurred often in the historical record. On of the common elements of her apparitions was that she was a mediator and a messenger. We Catholics pray to her for her intercession with her son. This we do in her self proclaimed role as a mediator.

Answer 7

i wondered the same thing, but i learned that you arent really praying to Mary or any of the other Saints, you are just asking them to pray for you.

Answer 8

we ASK the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints and angels in heaven to PRAY for us here on earth and those in purgatory. We are all one big family that prays for each other. THe Virgin Mary is the Closest to Christ, therefore, she intercedes for us to Christ.

we dont worship the saints, but only ask for their prayers.

Answer 9

Everything about Our Lady points straight back to the Father, Whose faithful daughter she is; to the Son, Whose mother she is; and to the Holy Ghost Who overshadowed her. There is no one in all of History whose relationship with God is as complex, fulfilled, and achingly beautiful as Mary's. She is not only the greatest of Saints, she is our Mother, as Jesus is our Brother and Savior. In honoring her, we honor Him -- and imitate Him, as we are admonished to both honor our parents and imitate Christ, Who loved His Mother. Our relationship with Mary is that of a child to a blessed Mother who was given to us as Jesus gave her to John at the Cross. She is our spiritual Mother (Revelation 12:17 -- And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ), and she wants to pray for us.



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.

Answer 10

A Cath'lic was doubting in Boston,
for he liked Muhammed's religion,
So he yelled, 'Forget this!
Who needs the Eucharist,
And one boring virgin in heaven!'