For Catholics only...about the Blessed Mother?

Question

How can I explain the importance of the Blessed Mother to non-Catholics? Why is she such an intrinsic part of our faith? Why is it good to pray for her intercession?

Recently, some non-Catholic Christians attended Mass with me for the Feast of the Assumption. They said that they didn't necessarily rule out that Mary assumed into heaven. They just don't see what difference it makes. They just say, "Good for her, I'm still only going to pray to Jesus." So I really want to be able to intelligently explain to them why the Blessed Mother should be prayed to and venerated.

Non-Catholics: Please stay out of this one. Leave your comments about our "distorted view of Mary", our "statue/idol worship", and our "worship of Mary" out. You will not tell me anything I haven't already heard. I respect our differences, but I am not interested in discussing them in this question.

Answer 1

Jesus is our one and only mediator. Intercession is different.

"Teach us how to pray," the disciples said to Jesus. (Luke 11, 1)

Jesus answered by teaching them the prayer we call the Our Father or The Lord's Prayer.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give US this day OUR daily bread.
Forgive US OUR trespasses,
as WE forgive those who trespass against US.
And lead US not into temptation,
but deliver US from evil.

The entire second part of the Lord's prayer is intercessory prayer where we pray for ourselves and others (us, we, and our).

Christians praying for each other and the world is intercessory prayer and is accepted and practiced by all Christan denominations (that I know about).

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.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 946 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

The most effective way to deal with Catholic haters is to counter each of their statements with the truth of what the Church really teaches and believes. I've got a library of hundreds of books, as well as the ones that I've downloaded, and I've studied my Faith for years now. I also have a folder of sites that include a search-able Bible and Catechism, the Catholic Encyclopedia, and other apologetics pages. That makes it possible for me to quote supporting material and verify my information easily when answering an anti-Catholic question. It's almost impossible to change a true Catholic hater's opinion of us, but at least their ignorance and bigotry is out there for the world to see against the backdrop of a calm Catholic rebuttal. And finally, I can be sarcastic enough to peel seven coats of paint right off a barn door. If someone is genuinely confused about what Catholics believe, I'll answer their questions until the cows come home. But if an anti-Catholic bigot starts in with their snotty attitude and tries to tell me what my own Church teaches and does, all bets are off. They'll know they've been cut when their heads fall off.

Answer 3

Well, I was raised Catholic, and am now a Protestant. So, in a way, I feel qualified to add my two cents.
Mary was not the only one "assumed" into heaven. In the Old Testament, there is Enoch, and Elijah the Prophet. Yet we don't pray to them to intercede for us.
My own view is that Mary was a woman most blessed above all other women. Jesus remains my Savior, while Mary holds a different place in my faith. Mary herself makes reference to her "Lord" and her "Savior." A woman most blessed because of God's grace, but still a human in need of a Savior.

Answer 4

The topic of Mary is a very difficult one for non-Catholics to understand. It is intertwined with the whole intercession of the Saints doctrine. We believe that those who have died before us in the State of Grace are alive with God in Heaven. Mary would thus be there.

James 5:16 tells us "The fervent prayer of a righteous man has great power." No one is more righteous than Mary. Great things can come from her intercession. She has no power except for that granted by her son, Jesus. For us it is no different than if we ask a friend for their prayers.

Answer 5

A good way to explain it would be to say that Mary was Jesus' mother and she would obviously have a special place in his heart. Also, a good Biblical basis would be when Jesus gave Mary to John and said "Son, This is your Mother" You could explain how this is significant for all humankind,not just John.


Basically stress that Mary is ONLY important through Jesus. Without him, she would not be prayed to, since she is not a goddess. Praying to her does not take away from Jesus' glory. It can only add to it. If he were jealous and it took away, he would truly be Jesus.



Another God line is, have you ever asked a friend to pray for you or your family?



Lastly, Jesus showed high respect and admiration for his Mother as did the Apostles as they set up the Early Church. Jesus even performed his first recorded miracle at Mary's request, obviously she was special.

Answer 6

Former RC, so maybe that counts:

Reading the beginning of Luke will tell you basically why Mary is venerated. Nearly the entire Hail Mary is in there.

As for *praying* to Mary, you will not likely be able to convince anyone who does not already belong to a sect which allows prayer for the intercession of the saints. One of the founding principles of most Protestant sects is the exclusion of any mediator other than Jesus (based on scripture). In addition, Jesus himself told the apostles (when teaching the Our Father) that they should pray to the Father, and many protestant sects take this to mean *exclusively* the Father. Most of the rest accept praying to Jesus as well, but not to anyone else who has ever been human.

You are trying to get them to do something directly contrary to what their religion teaches.

Here are some quotes from the Catechism which may assist you:

956
The intercession of the saints. "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. . . .[T]hey do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus. . . .So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped."

2683
The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom, (Heb 12:1) especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives, the transmission of their writings, and their prayer today. They contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were "put in charge of many things." (Mat 25:21) Their intercession is their most exalted service to God's plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.

I hope this helps.

Jim, former RC, still a Christian, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 7

I am a Catholic and how I have always explained this to my non-Catholic challengers is that I don't pray TO Mary, as in "worship" her, but rather, I ask HER to pray for ME. Much in the same way other Christian groups have prayer chains -- we Catholics have prayer chains that extend to the heavens. We ask Mary and the Saints to pray for us.

Answer 8

I was raised Catholic, so I understand the belief of praying to Mary. It's basically praying to her to ask Jesus for something, because He would do it for His mother. With that being said, I can't help but say that the Bible says not to pray to anyone but the Father. Jesus himself said this. If we're not supposed to pray to the man you died for us, then why would it be ok to pray to his mother or anyone else?

Answer 9

Here's how I explained it once to a non-Christian who had become very interested in Catholicism:

"Out of all the women who had been born before her time or who have been born since, she was the ONE chosen by God to be the mother of His Son. We think that makes her special."

(He responded, "I think so, too.")

It's hardly the stuff of a doctoral dissertation, but it might be a good way to get the conversation going.

Answer 10

I'm non-catholic. Just wandering why that is aswell. Even if it's explained in a non inteligent sounding way, do you mind maybe e-mailing why it is so important, I just want to get more knowledge.
Thank you very much
God Bless