Roman Catholics: What about Mary? Is she omni-present?

Question

im a Roman Catholic but im seriously doubting my faith.

Omni-present (everywhere)

So you have millions of prayers a second being offered to her.
Asking Mary to be there at the hour of their death, asking her to guide them, help them, teach them, secure for them eternal redemption and imploring her to come dwell in their hearts as though she were able to fulfill all these requests

We Roman Catholics may deny that Mary is a god, but by asking all these things of her, she would have to be God to do them wouldnt she?
Why have we given Mary the attributes that belong to God alone?

I have practiced Catholicism for 20 years and I can, from experience, tell you that we pray to her, through her, and by her.

This is one of many things I am now doubting about my church teachings.

Answer 1

Mary is not omni present. per the Church

People may have given powers she doesn't have.

As a Catholic also of 20+ years and a teacher in the faith, let me tell you - YOU DON"T HAVE TO PRAY TO MARY!!!!

The Rosary and the Hail Mary are not mandatory. I don't think I have ever prayer the Rosary. The Church does not require it. and if your local parish somehow does - find another parish

Answer 2

No, the saints are not omnipresent. They are in heaven. As such, they exist outside of the limitations of time and space. Therefore the phrase "millions of prayers a second" is meaningless. There are no seconds in heaven, no minutes or days or years. Therefore the saints in heaven simply hear prayers that are offered - period - without the limitations of time and space. We do not give Mary attributes that belong to God alone. She is a human being after all. She is not all-knowing or all-powerful. We do not worship Mary or any saint. All we ask of them is what we ask of one another here on earth - to pray for us - which is completely appropriate since the saints are us. If I pray for my family here and now, as an earthly sinner, is it likely I will STOP praying for them once I am in heaven??

As for the comments below, yes, Christ is the only Mediator. He finished the work of mediation on the cross. Which has absolutely nothing to do with the INTERCESSION - not mediation - of the saints in heaven, or the MINISTRY - not mediation - of the priest in the confessional, exercising the gift Christ gave priests when He told them "whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them".

Answer 3

Let's look at what Jesus said about his mother. We know
He loves her but he wanted us to know not to worship her.

Luke 11:27-28, "...a certain woman of the company lifted
up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that
bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he
said, Yea, RATHER, blessed are they that hear the word
of God, and keep it".

Jesus was letting the people know that those who hear
the word, will not worship the creature, but the creator.

Jesus also says in the next chapter, Luke 12:3, "...that
which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be
proclaimed upon the house tops". Don't go into these
closets/confessionals and ask a priest to forgive your
sins, because we have ONE mediator between God and
man, Christ Jesus; 1 Tim 2:5.

Answer 4

Catholics believe that Mary is in heaven. She is not omnipresent (everywhere).

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.

Asking others to pray for you whether your loved ones on Earth or your loved ones in heaven is always optional.

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 5

you get no answer.

(don´t leave the Church, swallow your pride! You know it is not Mary but God we worship and his omnipresent Mercy. Do you think that we live independent of those in heaven? Don´t we have a common bond with them through God? We didn´t give any atributes to Mary and neither did Elisabeth when she praised her - God gave these atributes to her, because he chose to. Mary became the new ark of the covenant, the dwellingplace of God, just as we become his dwellingplace through each Eucharist. Not because we are worthy of it but because he chooses to, even though we rarely even care to realize it - we leave the mass like nothing happened.)

Answer 6

Read the story of Bathsheba and Solomon.

Solomon honored his mother by granting favors she requested....favors that people asked her to take to her son, the King.

It is the same with Mary. She has no authority outside the authority of her Son, but He honors her- like any good Jewish boy honors and listens to His mother.

I am sorry you are having this crisis of faith and I will pray-to Mary- on your behalf!

Answer 7

Time and "experience" do not necessarily guarantee anything. God's Truth does:

Mary is our Mother and Queen of the New Davidic Kingdom
John 19:26 - Jesus makes Mary the Mother of us all as He dies on the Cross by saying "behold your mother." Jesus did not say "John, behold your mother" because he gave Mary to all of us, his beloved disciples. All the words that Jesus spoke on Cross had a divine purpose. Jesus was not just telling John to take care of his mother.

Rev. 12:17 - this verse proves the meaning of John 19:26. The "woman's" (Mary's) offspring are those who follow Jesus. She is our Mother and we are her offspring in Jesus Christ. The master plan of God's covenant love for us is family. But we cannot be a complete family with the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Christ without the Motherhood of Mary.

John 2:3 - this is a very signifcant verse in Scripture. As our mother, Mary tells all of us to do whatever Jesus tells us. Further, Mary's intercession at the marriage feast in Cana triggers Jesus' ministry and a foreshadowing of the Eucharistic celebration of the Lamb. This celebration unites all believers into one famiy through the marriage of divinity and humanity.

John 2:7 - Jesus allows His mother to intercede for the people on His behalf, and responds to His mother's request by ordering the servants to fill the jars with water.

Psalm 45:9 - the psalmist teaches that the Queen stands at the right hand of God. The role of the Queen is important in God's kingdom. Mary the Queen of heaven is at the right hand of the Son of God.

1 Kings 2:17, 20 - in the Old Testament Davidic kingdom, the King does not refuse his mother. Jesus is the new Davidic King, and He does not refuse the requests of his mother Mary, the Queen.

1 Kings 2:18 - in the Old Testament Davidic kingdom, the Queen intercedes on behalf of the King's followers. She is the Queen Mother (or "Gebirah"). Mary is our eternal Gebirah.

1 Kings 2:19 - in the Old Testament Davidic kingdom the King bows down to his mother and she sits at his right hand. We, as children of the New Covenant, should imitate our King and pay the same homage to Mary our Mother. By honoring Mary, we honor our King, Jesus Christ.

1 Kings 15:13 - the Queen Mother is a powerful position in Israel's royal monarchy. Here the Queen is removed from office. But now, the Davidic kingdom is perfected by Jesus, and our Mother Mary is forever at His right hand.

2 Chron. 22:10 - here Queen Mother Athalia destroys the royal family of Judah after she sees her son, King Ahaziah, dead. The Queen mother plays a significant role in the kingdom.

Neh. 2:6 - the Queen Mother sits beside the King. She is the primary intercessor before the King.

God Desires and Responds to Our Subordinate Mediation / Intercessory Prayer
1 Tim 2:1-2 - because Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), many Protestants deny the Catholic belief that the saints on earth and in heaven can mediate on our behalf. But before Paul's teaching about Jesus as the "one mediator," Paul urges supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. Paul is thus appealing for mediation from others besides Christ, the one mediator. Why?

1 Tim 2:3 - because this subordinate mediation is good and acceptable to God our Savior. Because God is our Father and we are His children, God invites us to participate in Christ's role as mediator.

1 Tim. 2:5 - therefore, although Jesus Christ is the sole mediator between God and man, there are many intercessors (subordinate mediators).

1 Cor. 3:9 - God invites us to participate in Christ's work because we are God's "fellow workers" and one family in the body of Christ. God wants His children to participate. The phrase used to describe "fellow workers" is "sunergoi," which literally means synergists, or cooperators with God in salvific matters. Does God need fellow workers? Of course not, but this shows how much He, as Father, loves His children. God wants us to work with Him.

Mark 16:20 - this is another example of how the Lord "worked with them" ("sunergountos"). God cooperates with us. Out of His eternal love, He invites our participation.

Rom. 8:28 - God "works for good with" (the Greek is "sunergei eis agathon") those who love Him. We work as subordinate mediators.

2 Cor. 6:1 - "working together" (the Greek is "sunergountes") with him, don't accept His grace in vain. God allows us to participate in His work, not because He needs our help, but because He loves us and wants to exalt us in His Son. It is like the father who lets his child join him in carrying the groceries in the house. The father does not need help, but he invites the child to assist to raise up the child in dignity and love.

Heb. 12:1 - the “cloud of witnesses” (nephos marturon) that we are surrounded by is a great amphitheatre of witnesses to the earthly race, and they actively participate and cheer us (the runners) on, in our race to salvation.

1 Peter 2:5 - we are a holy priesthood, instructed to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. We are therefore subordinate priests to the Head Priest, but we are still priests who participate in Christ's work of redemption.

Rev. 1:6, 5:10 - Jesus made us a kingdom of priests for God. Priests intercede through Christ on behalf of God's people.

James 5:16; Proverbs 15:8, 29 - the prayers of the righteous (the saints) have powerful effects. This is why we ask for their prayers. How much more powerful are the saints’ prayers in heaven, in whom righteousness has been perfected.

1 Tim 2:5-6 - therefore, it is because Jesus Christ is the one mediator before God that we can be subordinate mediators. Jesus is the reason. The Catholic position thus gives Jesus the most glory. He does it all but loves us so much He desires our participation.