Why should we pray to Virgin Mary? The reasons are many.
Why do Catholics pray to Mother Mary? Is Rosary really powerful?
The intercession of Mother Mary is very powerful as Jesus cannot neglect His mothers commands.This can be proved by the first miracle Jesus did at the wedding at Cana. – (John 2:1-11). Mother Mary told Jesus “They have no more wine.” And what was the final result? He turned water into wine.
In “The Poem of the Man-God” by Maria Valtorta, she says that Jesus told her about this incident as “I did it for Mary”. This proves that the intercession of Mother Mary is very very strong.
Mother Mary was blessed with Holy Spirit abundantly. We can see this as we read “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 1:39-41) ; just by Virgin Mary’s greeting.
Listen to the talk from Apologetics on Mary, Purgatory and The Bible
What the angels thought on this matter:-
When angel appeared before Zechariah,father of John, angel just greets him by his name ,nothing more although he was “upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.” – (Luke 1:6)
When angel appeared before Joseph, the greeting was like this: “an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” – (Matthew 1:20). Angel greeted him ‘son of david’, thats all.
Now let us see how did the angel greet Virgin Mary. It goes like this: “The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28). See the difference….
Also read the article Mary, The Mystical Rose
Fellow Christians,(and others)
We could counteract or argue to doomsday so to speak on religious matters but on the matter of this debate relating to Mary,the Mother of God,I personally have to come to a conclusion.
As I conclude I request that those interested in the debate procure and read a book by a Protestant scholar- John McQuarrie.Its title- ‘Mary For All Christians’.Perhaps the internet source -Amazon- could provide.
Finally be aware of rational egoism and the act of limiting divine knowledge to the written word alone.Any danger however from the latter to the open minded person will be nullified by the grace of the Divine Spirit for that is Our Lord’s guarantee to the magisterium of the only Church which he founded.
With no disrespect to anyone.
May God bless you all!
Praise the Lord…
Christ is the only God & there is no other gods before Him. The very first commandment says that “thou shalt have no other gods before Me”. Mary was just a part of the play. There is no reference in the Bible about the miracles performed by Mary. Mary was of course a blessed lady like many of other people mentioned in the bible. But it does not mean that we should give equal place to Mary with that of Jesus who is the only God & a Savior of all man kind…
Lord Jesus come soon…
Amen…
to Alwyn
Mary is the one who brought THE Jesus into the world,no-one is saying she is equal to Jesus or God. We honour her for being obedient to God in order for the Saviour to be born for us. She is more blessed than ANY woman who walked this earth and no other woman will equal her. God made her blessed so she could carry the saviour. Read Revelations 12 and show me which other woman or person was clothed with sun with the moon under their feet, AVE MARIA!!
God bless you Georgy. There is so much truth on your website……
From Goa.
As divine revelation consists of both, the written word of God (The Bible) and the unwritten word of God (Sacred Tradition), hence matters where the Bible is silent or ambiguous can usually be determined by what has been taught to us via Sacred Tradition via the Church Fathers.
The Bible is silent on Mary’s death, but Sacred Tradition says that she was taken up by God into Heaven. The Church maintains, however that a biblical allusion of the Assumption does exist in Revelation 12:1 – ” A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under ther feet, and on her head a crown of twleve stars”.
The Church professes that when Mary’s time on earth came to an end, Mary died and her body was placed in a tomb, howver her body did’nt decay on earth. Instead, her son, Jesus Christ, assumed her into heaven, body and soul.
To make matters a little more clear here – only God can rise from the dead on his own divine power and only God can ascend into heaven of his own divine power. Hence Jesus, himself being God, rose from the dead. However Lazarus, was raised by Jesus. Likewise, Jesus ascended into heaven, but he also assumed his mother into heaven.
Further, with referece to the Immaculate Conception, this preserved Mary from original sin so Mary would have been free from the consequences of sin as well – namely physical death and the separation of Body and soul. The Eastern churches prefer to use the term falling asleep rather than death before the assumption. However because she voluntarily joined with her son’s suffering on the cross, Pope John Paul II, said that kogical conslusion is the she willingly followed through her own death as well.
The most fundamental reason that Jesus assumed his mother into haven was to give people on eath encouragement. Scared Tradition teached us that the Assumption was meant to give humas hope and consolation that what jesus did for his mother in reward for her being a faithful disciple throughout her life, beginning with the response form the Archangel Gabriel. He will also do this for humanity till the end of time. At his second coming, Jesus will raise the dead and take the righteous to heaven and the reprobate will go to hell.
Hence to conclude, Mary’s assumption was like a preview of what is to come. She was the first human to be assumed into heaven and who better to be the first than the Mother of Christ herself.
THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE
WHAT DOES HISTORY TELL US? We know that Mary was actually called Miriam, after the sister of Moses. Most likely she was born in Nazareth, a tiny Galilean town of about 1,600 people, during the reign of Herod the Great, a violent puppet-king propped up by Roman military might. Nazareth was of little consequence for most Jews: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?†(John 1:46). It is never mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, nor in the Talmud, a rabbinic commentary.
Mary spoke Aramaic, with a Galilean accent (see Matt 26:73), but she also had contact with a multilingual world. She heard Latin as it slipped from the tongues of Roman soldiers, Greek as it was used in commerce and educated circles and Hebrew as the Torah was proclaimed in the synagogue.
She belonged to the peasant class, which eked out its living through agriculture and small commercial ventures like carpentry, the profession of both Joseph and Jesus. This group of peasants made up 90 percent of the population and bore the burden of supporting the state and the small privileged class.
Their life was grinding, with a triple-tax burden: to Rome, to King Herod the Great and to the Temple (to which, traditionally, they owed 10 percent of the harvest). Artisans, who made up about 5 percent of the population, had even less income than those who worked the land full-time. Consequently, in order to have a steady supply of food, they usually combined their craft with farming.
The picture of the Holy Family as a tiny group of three living in a tranquil, monastic-like carpenter’s shop is highly improbable. Like most people at that time, Joseph, Mary and Jesus probably lived in an extended family unit, where three or four houses of one or two rooms each were built around an open courtyard, in which relatives shared an oven, a cistern and a millstone for grinding grain, and where domestic animals also lived. Like women in many parts of the world today, Mary most likely spent about 10 hours a day on domestic chores like carrying water from a nearby well or stream, gathering wood for the fire, cooking meals and washing utensils and clothes.
Who were the members of this extended household? Mark’s Gospel speaks of Jesus, “the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?†(Mark 6:3). Were these “brothers and sisters†children of Jesus’ aunt (see John 19:25) and therefore cousins? Were they Joseph’s children by a previous marriage? We do not know their precise relationship to Jesus and Mary, but it is probable that they all lived in close proximity, within the same compound.
In Palestine at that time, women ordinarily married at about age 13, in order to maximize childbearing and to guarantee their virginity, so it is likely that Mary’s espousal to Joseph (Matt 1:18) and the birth of Jesus occurred when she was very young. Luke indicates that Mary gave birth to Jesus during a census required by the Romans around 6 B.C. (our calendars are off by a few years!) in a cave or stall where animals were stabled.
A feeding trough served as his crib. This is easy enough to visualize, since today poor refugees use cardboard boxes and other homemade artifacts as makeshift beds for newborn infants. It would be a mistake to think of Mary as fragile, even at 13. As a peasant woman capable of walking the hill country of Judea while pregnant, of giving birth in a stable, of making a four- or five-day journey on foot to Jerusalem once a year or so, of sleeping in the open country like other pilgrims and of engaging in daily hard labor at home, she probably had a robust physique in youth and even in her later years.
We also err when we picture her as Fra Lippo Lippi (a 15th-century Italian master) did, as a gorgeously dressed, blue-eyed, blond-haired Madonna, a European beauty who often adorns Christmas cards. Whether she was beautiful or not, she would have had features like those of Jewish and Palestinian women today, almost certainly with dark hair and dark eyes.
It is doubtful that she knew how to read or write, since literacy was extremely rare among women of the time. Most people acquired information and culture by listening and speaking. People didn’t read books and magazines; they listened to public reading of the Scriptures, shared in storytelling, recited poems and sang together.
THE EARLIEST CHRISTIAN
MARY’S WAS JEWISH CULTURE. One might legitimately ask: Did she keep a kosher kitchen, that is, one which was ritually pure? Was there a mezuzah on the doorpost of her family’s modest home in Nazareth? That small reminder of the Passover, containing the Ten Commandments, was used then and remains on the main-entrance doorframes of many Jewish households today.
Her husband, Joseph, seems to have died before Jesus’ public ministry began. We know that Mary herself, however, lived through the time of that ministry (Mark 3:31, John 2:1-12). Her separation from Jesus as he went out to preach was undoubtedly painful for her. In a passage that has always embarrassed those academics who study Mary (Mariologists), Mark tells us that Jesus’ family thought him mad (Mark 3:21). But what mother, upon seeing her son challenge Roman authority rather dauntlessly (this often meant death), might not have said to him, “Are you crazy?â€
John tells us that Mary was present at Jesus’ crucifixion (John 19:25-27), though the other evangelists are silent about this. At that time she was probably close to 50 years old, well beyond the age at which most women in that era died. She lived on at least into the early days of the Church.
Luke states that she was in the Upper Room in Jerusalem with the 11 remaining apostles who “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary… and his brothers†(Acts 1:14). The lovely paintings and icons of Pentecost that picture the Spirit descending on Mary and the 11 apostles hardly do justice to Luke’s text in Acts 1:15, which indicates that she was there with a community of 120 persons.
After Pentecost, Mary disappears from history. The rest of her life is shrouded in legend. As Elizabeth Johnson points out, an active imagination easily wonders: What memories, hopes and strategies did she share with the men and women of the new, Spirit-filled Jerusalem community? Did she live on peacefully in Jerusalem as an old woman, revered as the mother of the Messiah? Was she quiet or outspoken? Did others come to her for advice? Did she express her views about the inclusion of the gentiles? We do not know.
She may well have died as a member of the Jerusalem community, though a later tradition portrays her as moving to Ephesus in the company of the apostle John. There is a shrine there, in modern-day Turkey, honoring that tradition.
PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH
WHY FOCUS on the historical Mary? I would suggest there are three good reasons:
1. Her history brings her nearer to us. While there is an alluring quality to the gorgeous Madonnas depicted by medieval artists, Mary didn’t look like that. This first-century Jewish woman, living in a peasant village, was much more like billions of people today than like the women in those beautiful paintings.
Though her culture was quite different from that of our 21st-century post-industrial society, it was not unlike that of women in thousands of villages as they exist today in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Her daily life and labor were hard. With Joseph, she raised Jesus in oppressive circumstances, struggling to pay the taxes by which the rich became richer at the expense of the poor. As with the vast majority of people in world history—the poor— most of Mary’s difficult life went unrecorded.
2. She listens to God’s Word. In fact, her holiness lies in persistent, faithful listening to God’s word. In canonizing saints, the Church has customarily emphasized martyrdom, asceticism, renunciation of family and worldly possessions, or lifelong dedication to the poor. Today, though, the Church recognizes more and more that holiness consists mainly in persevering fidelity in the midst of everyday life, whatever it holds. This is what the “historical Mary†exemplifies.
As events unfold around her, often to her surprise, she has to figure out continually what God is asking of her. She looks for the word of God in people and events, listens to that word, ponders it and then acts on it. She doubtless repeats again and again what she said to Gabriel, “May it be done to me according to your word†(Luke 1:38). Day by day she lives a “pilgrimage of faith,†to use the words of Vatican II (see Lumen Gentium, #58). She finds energy in her trust in the God of Israel and in her solidarity with the growing community of Christians who experienced the promise of life in the death and resurrection of her son.
3. She sings freedom’s song. Today we recognize Mary’s Magnificat as a rousing freedom song of the poor. Mary, the lead singer, epitomizes the lowly of Israel, those marginalized by society, for whom there is “no room in the inn†(Luke 2:7). God is her only hope, and she sings the divine praises with exuberant confidence.
While it may be difficult to imagine this revolutionary hymn coming from the mouth of a Madonna painted by Caravaggio, it is easy to envision it issuing from the lips of the historical Mary. Galilee was the spawning ground for first-century revolts against a repressive occupying power and its taxes. The Christians of Jerusalem, who with Mary were the nucleus of the post-Resurrection church, suffered from real hunger and poverty (see Gal 2:10; 1 Cor 16:1-4; Rom 15:25-26).
With the members of this community, Mary believed that God can turn the world upside down; that the last are first and the first last; the humble are exalted, the exalted humbled; those who save their life lose it, those who lose their life save it; those who mourn will rejoice, those who laugh will cry; the mighty are cast down from their thrones, the lowly lifted up. She and they were convinced that in God’s Kingdom the poor are first, and the prostitutes, publicans and outcasts of society eat at the table of the Lord, as Jesus, her son, pointed out during his ministry (see Matt 21:32).
The historical Mary experienced poverty, oppression, violence and the execution of her son. Her faith is deeply rooted in that context. Before the omnipotent God, she recognizes her own “lowly estate.†She is not among the world’s powerful. She is simply God’s “maidservant.†But she believes that nothing is impossible for God. In the Magnificat (see Canticle at left) she sings confidently that God rescues life from death, joy from sorrow, light from darkness.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the theologian-martyr executed by the Nazis in 1945, spoke these words during a sermon in 1933:
The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings; this is that passionate, surrendered, proud, enthusiastic Mary who speaks out here. This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols. It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about collapsing thrones and humbled lords of this world, about the power of God and the powerless of humankind.
The historical Mary stands in solidarity with the poor of Israel. In fact, she is their spokesperson, especially in Luke’s Gospel. She cries out with gratitude for God’s gifts, especially for the son in her womb: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.†She believes that, in Jesus, the power of God can turn the world upside down, ushering in a new era, a kingdom of justice, love and peace: “He casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly.†This message is more and more relevant today as the Church holds Mary up as Mother of the Poor, and as the poor throughout the world join with Mary in singing her vibrant song. It is both praise of God’s power and prophecy of a world to come.
Talking about eucharist. I took this video in Lanciano, Italy 2 years ago.
http://youtu.be/Ln2KrEQrLKw
The Flesh is real flesh. The Blood is real Blood.
The Flesh and the Blood belong to the human species.
The Flesh consists of the muscular tissue of the heart.
In the Flesh we see present in section: the myocardium, the endocardium, the vagus nerve and also the left ventricle of the heart for the large thickness of the myocardium.
The Flesh and the Blood have the same blood-type: AB (The blood-type identical to that which Prof. Baima Bollone uncovered in the Holy Shroud of Turin).
In the Blood there were found proteins in the same normal proportions (percentage-wise) as are found in the sero-proteic make-up of fresh normal blood.
In the Blood there were also found these minerals: chlorides, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium.
The preservation of the Flesh and of the Blood, which were left in their natural state for twelve centuries and exposed to the action of atmospheric and biological agents, remains an extraordinary phenomenon.
The reasons given for praying to Mary gives Mary (a human being) too much power. Jesus may have changed water into wine to please Mary but not because He had to do whatever she asked. Also, the child in Elizabeth’s womb jumped at the presence of the Son of God when Mary came into the room, not just at the sound of her voice. The first commandment should make it clear that we are to pray to God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) only. “Mother” is not part of the Holy Trinity. Also, Mary was a human being, just like the rest of us, except that she was chosen to bear the Son of God. If she was like God (holy/never sinning, able to answer prayers, etc.), then how could we say that Jesus was born both as a man and as God? The reasoning behind praying to Mary like she has powers makes no sense to me.
Darlene it makes no sense to you because you are allowing Satan to take hold of your thinking and creating a stubborn mind block.
My sympathies are with all you folk who are against the Mother of God and blaspheme her name. But it wont be long when Jesus unravels the Mystery. All I can do is pray for you.
Atheistic,Protestant, and agnostic Doctors,etc., have studied the Marian and Eucharistic phenomena of the Catholic Church plus stigmata,etc.,and in general cannot provide a scientific explanation.And inspite of the expected few who are questionable because of the actions of the devil science has no answer to the work of the Holy Spirit.
dont fight or discuss i saw my room mates belivers thay tell me all good things n thay no all bible study only in theory not in practicals so dont fight n dont insult any body (like mother mary ) only i will say united we stand divided we fall ( catholic, bi-livers,orthodox,jewish ,protestant &roman catolic )other wise sombody else will take advantage of ours religions
dear, read gospel of st.john chapter 19 words 26,27
we beliveeverything in bible for us .why we dont belive these words.
revelation chapter 12, especialy words 5,17
Darlene,
If I may: an old definition of ‘Prayer’was the offering of our minds and hearts to God.However there are various definitions of the concept of prayer today.It is not purely the act of asking of God it is more like ‘friendship’with God.And of course within the context of friendship as mortals we do ask others now and again to pray for our various needs-a job perhaps,etc,.Therefore asking Mary who is God’s Mother to pray for us is a very human and spiritual thing to do.
We also must remember that as Christians we are the ‘Body of Christ’ and because of this reality and truth asking Mary or any saint to pray for us is quite normal for it is God’s will.
As the Mother of Christ whose life we share Mary is quite rightly our Mother.She is unique amongst the saints.God might have chosen other ways of uniting himself to mankind and ensuring our salvation but he chose one way -through Mary.
We are aware of how important the Gospels are to the Christian faith but they are not the be all and the end all.The Gospels themselves confirms that truth!
See John Ch.14-16.
“I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now.But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth,since he will not be speaking as from himself but will only say what he has learnt;and he will tell you of the things to come.
He will glorify me,since all he tells you will be taken from what is mine;that is why I said:All he tells you will be taken from what is mine.”
Thus, emphasising the importance of ‘holy tradition’and the guarantee given to Peter at the birth of the Catholic Church.Therefore what the Catholic Church declares upon is the will of Christ and this includes declarations relating to Mary for the Spirit is fulfilling the will of Jesus as our Lord stated in the Bible extract above..
My only request to those who support the thought that “we should pray to mary or through mary” is ,do not underestimate GOD . HE is indescribable,holy our limited words are not enough to glorify him.
our intercession with GOD is only through JESUS CHRIST .HE is the mediator between us and GOD THE FATHER because HE died and rose again defeating death and satan. HE paid full price for our sins. BIBLE says we have mediator(JESUS CHRIST)in the presence GOD ,he is praying on our behalf to the FATHER.AS we are on the earth,as JESUS CHRIST is not on the earth, WE do not know how to pray so the HOLY SPIRIT, one of the person in trinity helps us assists us in prayer.
we receive HOLY SPIRIT the moment we repent for our sins ,ask GOD for forgiveness.when you think you can pray to GOD through or to mary , you are replacing and denying the HOLY SPIRIT. You know the BIBLE says THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS TO THOSE WHO DENY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Even if you are not convinced the best way to know the truth is
1.check whether you are born again(saved) or not
if yes
a.take your BIBLE , go in to your room,kneel down and pray to the FATHER and ask HIM all your douts (to whom to pray or through whom to pray)in JESUS CHRIST’S name.My friend HE is true living GOD ,who hears and answers our every prayer.And you will come out of the room with a perfect answer.
if you are not saved, first cleanse your sins at the cross with the blood of JESUS CHRIST.
I pray that the LORD open your spiritual eyes.
Joyce we Catholics do not want to further comment on what you have said but your blind eye towards the Blessed Mother is blasphemous.
You Protestants, or born again Christians or whatever have a ONE TRACK WAY OF THINKING……..you do not want to go beyond the BIBLE.
Anyway God bless you and I can only Pray that the Blessed Virgin opens your eyes to see the TRUTH.
Worship and prayer is only meant for God, and not men or angels (or saints). PERIOD!
Mary or any saint for that matter cannot intercede for any one…
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” – 1 Timothy 2:5
Jesus is the one and only Mediator (Intercessor) between God and Man, and He lives to continually intercede for those who come to God.
When referring to Deity, the Bible mentions only the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; cf. Matthew 3:16-17; John 10:30; 17:21; Acts 5:3-4). Mary is never mentioned in that context. Mary is not Deity and should not be worshiped as such. The idea that Mary occupies a special place in heaven, close to the Son, is just a traditional belief. It shows a lack of understanding concerning biblical teachings.
The whole talk about respecting each other’s beliefs is just totally absurd. You respect someone’s beliefs if it is as per the Word of God. Keep the Bible as your reference and focal point. You do not need to go beyond the Bible for any discussions. You remember how Paul loved the people of Berea ? He was very fond of them because they validated whatever he preached with the scriptures. I urge all of you’l to do the same. Validate your arguments with the scripture, and only the scripture, not with church tradition/history.
You might find these links interesting :
http://espanol.apologeticspress.org/articles/240082
http://www.answers2prayer.org/bible_questions/Answers/mary/mary.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/prayer-saints-Mary.html
mother mary suffered a lot in her life .how can a son neglect the words of a mother?
if jesus has no feel or respect to his mother, i dont think we need to bow before him .
Hello… God’s people.
Why so much confusion here?
Guess we know about Jesus and not know jesus.
Cos if we know Jesus we will know what his teachings are.
The Bible clearly says, Ask anything in My Name to the father and it shall be given.
Where does Mother Mary comes here??
When we can have a direct contact with jesus why do we have to go to the 3rd party?
Jesus is the first contact we should pray to.
Please know what ever the doctrine of this world speaks about…
Believe in Nothing More than The Bible and Nothing Less than The Bible.
Jesus says Ask anything to the father in My name, it shall be given.
46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,( Luke 1:46-47 ) Even Mary needs a Savior…God bless!
Monica,
1. It was through the most holy Virgin Mary that Jesus came into the world, and it is also through her that He has to reign in the world.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. Watch out Monica you are stealing the glory of God.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.â€
John 14:6
So, no one should come between Jesus and us while praying. Even if it’s Mary. Though she is holy, she is a mere human being.
I am not Catholic, but i do pray the rosary. My question to those who are anti-Mary? why do you keep ignoring the fact that catholics do not worship Mary but ask her to intercede for them instead? Secondly, the rosary is not the only prayer that Catholics do. Thirdly, the bible you keep quoting was canonized by the same Church that you accuse of knowing nothing about Scripture. The bible came out of the church; the church did not come out of the bible.
Personally, it is through the rosary that i feel closer to God. I would rather ask the saints in heaven to pray for me than earthly friends who will later gossip about my problems.
Our God is a God who is always available to directly communicate with us. In olden days, he used to communicate directly with those who pray to Him. And now, he may not. But he surely does show us a solution if we pray with a humble and broken spirit. There is no use even if one intercedes with God thru’ Mary and other saints if one has sin in one’s heart.
The first thing one needs is REPENTENCE. If one doesn’t have a contrite heart, then God doesn’t listen to one’s prayers even if one prays directly to Him or intercede thru’ saints.
You say Catholics don’t worship Mary, they just ask her to intercede for them. Right ? and you’d rather ask Saints in heaven to pray for you rather than friends here on earth. Correct ?
Now, saints (and Mary for that matter) were mere humans. Just like you and me ? You agree ? None of them possessed any divine attributes. Mary was the earthy mother of Jesus, but she still was a mortal human like you and me.
Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. This applies to Mary and all the other Saints you are referring you. My point is divine nature cannot be attributed to any of them.
Now, as far as interceding is concerned, get this straight, ‘Dead people cannot intercede for you’ PERIOD!. I’d rather have my friend here pray for me than have someone dead do it. You say you’d rather have saints in heaven pray for you. How do you even know they are in heaven in the first place ? You or rather we would just assume it as per the life they lived. Right ? But we are no one to decide whether they end up in heaven or not. We don’t sit on the judgement seat.
I’m not trying to offend you here. My point is asking someone dead to pray for you isn’t biblical. As far as asking someone in heaven to pray for you is concerned the Bible is very clear about it.
1 Timothy 2:5 says “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus”
Christ is the only one who can stand between you and God. Why would you need anyone else ? The Bible says that we are all guilty before God, guilty of sin. No lawyer could defend you, fictional or non-fictional, or could ever plead your case. No one could defend you before God, no matter how good he or she may be. No one except Jesus Christ, and Him alone, could do such a task. Job knew that there is but One who could do such a thing, that One is the Lord. That is why he said in Job 16:19-20, “My advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friendâ€. Jesus Christ is our great Advocate, our great Defender, who will plead our case before the very high courts of heaven itself.
Shalom
And God said,”… thou shall have no other Gods before me.You shall not make unto you any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: You shall not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my Commandments.” This is stated in Exodus. So although the catholic faith is full of goodness as it concerns God, there are some major things about it that are very incorrect, such as praying to Mary.
Another big thing that is wrong is praying through a priest, such as giving confessions. Although confessing one to another is a biblically good act, using a man in between you and God is not necessary or good. Because of Jesus we can go to Him directly and ask forgiveness. And He will instantly forgive us if we are sincere, we do not have to do something for it (like several hail Marys, etc.)What makes the Cathloic faith wrong or incorrect is man trying to mold things to his/their likeness and in a way controlling others. If you want the truth about it all study an actual real, regular bible, and not one that man has changed!
Just thought I need to quote the reference to Mary on the Rosary prayer:-
“Hail Mary, Full of grace the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God pray for us sinners now and the hour of our death”.
The rest of the rosary prayer meditates on scripture and prayers are directed to God/Jesus.
There are two groups here: some Christians and Jehovah’s witnesses believe that the bond you share with a loved one ends with death. Some of us believe in the communion of saints. We can quote all we want but one thing for sure we will not change anybody’s mind.
“Another thing that is wrong is praying through a priest….”
You carry on here and suggest that confession is wrong. In the bible that I read it does seem that Jesus had given the apostles power to forgive sins (or hold back forgiveness). The apostles had ordained others to carry on with their work here on earth so my logic tells me that applied to confession as well.
Paul told the Christians of his time to observe not just what he wrote to them but those things passed through orally (that is what most catholics, anglicans, orthodox etc refer to as tradition. Unfortunately most people dismiss tradition as an invention because it was never written down. I just urge you to study the ancient church before dismissing things because they are not in the bible. surely the christians who were closer to the revelation must have had a clearer understanding of it than us living centuries later?
One more thing, pray the rosary and soon you will receive signal graces that would really make you believe. just try for a week and ask God if he wishes for you to continue praying the rosary, You will get an answer for sure, If you havent seen a miracle yet you’ll see one when you pray the rosary. Blessed mary wants us all to pray to Jesus.
Firstoff to answer the question as to whether one should pray to Mother Mary, the answer is a big’NO, you should never’ and here are a few reasons why. The Bible clearly tells us that anyone who tries to alter or misinterpret the word of God will be cursed. It also clearly tells us that Jesus alone is Lord our God and worthy of our Praises, prayers and worship. Yes, Mary may undoubtedly be the most innocent and pious woman who has lived in this world but she was fully human.
Jesus was born through the Holy Spirit as Gods miracle in Mary’s womb not by human sexual intimacy. Yes, Jesus was fully human when he came to this world and he did love and respect his mother a lot. But during his final moments on the cross he tells Mary “Woman, behold your son” and to John he says “Son, behold/takecare of your mother”. Notice he calls Mary woman and not mother anymore, this is because Jesus’s spirit is losing all human traits and becoming fully one with God’s spirit and God does not have a Mother or Father. Mary’s purpose as the mother of Jesus was served and so was Jesus’s purpose of coming to this world as a human being to redeem us of our sins not to establish a religion.
The Bible clearly says that the spirits of the dead in Christ rests in Paradise till Jesus’s second coming. The Bible clearly says that the spirits of the dead are not allowed to contact the living and hence when someone prays to Mother Mary or to any saint or anyone else other than Jesus, an evil spirit or Satan himself will come in disguise to receive that worship. He will even grant some of the prayers of these people so that they believe in these things more and go further away from the real God.
My friends, Catholics are the majority of Christians in this world and the devil has hit the core of Christianity with this clever and venemous disguise and so please open your eyes and pray and see the truth. The real mother Mary’s spirit is resting in Paradise and she does not listen to any prayers. The examples of the wedding where Jesus turns water to wine is all miracles he performed while he was living a human life.We should be praying to Jesus and Jesus alone. Jesus is God himself, the son, the Holy Spirit and God are one and the same. Amen!
I find this video disturbing. Mary is not more merciful than Jesus.
What is so disturbing about this Video Cheryl ?
Mother of God can intercede to Jesus.
Hi
Rossary is a powerful weapon against devils. she is mother of all world. You just read jesus crucification john chaper 20.
“He who eats my flesh
And Drinks My Blood
Lives in me and I in himâ€
Within us is the risen Lord!
Within us is the risen Lord!
Imagine what this reality
Means – He in us! and we
In Him!
All of Christianity is not in the Bible otherwise there would be no need for Jesus to establish His Church!In a sense the Bible is the ‘seed’ but the Church and its tradition is the ‘fruit’.They cannot be separated.We cannot choose one or the other.And as there is only one Bible there is only one Church and in fact the Scriptures came out of the Church that is Catholic.
Praise the Risen Christ whose Father chose Mary to be the Mother of His Son by the grace of the Holy Spirit.And please pray that that same Spirit will open your eyes to the Truth about Christianity!And that truth does not come from individuals or so called ‘churches’ who are still being established today,in fact hundreds since the so called ‘Protestant reformation’, and who share one aspect and that being enemies of ‘tradition’ and hatred of the Catholic Church of Christ.A hatred fueled by satan!!!
Mother of God can intercede to Jesus.
Patricia,
She can and does. I have a strong devotion and love for our Blessed Mother. I believe she is the Queen of Heaven and Mediatrix of all Graces. But I have a stronger love for Jesus. I’m a convert. I came from a church that seemingly put a lot of emphasis on law. I grew up very afraid of God and terrified that I wouldn’t be saved. Since I became a Catholic, I’ve begun to heal from all of that. I still have a long way to go though. It’s been as a Catholic that I came to understand that Jesus loves me, accepts me and that I should not be afraid of Him, of dying or appearing before Him. For the last 24 hours this video has been eating away at me. I feel the old fears starting to resurface. This video seems to suggest that Christ would have condemned this man to hell, if Mary had not interceded, as if Mary had to placate the wrath of God. (Jesus=Stern Judge/Mary=Merciful Intercessor sort of thing). I lived with the stern judge mentality all my life. I can’t go back there. As much as I love Mary, I need to believe that Jesus is the most merciful, most compassionate, most gentle.
Liam
You have given the perfect explanation.
God Bless you and May our Blessed Mother always be a source of strength and guidance for you.
I understand what you have gone thru. This is just an individual experience………dont let it apply to yourself. You have only seen once such video, I have seen a number of them and they are frightening. Maybe the priest is not sharing exactly what he had done in his life, and he is getting a 2nd chance.
Live your life in faith and do what is right as a Christian (Catholic). Jesus and His blessed Mother will always be your guiding light. He has given us his Mother who hears and listens to our every need and intercedes for us. Just like we go to our earthly mothers instead of direct to our Dad’s…….its just plain and simple.
God be with you always.
Why can u explain it brief?
Friends of Christ,
When Jesus from the cross said to John ‘behold your mother’ and to Mary ‘woman behold your son’Our Saviour was prouncing Mary as the mother of humanity.The same humanity whose genes Mary passed to Jesus when she conceived of the Holy Spirit. John stood in as the representative of us all.And John stood in for us as the sons and daughters of His mother.
Therefore Mary is our mother for she is the mother of Jesus our brother.Yes, the mother of all mankind.And as the mother of Jesus she is the mother of the Church i.e.,of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Bear in mind that the scriptures were written over a period of years by different authors in different countries.Thus, who combined them into one book? There were many books all claiming to be divinely inspired.Who could decide what was what? Only the Catholic Church could do it.The Church held a council in Carthage in 397(AD) and compiled a list of 72 books which was accepted.Others were rejected.The Pope at the time Pope Siricus approved the selection which constitutes the Christian Bible.Divine tradition in action under the promised guidance of the Holy Spirit!
If one considers the so called ‘protestant bible’some of its older editions exclude books from the old and new testaments of that approved at Carthage.But a notable trend in recent years is the appearance of non Catholic produced Bibles containing the original 72 books.Thus, the truth is no longer weakened nor denied by fallible persons who pick and choose that which is acceptable to them while denying the will of the Holy Spirit!
Holy Communion is the expression of Christ’s Church when speaking about receiving the Holy Eucharist.The Holy Eucharist is God Himself as confirmed by His Word and Tradition – that is The Bible and the Catholic Church.We adore The Eucharist for it is God.Which is why The Mass is the banquet of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ and which came into being on Holy Thursday as confirmed by sacred scripture.That is when the 1st Mass took place a reality that cannot be separated from the suffering and death of Jesus on Good Friday.Thus, just as The Bible and Holy Tradition cannot be separated neither can the Last Supper and the Crucifixion of Our God made Man and His Resurrection.In fact The Mass is what took place centuries ago and daily today.
As an expression Holy Communion is very appropriate for it sums up the most important effect of the Mass,the strengthening of the union between Jesus and His members and the union between the members themselves. In fact recently after receiving Our Lord under the form of bread at Mass I felt that I had also received His and our Mother Mary.Of that I have no doubt for we all are the Body of Christ if we are seriously following and adhering to the Commandments of God and His Church.
Please please to everyone…Mother mary is needed to fullfill your needs .jesus loves and respect his mother..In my life mother Mary did a lots of miracles..i cant express it because the miracles she did for me ,when I prayed to mother mary to help in all circumstances .Jesus answered to my prayers through mother Mary…..Rosary is the most powerful prayer in the world .Dont dought about mother marys role in our life.Please plaese pray to mother mary…I am the person received all miracles from mother mary….
Friends of Christ,
All of what’s in the New Testament and Holy Tradition- some of which I have referred to above- could not be or be realised without Mary’s ‘Yes’ to the angel Gabriel.There would not have been the reality of God becoming ‘man’nor our redemption as a race.Which implies the uniqueness of Mary and her role in our redemption.Yes her role was required and definitely unique.And why because almighty God willed it.And why should any human being oppose the will of Our Creator.A will which endorses our requesting Mary to help us through prayer.For the mother of God responded to the request of God seeking her help through Gabriel.That is why I pray to Mary,my mother and the Mother of God.
The ‘mystical body’ of Christ is the Church which he established upon Peter. The soul of that body is the Holy Spirit whose role is to join the members of the Church together with each other and with its head Our Lord Jesus. The common ancestry of the Church ,that is, the Mystical Body of Christ is two fold.
You have the right to express your feelings or perception about Mama Mary. But, Mama Mary did something more than anybody else. Salvation will not come without Mama Mary who humbly accept God’s plan to be an instrument of our Salvation.
First, Mary is the child of God the Father just like us but she is much more than us. We have no right to argue or contradict God of choosing Mama Mary because we do not know her life how she pleases God. It is God’s choice, who are we – only a HUMAN has more sin than Mary. In the old testament it is written God’s plan for our Salvation thru a woman; in the new testament it is written the Salvation of Man thru a woman and if you will read the Revelation it is thru a woman that will crush the head of the devil(serpent).
Second, Mary is the Mother of Jesus. Jesus has a great respect to her Mother that in the wedding of Cana He obey Mary’s request to provide wine in the wedding. Mary is the first disciple of Jesus before He starts His evangelization. We can be Mary if we listen and follow God’s teachings. Jesus did not come to this earth to be the source of misunderstanding but rather to bring peace and to obey God’s plan and not to argue.
Third, Mary is the spouse of the Holy Spirit that in her womb it starts the life of Jesus. It is thru her that Jesus become Human. Mary lovingly accepts Jesus and takes care of Him and protect Him with St. Joseph.
That is why Mary has a very important role in our salvation as a CHILD of God the Father, as a MOTHER of Jesus and as a SPOUSE of the Holy Spirit. The three main role of being a WOMAN.
We, Catholics do not only accept Jesus as our Salvation and Redeemer but also accepts Mama Mary as an example of a true Christian, our Intercessor and as our Mother who protects, nurture, loves and take care of us as her devotee of the rosary. If you have a chance to meet people who is a devotee of Mary and the rosary they will give you a lot of testimony of Mary’s intercession in times of trouble and even death. And I as a testimony have changes my entire life thru Mama Mary’s intercession and proudly say that I love Jesus thru Mama Mary’s humble act. God bless us all…
1.There are no! verse in the bible that told us to pray to Mary…
2.Asking Mary to pray for us: A tradition of men, not found in the Bible( Jesus is the only bridge)
3.Mother of Mercy: Another tradition of men.(mother of mercy???? Jesus is our savior)!
4.Mary is the All Holy One: A tradition of men. We’ve already shown that God is the only “All Holy One.â€
5.Mary welcomes us at death: A tradition of men, not taught in the Bible.
6.Mary leads us to Jesus: Another tradition of men, not found in God’s Word.
Please understand, Catholic friend, God never said any of these things. They are all traditions that came from the minds of early Catholic leaders: “From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of `Mother of God, ‘ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs…†Pg. 253, #971
I just want to clarify how I see things… in my most humble belief and respect. First and foremost comes GOD (The Father, The Son, and The Holyspirt), we worship and pray only to HIM for it is through HIM that All things were, are and will come to be. I have been baptized Catholic as a baby… and only just recently at 29 years-old have confirmed myself to the Catholic Faith/Church. The importance of Mary for many a moon has been baffling to me. I always respected her as the most Blessed amongst woman, and as the Mother of the Most High- Jesus Christ, our Saviour and True Son of GOD- One with the Father. Yet, through many experiences and enlightenments I’m coming to grow closer and understanding all the more about GOD’s PERFECT LOVE! The Family Unit to GOD, I believe is of EXTREME IMPORTANCE. As you will notice in the 10 original commandments given to us: “HONOR THY MOTHER & THY FATHER” and Though we ONLY WORSHIP and PRAY to GOD, GOD sent HIS SON- Made Man- to live and go through all we go through as human… in the flesh. But, HE, omnipotent and PERFECT as HE IS, Gave us a Mother…. for JESUS had to be born, and it had to be of a Woman! A WOMAN- A MOTHER! For We have a Spiritual FATHER & BROTHER, but to make the Family complete HE, on the cross Gave us a Spiritual Mother… a Governess… How many times can you think back to your childhood, and although our biological fathers, at least mine, have been strict with us, and we, at least I, have gone crying and nearly begging to my mother to Intercede for me, “Please mom! Can you talk and reason to dad for me!!??” …later my mom would come into my room and say, “you owe me one! hahahaha!” and I knew she convinced him to change his mind and give me the chance!” HOW MUCH GREATER IS OUR GOD! If Abraham, considered to be his friend, who walked with him, could convince him to lower the number of people worth conserving Sodom and Gomorah countless times, how much more could Mother Maria do for us, Being the Mother of JESUS CHRIST!!!??? She, humble and simple as she was, was the First to say Yes to Jesus. To welcome him, and as we take Holy Communion- She was the First! The first to have the Body and Blood of JESUS within Her. She that Loved Him, Nurtured Him, Took care of Him, and as any parent- and moreso mother, Suffered with Him! Accepting GOD’S Plan and always saying YES, no matter the Hurt, no matter the Heartache, no matter the struggle! Or do you think it was easy to endure the injust critisim of all who were quick to judge her sudden pregnancy, or travel to Bethlehem pregnant and poor, and to give birth without a midwife or doctor, and to have to flea with a newborn immediately to Egypt?? Yet, she always said YES! And for JESUS, She was “Mother” and HE gave Her to us, as Mother… so nurturing and loving and pure! Even giving strength and encouragement to JESUS as he was bearing and carrying HIS Cross to Calvary, seeing her amongst the crowd, giving HIM that much needed umph of encouragement to find the strength in HIS much weakened body, after being so badly beaten… NO, we do NOT PRAY to Mother Mary, but we do ask her to pray with and for us! Her being BLESSED AMONGST ALL WOMEN and the Queen of all the Angels… I pray ONLY TO GOD, but afterward I also ask Mother Mary and all the Saints in Heaven to also pray for me. Think of it this way: as I feel the Holy Spirit clarified it to me one day, do you not ask your family and friends to “pray for” you in a time of need??? The Power of Prayer is sooo great! How much greater it being when our Spiritual Mother and Spiritual Brothers and Sisters in Heaven (The Saints) pray for us as well!!! Those who are ALL THE MORE CLOSER TO GOD!!! For when I pass on… I will keep praying to GOD for you… all my beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus!
Dear Bible study,
There would have been no God made man that is Jesus without Mary.Thus the New Testament would be none existing.Please pray for me.
if there would have been no mary
then there would have been martha, or julie or sharon or reema or gita
GOD chose mary for a purpose.
GOD has choosen many people for many purposes.
if there would have been no Judah… how would have David come and how would have JESUS come….
Judah married Tamar…. she was the daughter in law of Judah
what about Ruth….who remarried Boaz
and what about Rahab…. why don’t u pray to Rahab then… if there would have been no Rahab… there would have been no Boaz and no David and no JESUS right
hahahahahahaha