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
Thank God for Mother Mary.Without her mankind would not have had a Saving Grace as we now know him as Jesus Christ.
Well, let it be known then, that we do have all ten Commandments.
——————
Nice answer to this one…And yeah edit? I mean i don’t want to start a new argument but I believe the Catholics didn’t edited anything from the bible. If we will take some look back over the history, the reformation started because it is not the reason of the faith, but for politics and so, they made some versions over that and changed the mass rituals over to replace what was the ORIGINAL. Sorry to say this but I am standing at my FAITH and I am raised as a ROMAN CATHOLIC with a firm belief. Hosanna in the Highest and Peace to His people on earth…
How does this relate to Mary? It is sacred tradition that tells us of her importance to our faith. It is her ‘yes’ that we are supposed to imitate when being called by God. She is a willing prayer warrior for us at all times. Look at the wedding of Cana…Mary asked Jesus to intercede when the wine ran out…and at first he balked, when he said “Woman, why involve me…my time has not yet come”. Now, let’s think about the human nature of Jesus. He loves his mother, and wants to do what she asks of him. She said to the the servants “Do whatever he tells you”. He complied with her request out of great love for his mother. YES, JESUS ALONE CAN SAVE US. But how many other faiths have prayer chains? How many of you pray for each other? You don’t worship each other, you ask each other to pray for you. How much greater would a prayer be from one who has already gone to heaven, the very mother of Jesus? We absolutely do not worship or pray ‘to’ Mary. We ask for her for prayer intercession, as you ask for intercession from your fellow congregants.
In closing, I would like to tell you my story. Having been a very active protestant for the majority of my life, then turning to non-denominational worship after that, I have a vast knowledge of the inner workings of many faiths. After seeing division after division of churches, I decided to do a ‘180’, so to speak, and start at the beginning…the Catholic Church. I do not feel that I have ever had the experiences in worship and pure spiritual fulfillment in any other praise and worship situation, as what I receive at mass.
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus is the ultimate worship experience.
Peace be with you!
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of his maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
(Lk 1:46-49)
1) Mary acknowledged God as her savior – meaning she is a sinner needing a savior. if she was sinless then no need to call God savior.
2) Mary Mother of God
Jesus preexisted Mary so she cannot be the mother of GOd. If she is the mother of GOd who is the Father??? you say God then did God ever acknoledge Mary as His WIFE – Answer no!
But in the Bible God does acknoledge Israel as His wife and the Church as His bride. GOD THE FATHER NEVER ACKNOLEDGES MARY AS HIS WIFE SO SHE CANT BE THE MOTHER OF GOD!
1) Mary acknowledged God as her savior – meaning she is a sinner needing a savior. if she was sinless then no need to call God savior.
That’s not true. Firstly, Israel’s hope of a messianic savior, had earthly (as well as spiritual connotations), they looked forward to freedom from oppression as much as from sin. When reading the entire “Magnificat”, it’s apparent to me at least, that Mary is speaking on behalf of all Israel…”He has helped his servant Israel,in remembrance of his mercy,as he spoke to our fathers,to Abraham and to his seed forever” (vs 54-55). She praises God for the “good things” He has done for her, within this context, ie as a fellow Hebrew, awaiting with her people, for the promised Messiah.
Secondly, there are many ways in which a person can be saved both physically and spiritually, that has nothing to do with already having fallen into sin. How many times has God saved us from succumbing to sin today? Is He any less our Savior for doing so?
2) Mary Mother of God
Jesus preexisted Mary so she cannot be the mother of GOd. If she is the mother of GOd who is the Father??? you say God then did God ever acknoledge Mary as His WIFE – Answer no!
But in the Bible God does acknoledge Israel as His wife and the Church as His bride. GOD THE FATHER NEVER ACKNOLEDGES MARY AS HIS WIFE SO SHE CANT BE THE MOTHER OF GOD!
You’re argument seems to presuppose that each person of the Trinity is not fully God, but a third of God, so that only together, do they “comprise” one God. 1/3+1/3+1/3=1 God sort a thing. If such is the case, then may I suggest that you brush up on your Trinitology.
Secondly, your argument does not seem to be consistent (it does not follow through). You said that Mary did not pre-exist the divine Son, (that is true), and that God, the Father is truly God, but never acknowledged Mary as His wife. But then, you go onto say that God did acknowledge Israel and the Church as His wife and bride respectively. But, like Mary, neither the Church nor Israel ever pre-existed the divine Son, neither did they pre-exist the divine Father or the Holy Spirit.
Can you elaborate?
Mother Mary is the mediatrix – a woman who is a mediator, go-between, intercessor. We only ask her to intercede or pray for us.
All the worship, adoration and prayer goes to the Almighty GOD. We only venerate Mary.
God will not hear the prayer of a sinner. So we rely on these mediators (saints and mother mary) to tell our needs to GOD.
In Luke 7:4, the healing of the Centurions Servant, they say the 2 good qualities of the man like helping others and building synagogue. Our intercessor remind God about these two i.e how we treat others and how good is our realtion to GOD (building the synagogue).
Mother Mary intercedes for us even before we ask her, as is evident from the miracle at Cana wedding.
Its simple : My Lord has called Mary His Mother throughout his life here. So why can’t I?
Rosary – We are only going through the incidents in our Lord Jesus life. The word will make us pure each time we recite it.
In olden days, people used to say psalms using beads. We can see rosary as the same prayer of this age, made more compact.
Georgy
God will not hear the prayer of a sinner
He hears our prayers…remember before each decade of the rosary, we address the Father, saying, “Our Father, who art in heaven…”
Btw, I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back to you with the things I promised. I haven’t forgotten and will get to them as soon as I can.
Pray in Jesus Name because God will not despise a contrite heart.
-And I will do whatever you ask in MY NAME, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. Jonh 14-13
-You may ask me for anything in MY NAME, and I will do it. Jonh 14-14
-The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a BROKEN and CONTRITE HEART, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17
Also no one who died and reached heaven will be aware of the activities on earth, unless Jesus himself allows this for a purpose. Only when we have died, we have an opportunity to meet and greet our loved ones who have gone there before us. That is why praying to the dead is forbidden, and also useless.It doesn’t matter if they are in heaven or hell. So our prayers will never reach to Mother Mary.Only through Jesus our prayers can be made heard. Because when we repent and apply the blood of Jesus in our prayer, we acquire the properties of Jesus , and we are eligible to be heard. You can actually see/hear lot of testimonies of Christians who have actually visited heaven(through NDE’s), and what is their testimony/message about Mary.
The best thing is Ask god in faith to reveal himself and show you the truth.He is faithfull enough to show up.
Dear georgy
It is said in the above link that mary only only got HAIL, scripture says the first Hail came to Noah, then also to Paul and the same hail he din keep it with him, he gave it to church, so now everybody has hail with them pls don’t forget.
Secondly,you say mother pls understand if this mary wouldn’t got holy spirit on pentacostal day she also cannot enter the kingdom of god and after received holf ghost again she also have to call Jesus has Abba father(Rom8:15), Real Revelation is only with apostles not with John Paul II or any other pope, these apostles knew Jesus more than anyone(1Jn 1:1), remeber the words spoken by apostles only(Jude:17) so tell any of these apostles did ROSARY are knelt before Mary, When God condemns a ministry of womans in his kingdom then how he’s going to give a place to Mary, Paul clearly says he is the only apostle for Gentiles (Gal 2:7), if that is not there and if anyone pervert the gospel of christ will be accursed(Gal 1:8).Pray god for you understanding..god bless
Daniel, I would like to know Why are you telling that God condemns a ministry of womans in his kingdom ???
What is Hail ?
And NO, god doesn’t differentiate in gender when it comes to gospel ministry
Dear all,
i started saying the rosary everyday as i believe that this is the only weapon that can destroy satan that continually keeps ploting the hatred he has for all of us.
We say the rosary because we continually glorify God with this humble prayer. In the psalms of David we praise the lord for the great things our God will accomplish by sending the messiah for our salvation. The rosary is a verifcation of the psalms and we should therefore glorify him with this humble prayer for creating the most holy creature because with her yes to our God we were all saved.The word now was incarnated. This is why this prayer is so perfect in the eyes of god. The other purpose of the rosary is that we can meditate on the new testament, on the life and death of Jesus Christ. We have to meditate on his life in order to grow in holiness and accept the graces that he wishes to give us.
Dear Bro.Georgy
I’ve always believed that prayer is our only means to have communication with God.Prayer is Talking to our Heavenly Father.Recited , memorized prayer has no power,why ? Because prayer is not a magic formula!Imagined your kids thanking you everyday with the same words…again and again and again…everyday…hmmm…I dont think it will brings satisfaction to you! why? because its not sincere,it didnt come from their hearts.And that’s why Jesus rebuked those Pharasees…:you call me Lord but your hearts are far from me. I want my kids to thanked me in their own words (Im sure not with enticing words!)…but words that they think,and not read from other people’s prayer.And that prayer is what I believed powerful! By the way…I prayed only to my God and no one else. God Bless!
Without Mary, we don’t know Jesus.
without Mary, No New Testament.
without Mary, no Christmas.
We need Mary to guide us to Jesus.
Who is Satan hate the most? Mary, Mary is human but God give Her power than satan.
Keep say the rosary because it against the hell.The hell is not our final distination.
Many people say Mary this Mary that. Remember the angel Gabriel say to Mary” For there
is nothing that God cannot do”.
Many have misunderstood the Rosary. if you note the mysteries, you are supposed to meditate the life of Jesus and Mary. In no way Mother Mary wanted us to worship her. All praise and glory is to be given to her son. Mother Mary wanted us to get closer to Jesus thru the Rosary.
Praying thru Mother Mary is just like asking your friends to pray for you. are our friends and family more worthy to pray for us than Mother Mary and the saints in heaven?
Since the Rosary is composed, principally and in substance, of the prayer of Christ and the Angelic Salutation, that is, the Our Father and the Hail Mary, it was without doubt the first prayer and the principal devotion of the faithful and has been in use all through the centuries, from the time of the apostles and disciples down to the present.
It was only in the year 1214, however, that the Church received the Rosary in its present form and according to the method we use today. It was given to the Church by St.Dominic, who had received it from the Blessed Virgin as a means of converting the Albigensians and other sinners.
I will tell you the story of how he received it, which is found in the very well-known book De Dignitate Psalterii, by Blessed Alan de la Roche. Saint Dominic, seeing that the gravity of people’s sins was hindering the conversion of the Albigensians, withdrew into a forest near Toulouse, where he prayed continously for three days and three nights. During this time he did nothing but weep and do harsh penances in order to appease the anger of God. He used his discipline so much that his body was lacerated, and finally he fell into a coma.
At this point our Lady appeared to him, accompanied by three angels, and she said, “Dear Dominic, do you know which weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world?
“Oh, my Lady” answered Saint Dominic, “you know far better than i do, because next to your Son Jesus Christ you have always been the chief instrument of our salvation.” Then our Lady replied, “I want you to know that, in this kind of werfare, the principal weapon has always been the Angelic Psalter, which is the foundation-stone of the New Testament. Therefore, if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God, preach my Psalter.”
So he arose, comforted, and burning with zeal for the conversation of the people in that district, he made straight for the cathedral. At once unseen angels rang the bells to gather the people together, and Saint Dominic began to preach.
At the very beginning of his sermon, an appalling storm broke out, the earth shook, the was darkened, and there was so much thunder and lightning that all were very much afraid. Even greater was their fear when, looking at a picture of our Lady exposed in a prominent place, they saw her raise her arms to heaven three times to call down God’s vengeance upon them if they failed to be converted, to amend their lives, and seek the protection of the holy Mother of God.
God wished, by means of these supernatural phonomena, to spread the new devotion of the holy Rosary and to make it more widely known.
At last, at the prayer of Saint Dominic, the storm came to an end and he went on preaching. So fervently and compellingly did he explain the importance and value of the Rosary that almost all the people of Toulouse embraced it and renounced their false beliefs. In a very short time a great improvement was seen in the town; people began leading Christian lives and gave up their former bad habits.
It is a wonderful book for those who would like to learn more on the rosary and since not everyone knows the origins of the rosary i wanted to share this real story with you.
I was born Roman Catholic but I cannot say that I have a deep personal relationship with God. One of the lies I discovered is praying the rosary and Mary or any saints for that matter. You know what I mean.
Go direct to the Provider. The Source of All. Ask in Jesus’s name.
In Hail Mary….”holy mary mother of God pray for us sinners…
This is a direct contradiction to the Bible in John 3. A well known teacher Nicodemus was clearly instructed by Jesus that salvation is a personal act and cannot be done by praying to Mary.
Thor,
Behind Crossroads
Over the centuries, various popes have added to this smelly heap of unbiblical tradition about the mother of Jesus. It started early. Aware of the powerful draw of the pagan goddesses, they declared Mary “Mother of God,†at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD.
They continued to morph her into goddess hood at the First Lateran Council in 649 by discovering her “perpetual virginity.†In 1854 they found that she was “immaculately conceived,†—born without sin. Next, her “assumption into heaven,†at the “end of her life†was revealed in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.
Ardent devotees to this goddess are now lobbying for an additional “Fifth Marian Dogma†(read tradition). However, this push to make her “Mother of the World,†is not new. It was started in the 1020s. When a pope gets the word from the “spirit†to proceed, she will push Jesus aside in some of His most basic roles: Redeemer, Advocate and Mediator.
As Mother of the World, she will have three essential new roles: co-redemptrix, mediatrix of all graces, and advocate. This simply means that she will share Christ’s role as redeemer; she will be in charge (mediator) of who receives God’s grace (favor); and she, as our advocate instead of Christ, will argue our case before God’s Throne of Judgment. But the Bible says that there is “one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus.†(See 1 Timothy 2:5.) Mary as mediator is blasphemy, ignoring the clear statement of scripture.
This move to continue making the humble Mary into a pagan goddess only proves that Revelation 17, 18 and 19 is right calling the Vatican a whore, a prostitute “church.â€
Bible believers need to lovingly point out these unbiblical “dogmas†to the precious Roman Catholics who depend on the pope to get them into heaven.
I’m a Roman Catholic and the only one I put my trust in is God. That doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore the various Christians who have led me to Christ, nourished me in the faith and continue to uphold me by their actions and prayers. I’ve been knee deep in this sort of conversation for years and am of the opinion that the main thing which separates you and me, is not Mary per se, but in how we understand salvation, the human person, and their cooperation with God.
All the stuff about Mary is not isolated dogmas, they’re founded on what we believe about all Christians, then applied to Mary in particular, taking into account her own personal relationship with Jesus. In short, as Catholics we believe that salvation is a communal/familial affair. That whoever will be saved as a unique memeber of Christ’s body will not be saved apart from the rest. In other words, for a Catholic, it’s not so much a matter of ‘You and Jesus’ or ‘Me and Jesus’, but ‘You, Me and Jesus’.
We depend on one another, like a foot depends on a leg to get it to where it’s headed, or how blood and one’s heart works together to bring about a common goal, sustaining life. All Christians are members of this one body, including those in heaven, we each do our part depending on the role Jesus has called us too and He called Mary to be His mother according to the flesh-her role like each of our roles has far reaching consequences for the body as a whole. Each member relates to all the others in their own particular way and this relating is what we call, ‘being saved’.
Its not about what you beleive. It is about what those beleive, whom you trust.
See what they say…
In 1302 Pope Boniface said this in a letter to the Catholic Church:
Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.xii
Pope Pius V said this:
The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.xiii
Pope Pius XI said this about himself:
PIUS XI, Pontifex Maximus.xiv
Pope Leo XIII said this about the role of the Pope:
We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.xv
In 1512 Christopher Marcellus said this to Pope Julius II:
Take care that we lose not that salvation, that life and breath which thou hast given us, for thou art our shepherd, thou art our physician, thou art our governor, thou art our husbandman, thou art finally another God on earth (emphasis added).vi
The Gloss of Extravagantes of Pope John XXII says this:
To believe that our Lord God the Pope has not the power to decree as he is decreed, is to be deemed heretical (emphasis added).vii
And speaking about the same document, Father A. Pereira said this:
It is quite certain that Popes have never disapproved or rejected this title “Lord God the Pope†for the passage in the gloss referred to appears in the edition of the Canon Law published in Rome by Gregory XIII.viii
So if you wish to stand under their umbrellas, you will be charged with what they believe, not for just what you alone beleive.
Vijay,
Where can I find the source material, ie the letters and encyclicals they come from? I have never heard any of these with the exception of the first.
Thanks.
There is ONE God, and ONE mediator between GOD and MAN, the MAN, Christ JESUS! Jesus said, I AM THE WAY, the TRUTH, and THE LIFE, NO ONE comes to the FATHER BUT through ME! Check your Bibles, folks. Praying to Mary, or ANYONE aside from JESUS CHRIST, and trusting in ANYONE aside of JESUS Christ is pure IDOLATRY! An insult to the amazing sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. Catholics, please stop your idolatry and turn to Jesus, He is the ONLY MEDIATOR whom God hears! I say this weeping after reading many of these posts here….
Please find the references for the above quotes here..
i The Most Holy Councils Volume XIII, Column 1167.
ii Robert Bellarmine, On the Authority of Councils Volume 2: 266.
iii Catholic National (July 1895).
iv George J. Church et. al, “Hands of Terrorism,†TIME (May 25, 1981).
v Decretal de Translat. Episcop. Cap.
vi Christopher Marcellus addressing Pope Julius II, in Fifth Lateran Council, Session IV (1512), Council Edition. Colm. Agrip. 1618, (J.D. Mansi, ed., Sacrorum Conciliorum Vol. 32, col. 761). Also quoted in Labbe and Cossart, History of the Councils Volume XIV, Column 109.
vii The Gloss of Extravagantes of Pope John XXII, Cum. Inter, title 14, chapter 4, “Ad Callem Sexti Decretaliumâ€, Column 140 (Paris, 1685). In an Antwerp edition of the Extravagantes, the words, Dominum Deum Nostrum Papam (“Our Lord God the Popeâ€) can be found in column 153.
viii Statement from Fr. A. Pereira.
ix Decretales Domini Gregori IX Translatione Episcoporum, (“On the Transference of Bishopsâ€), title 7, chapter 3; Corpus Juris Canonice (2nd Leipzig ed., 1881), Column 99; (Paris, 1612).
x Quoted in the New York Catechism.
xi Lucius Ferraris, “Concerning the extent of Papal dignity, authority, or dominion and infallibility,†Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Juridica, Moralis, Theologica, Ascetica, Polemica, Rubristica, Historica Volume V (Paris: J. P. Migne, 1858).
xii Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam (Rome: 1302).
xiii Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Cities Petrus Bertanous Chapter XXVII: 218.
xiv Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos—The Promotion of True Religious Unity (Rome: 1928).
xv Pope Leo XIII, Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae—The Reunion of Christendom (Rome: 1894).
Can watch some of the controversial/un-biblical incidents papal has been involved in video below.
http://amazingdiscoveries.tv/media/137/224-232K/
Please read every scripture that i would present to you after asking the holy spirit to tell you if it is the truth or not.
1. Jesus Christ came to die for EVERY human being who has ever lived INCLUDING mary.John 3:16
2. No human being has ever been righteous INCLUDING mary Romans 3 verses 10.
3. Even mary the mother of Jesus needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit as the other disciples Acts 1 verses 14.
4. For ALL has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
God bless you.
Also, there have been many arguments that praying to Mary is just an intercession. So – does that increase your chances of getting your prayers answered? Why not pray to the source – God/Jesus? Why do you need her to intercede for you? Yes, we ask our friends to pray for us but – we also pray to God. We do not pray to our friends to pray to God. If you read revelations, you will note the timing of the new testament, old testament and tribulation saints and their roles in heaven.
Why is Mary any more important than Abraham? As noted before, she is an instrument of God. Just like Noah, Moses, David, the prophets etc. Does the catholic church emphasize praying through them? Asking them to intercede? If your answer is yes, then why is it that Mary is above them? Why is Noah not as revered as Mary? Without Noah, God would have wiped out mankind therefore, no David, no Mary, nobody.
Yes, she gave birth to the son of God. But do you truly believe that ‘if’ she said no, Jesus would not be born? God would have ensured that His plan went through.
I think Catholics have to be very careful about what they say the role of Mary is. She is human. She was used by God in a mighty way. She was a sinner (she had to be, only Jesus was sinless). She died and went to heaven. Hmmm….sounds a lot like Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, Michael W. Smith. Her role happened to be the one who gave birth do Jesus. For God to appear in the flesh, SOMEONE had to. For God to free his people from slavery in Egypt, Moses was used, again – SOMEONE had to.
If you pray – pray to God. Put your emphasis on God and Jesus. No one else matters.
Reuben,
There is ONE God, and ONE mediator between GOD and MAN, the MAN, Christ JESUS! Jesus said, I AM THE WAY, the TRUTH, and THE LIFE, NO ONE comes to the FATHER BUT through ME! Check your Bibles, folks. Praying to Mary, or ANYONE aside from JESUS CHRIST, and trusting in ANYONE aside of JESUS Christ is pure IDOLATRY! An insult to the amazing sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. Catholics, please stop your idolatry and turn to Jesus, He is the ONLY MEDIATOR whom God hears! I say this weeping after reading many of these posts here….
Well, I’m not going to stop anything which brings me closer to Christ, which things such as the rosary does. As for trusting in anyone beside Jesus, we all know from experience that we all have placed our trust in many others besides Jesus, our mothers and fathers for instance. Prayer has a wider range of meaning than you seem to allow, as in, “Pray you, mark”-Ophilia, Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5. Jesus most certainly is all those things you said, but as a Catholic, I would argue that your conclusions do not follow.
Nnamdi,
Hello. I just want to say something. i am not a preacher or pastor but i believe what that the bible is the only basis of truth concerning the christain faith.Can any one show me in the bible where the early christains prayed to Mary?
Why is this necessary? Firstly, Mary was alive for awhile at least after Christ ascended. Secondly, the Bible imo, is not a manual. The way it’s constructed says to me that it is a collection of various writing styles by various authors combating real issues they were facing. It’s not a single piece of theological work, meant to encompass everything theological for all time. If it did, it would have had to on a philosophical basis, rather than a historical basis. Think, “Summa” rather than “Bible”. The only way I can see for the Bible to encompass all things theological while at the same time remain firmly rooted in historical circumstance, would be to affirm that every error, misunderstanding, or circumstance, the Church will continue to face, was already faced prior to approx. 90 AD. That’s not to say Scripture can’t be our jumping off point, but to make it ‘answer’ every theological dilemma the Church has had to face for approx 1900 years, makes Scripture bear a theological weight, it needs not bear.
It never happened. Mary was a normal human being who just had the grace of God.
No one’s ‘normal’. I don’t believe there’s any such thing. Every individual is one of a kind-unique.
She was not More Holy or righteous, she herself needed Jesus to make heaven.Remember that there is no one righteous not even ONE.
Of course she needed Jesus ‘to make heaven.’ No Catholic would deny that.
Please read every scripture that i would present to you after asking the holy spirit to tell you if it is the truth or not.
1. Jesus Christ came to die for EVERY human being who has ever lived INCLUDING mary.John 3:16
Yes.
2. No human being has ever been righteous INCLUDING mary Romans 3 verses 10.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.(Matt 1:19) There are many other ‘righteous’ individuals named in Scripture.
3. Even mary the mother of Jesus needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit as the other disciples Acts 1 verses 14.
Perhaps. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’, so I can’t answer definitively.
4. For ALL has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
I’ve always been leery of applying this verse to every single person without exception. Even if Mary were the greatest sinner in the world, we still have others to contend with, such as infants. Contextually, it seems more likely that Paul is saying that not only are Gentiles sinners, but Jews too. Many Jews did not consider themselves ‘sinners’ because in their minds they were law obedient, whereas Gentiles and others (eg less informed Jews)were considered sinners on account of not following the law. Remember the not so pleasant conversation between the Pharisees and the man born blind in John 9? Rom 2:17-21:’Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God;if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark,an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?
Le,
Can someone please tell me where you get the notion that Mary was also born a virgin birth?
Mary was not born from a virgin. She was born from the conjugal union of her mother and father. Who said she was?
Also, there have been many arguments that praying to Mary is just an intercession. So – does that increase your chances of getting your prayers answered?
God’s going to take care of us, no matter what. He doesn’t need us to tell Him what we need, He already knows. Prayer is not about ‘informing God’ or asking Mary to ‘inform God’ with the idea that God’s more likely to do what we want if Mary asks Him. Prayer is an invitation to commune with God and in and through God, each other. Prayer need be nothing other than just sitting still and listening.
Why not pray to the source – God/Jesus? Why do you need her to intercede for you? Yes, we ask our friends to pray for us but – we also pray to God.
It’s not a need in any sort of negative sense, as if God were less likely to hear our prayers if Mary didn’t pray for us. It’s about love. Catholics love those in heaven and it brings them great joy to be able to express that love in all sorts of ways, like talking with them and simply being in their presence.
We do not pray to our friends to pray to God. If you read revelations, you will note the timing of the new testament, old testament and tribulation saints and their roles in heaven.
I’m not sure what the latter means. Regarding the former, one definition of praying is asking/beseeching. So when Catholic use the term ‘pray’, in relation to the saints, they’re not using it in the sense of adoration (which is reserved for God alone), they’re using it in it’s more broader and if we lived 500-300 years ago, more common sense. I think some of the difficulty lies in linguistics. We no longer use the term ‘pray’ or any of its derivatives, in ways we use too. We’ve narrowed it down to a very strict definition, ie, ‘worship of God’. Which is really odd when you think about it, as it would mean that Ophelia was worshipping Queen Gertrude (see above) or I’m worshipping you, when I say, ‘I pray you, deliver this letter for me’.
Why is Mary any more important than Abraham?
Define important.
As noted before, she is an instrument of God. Just like Noah, Moses, David, the prophets etc. Does the catholic church emphasize praying through them? Asking them to intercede? If your answer is yes, then why is it that Mary is above them? Why is Noah not as revered as Mary? Without Noah, God would have wiped out mankind therefore, no David, no Mary, nobody.
Since my answer is ‘yes’, I would say this:
Mary is in a sense ‘above them’, but only because she is ‘below them’, that is, she considers herself that hand-maid of God and this sense of servitude she possesses extends to her fellow human beings (eg.Elizabeth). Jesus said whoever wants to become great must become the very least. For Catholics, Mary’s littleness, her obscurity, her humility is what makes her great. A ‘modern’ day example of this, is St. Therese (called the Little Flower). She is one of the most beloved saints in the Catholic Church and yet she lived her life in littleness, in childlike simplicity. Her diary which we have today has inspired many to imitate her life, which is commonly known now as, ‘The Little Way Of St. Therese’. Her love for Jesus was absolutely profound. I highly recommend reading her diary.
Yes, she gave birth to the son of God. But do you truly believe that ‘if’ she said no, Jesus would not be born? God would have ensured that His plan went through.
If Mary had said no (which, I don’t believe she would have, given that she was p